Popular Nigerian comedian, MC Mbakara, and his wife, Lolo Mbakara, have opened up about a heartbreaking chapter of their lives — one that began with joy and anticipation but quickly turned into an agonizing battle for survival, faith, and unconditional love.
Their story, which revolves around the birth of their daughter, Eke Mama, is a deeply emotional tale of medical negligence, trauma, and resilience — a reminder of the cracks in Nigeria’s healthcare system and the strength of parents who refuse to give up on their child.
A Joyful Expectation Turns to Horror
According to Lolo, her pregnancy journey was perfect from start to finish. Every scan and check-up gave them confidence that their baby girl was healthy and strong. There was no warning of what lay ahead.
“The pregnancy was smooth,” she recalled. “Everything went well until the day I went into labour. That was when our nightmare began.”
At the hospital, things took a tragic turn. During delivery, complications arose — the baby got stuck. Lolo fought through the pain, urged on by nurses who kept telling her to “push harder.”
“I didn’t want her to stop breathing,” she said. “When she finally came out, she wasn’t breathing. She wasn’t even crying.”
A Battle for Oxygen
In that critical moment, the medical team’s response was nothing short of shocking. They called for oxygen, but what arrived was a disaster.
“They brought an empty cylinder,” Lolo said, her voice trembling. “It was filled with something that looked like water. They poured the liquid all over my baby while she was gasping for breath. My mom started shouting, asking, ‘What is this?!’ That was when they confessed they didn’t have oxygen and told us to rush to another hospital.”
The family immediately drove to the University Teaching Hospital in Calabar, clinging to hope. But instead of emergency action, they were told to first complete registration paperwork.
“I was begging,” MC Mbakara recalled painfully. “I told them, ‘Please save my baby first; I’ll do the registration right after.’ But they refused. My child was dying, and we were filling forms.”
Too Little, Too Late
After nearly an hour of delays, the baby was finally attended to — only for the family to be told that oxygen wasn’t available in that unit. They were instructed to go to another block, near the mortuary, to get oxygen themselves.
What should have been a five-minute intervention stretched into hours — and eventually days.
“A baby who just needed a few short pumps of oxygen to recover ended up on oxygen for over 10 days,” Lolo said tearfully. “That was the beginning of everything.”
The Devastating Diagnosis
When doctors later examined the baby’s brain scans, the results were grim — severe brain damage caused by lack of oxygen at birth. One of the doctors reviewing the case was a close friend of MC Mbakara.
“He pulled me aside,” MC recalled. “He said, ‘Guy, what I’m seeing here… your baby will live, but not like other children. She’ll be in pain, she’ll be bedridden. The best thing you can do — as hard as it sounds — is to take off the oxygen mask and let her go.’”
The words shattered him.
“I couldn’t do it. We couldn’t,” Lolo whispered. “She was our daughter. How do you let your baby die just like that?”
Nine Years of Strength and Stigma
Today, nine years later, little Eke Mama is alive. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement, muscle tone, and coordination. The road has been anything but easy for the Mbakaras — marked by sleepless nights, countless hospital visits, and emotional exhaustion.
To make matters worse, the family has faced cruel judgment from society. Some accuse MC Mbakara of using his daughter for “rituals,” while others claim she is “a child from the marine kingdom.”
“It hurts deeply,” MC said. “People see her condition and say the most terrible things. But they don’t know the pain we live with, or the love we share.”
Love Beyond Measure
Despite the heartbreak, the Mbakaras have found strength in their daughter. They call her “our miracle girl.” Her laughter, though rare, lights up their world.
“Our child is not a curse,” Lolo said firmly. “She’s our blessing — a living testimony of God’s grace. Every day she wakes up, we thank God.”
Their story is not just about pain; it is about enduring love, unwavering faith, and the courage to fight for life even when hope seems lost.
For MC Mbakara and his wife, the journey continues — one day at a time — as they raise awareness about children with special needs and advocate for better healthcare for mothers and newborns in Nigeria.
“If our story can save one child, or make one hospital take oxygen more seriously,” MC said, “then our pain will not be in vain.”
