For Folajogun Adesona, Theresa Nwaohu and Bessy Egbonbamwonyi, Sunday March 18 is one they would not forget in a hurry. It was the day the three lucky women were rewarded for emerging winner, first and second runners-up respectively in the 2011 edition of the reality television show, Supermom. At the prize presentation ceremony held at the posh Forks and Fingers Restaurant and Bar, Ikeja, Lagos, the three women were treated like queens, feted and presented their prizes in the presence of family and friends and a cross section of carefully selected fans and followers of the show. Adesona, a 61-year-old businesswoman and winner of the show, became the proud owner of a well-furnished home in Lagos among other mouth-watering prizes. Nwaohu, the first runner-up was presented the key to a brand-new car, while Egbonbamwonyi was awarded a cash prize of N500,000.
“These are women who sacrificed their all just to ensure that their kids have a better life. They shelved their own comfort and career to give their kids the best. Today, they are being celebrated for their valour and sacrifices. It is my hope that other mothers across the country would emulate these women and continue to give their all to their kids,” Nollywood actress and Onga seasoning ambassador, Kate Henshaw-Nuttal, had said while announcing the winners at the end of the 13-week broadcast last November.
Indeed, Supermom celebrated the significant role mothers play in moulding the lives of their children. For one, Adesona’s arresting story, which appeared in the 11th episode, moved many viewers to vote for her and placed her miles ahead of other contending mothers. In that episode, Adesona had narrated how her in-laws suddenly became antagonistic and subjected her to varying degrees of punishment, following the death of her husband. She was also denied access to her husband’s company, forced to withdraw her children from good schools and then placed on a paltry sum of N300 for their upkeep. To survive she had to take on various menial jobs, ranging from timber selling, block moulding to food hawking among others. Fate would deal her another blow when her brother-in-law and his wife died a year apart, leaving four children for her to cater for. All the 10 children are now doing well in their different endeavours. And now, her sheer acts of kindness and love have brought her the coveted Supermom prize, and a life-long celebration of enviable sense of motherhood. The story is not any different for the two other mothers who are being celebrated in their lifetime.
Sponsored by Procter and Gamble, Promasidor and Dufil Foods, makers of Ariel detergent, Onga seasoning and Indomie noodles, viewers followed the heart-rending stories of sacrifices and denials of 20 mothers, drawn pan-Nigeria, on the African Independent Television and Nigeria Television Authority networks for 13 weeks.
“It’s been a wonderful moment for me. This is an improvement on last year’s edition and I’m so elated with the outcome. All the stories were heart-rending considering the numerous sacrifices made by the contesting mothers; my unreserved appreciation however goes to the sponsors who have made the show equally remarkable and available to millions of viewers across the country. Without them, these stories would never have been told; these mothers would never have been celebrated. However, we should always imbibe the culture of celebrating our mothers in any little way we can while they are very much alive,” noted Sola Fajobi, the show’s executive producer.
