Babies are special gifts from God and Okiki Daniel Adetayo is a very special creature of God given the circumstances of his birth. While most babies stay in the womb between 9-11months or a little more, Okiki was there for ten years.
As mother was contending with the pain, physical and psychological, societal stigma, and above all the uncertainty of what the fruit would bear for that period, Okiki seemed to be enjoying himself defying all medical and trado-medical examinations. Some of the examination results were negative. No baby in the womb.
Yet, some confirmed the existence of a baby in her womb but with dangerous consequences.
For nine years, nine months and nine days, the family was on a tortuous and tormenting search for solution.
The mother, Mrs Dorcas Ramota Adetayo, 57, who has carried four other successful pregnancies. She narrated her story to Saturday Vanguard at her Igbe Road, Ikorodu, residence. “I was 44 years old when I conceived the baby and I gave birth to him in January 14, 2007. Long after my due date, there was no sign that the baby was coming.
Infact, I went for an ultra-scan, the report began to show that there was no baby in my womb. But when I returned home, I used to feel the movement of the baby and as an experienced mother, I refused to be convinced.”
“I went to the Lagos state University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, and I was told there would be a surgery to evacuate what was in my womb still maintaining that it was no baby, I refused.
At that point, I felt it was time to try the native option, but the story was the same. I remember a place I went when the pregnancy was about seven years. The man after offering sacrifices, called me that I should bring my ‘baby things’ indicating that I would be delivered of a baby. I rushed to pick them and when I got back to him, he turned me back saying he could not do it again. I cried and dedicated myself to God. I started attending Celestial Church with a vow never to go anywhere again.” she explained.
The father, Mr Joseph Olufemi Adetayo, a retiree, explained that the whole development was a mystery to him.
“You see, at some point, I was not even thinking about the baby anymore, I was thinking about the life of my wife. We went to several places spending huge amount of money to no avail. I sold everything I had including my plots of land to ensure that all what was needed were provided in order to bring what was in her womb out without losing her life.”
“When I couldn’t pay some of the debt back, a close friend came to me and advised me to give out two-room house in lieu of the money borrowed. In the process, I had an accident which almost claimed my life. My left limb and feet were apart, they were joined through a surgery after I spent 18months in the hospital.” he lamented.
Giving a spiritual dimension to the whole incident, Mr Adetayo said: “We were told that before my wife would deliver, she had to confess if she had slept with another man. But you see, my wife was a virgin when I married her and she swore with everything they provided that if she did, she should die, and nothing happened.”
Continuing, he said it was Evangelist Adesugba of the Celestial Church, Igbogbo, Ikorodu that God used. “The Prophet, after a 7-day prayer and fasting revealed that very soon God would deliver the baby and the revelation came to pass.”
On how it happened, Mrs Adetayo said: “Few years back, the pregnancy had not been noticeable. So, I walked about as if nothing was wrong with me. Fourteen days after the revelation, I had gone to visit a friend and it was at my friend’s house that I felt pain on my left leg from my waist down.
My host advised me to go to the hospital immediately, but because I had vowed that I would not go to any hospital again, she gave the option of a nearby nurse for a pain relief injection which I obliged. After taking the pain relief injection, instead of subsiding, the pain increased it and I couldn’t move. On that same left limb close to my waist, I felt the baby moving and before I could utter a word, the baby came down.”
Prophet Adesugba told Saturday Vanguard that god revealed to him that Mrs Adetayo would be delivered of a baby and he advised her to wait on the Lord. “On the 1st of January, she came to me crying that they kept advising her to go for surgery, to evacuate what was in her womb. I prayed and advised her to wait on the Lord.
I’m happy that the family heeded my advise. On the same month she was delivered of a baby.”
The prophet said the baby was a special creature “because for 10 years, people had thought he would have grown teeth or show sign of a grown baby in the womb, but no, God perfected everything about him. He is a special gift.”
The father, Mr. Adetayo said, “Okiki will be four next January, but when he talks you’ll think he is an adult. He amazes even his peers. His analytical prowess is stunning. Again, at one time he was ill and before we knew it all his dread-lock vanished and there was no hair on his head. After sometime, the dread-lock returned.”
Adetayo stressed further that “If he feels uncomfortable with the dread-lock anytime, he uses his hand by merely scrubbing it, and few days after it will reduce drastically on its own. Also, if any dread-lock removes on its own, wherever he may be, he always bring it home and ask his mother to keep it for him. He’s got fame right from the womb and that is why he was named Okiki.”
The mother, Mrs, Adetayo added that she has never doubted that Okiki is a special baby going by the circumstances of his birth. She said although he can be naughty sometimes but she will not spare the rod.
“He provoked me to beating him one day and the next moment he said passionately that, ‘Mummy, you beat me, so you can beat me’
On December 12, 2009, I had two projects to execute in connection with my source of livelihood. The first project, the shooting of the musical video of Eugene De Coque, was billed to take place at Beaton Studios, Egbu Road, Owerri. It was scheduled to start at 11.30 a.m. The other project, Uwenja Fashion show 2009, was slated for 6.00 p.m at All Seasons Hotel,