A handsome man with well shaved beard, an epitome of the glamour of a light-skinned African man, with skin like milk, glasses to the eyes and a camera set. Action!
“Emeka and Nkechi ….” Egemba Chinonso Fidelis’s voice vibrates through the speaker.
Egemba Chinonso Fidelis, an award-winning Medical Doctor, fits to be referred to as a celebrity doctor. He has built himself with the charisma that positions him as someone you may not like but cannot ignore. At least, you need his advice to stay alive and bear your grudge against him. While he is arguably someone loved by everyone, he is appreciated by me.
He possesses rare characteristics that distinguish him from his colleagues who share similar medical tips online, his excellent storytelling skills and ability to speak to the reach the uneducated while reaching the educated is very commendable. He has been spotted saying that his audiences are those who do not have doctors’ numbers on speed dial, which has earned him the trust of the masses. When people love you, they dance to your tune. This is the reality of the Celebrity Doctor.
Egemba Chinonso Fidelis was born on 26th October, 1990 with a silver spoon in his mouth but had the spoon forcefully taken out when life hit hard on the family and the only means of finance was his mother’s supermarket. Again, life struck and this time, the wicked one had possessed the mind of some person(s) to steal from his mother’s supermarket, the supermarket was robbed to the ground. This altered the trajectory of little Nonso’s life.
The family could not fix the supermarket to its previous state of blessedness, this led to his mother partnering with a restaurant close to her supermarket building. Her job description was to be responsible for satisfying the thirst and soft drink needs of the restaurant’s customers. Thus, little Nonso became the waiter who sold water. The family of five barely survived on the finances from the water selling. His mother had to make the hard decision of selling fried akara on the road to lovers of the Nigerian street meal. This continued till he was about to get into the university. Life, from the boy who was driven by varying colours of cars to church on Sundays to the boy who had to trek to school. From the kid whose mother had a blooming supermarket to the kid who assisted his mother, selling akara by the roadside. These experiences led to the formation of his creative senses as his books became his company, while in the dark lit by the smoking flame exuding from kerosened woods, he flipped through book pages digesting stories and traveling the world through the words on papers.
Remarkably, during this turbulence, Nonso’s father never depreciated in the love he has for his family. One day, at dinner, Nonso had eaten his meal but needed more, he could not tell his parents. His father read teenage Nonso’s desires from the silence on his boy’s face. He divided his food and gave a tangible part to his son. Nonso ate the food but that fatherly act would later grow to make a sustainable impact in Nonso’s life. It taught him selflessness, sacrificial love and true parenting.
It is important to stress that the part of Lagos, Surulere where Nonso grew was filled with lout, commonly referred to as agbero, in the Nigerian context. One day, his mum sent his to deliver akamu, a sweet paste taken with akara, at the home of one of the louts. On getting there, he realised that the vicinity had a stench of cigarettes. He delivered the akamu but pleaded with his mother never to send him on such a mission to the louts area, his mother obliged. This act registered a deep parenting lesson in the mind of little Nonso.
Being creatively inclined due to his exposure to stories, Nonso’s wanted to become a singer but his mother said, “Over my dead body!” Thinking of a career path, Nonso loved the book, Where There Is No Doctor, he also had medical books at home, a product of his father’s negated desire to become a medical doctor. Now, Nonso would not only make his father happy, he would go on to make,e himself proud as a medical doctor.
While studying medicine, his creative potential longed to survive. So, while pursuing academics and hustling to make money, the Nigerian Conference of Christian Medical and Dental Students (NCCMDS) reached out to him, to enquire whether he could design graphics for the association’s magazine. Hustling Nonso was obliged to design the magazine without any knowledge of graphic design. This resulted in him sleeping on YouTube, watching tutorials on how to design graphics using design tools. He made the design and till date, that design is among his best designs, his client loved it. This act spurred the need to stretch his creative prowess, he designed graphics on health education.
His creative ability had an innate inclination to public speaking which often drove him to stand before the mirror to make speeches and improve his communication skills.
At seventeen, he had an appendix surgery which had complications, intestinal obstruction. Thus, another surgery was to be carried out. This was close to his first year’s examination. After the surgery, he returned to school to sit for the year’s examination. In between the examination, he vomited and was compelled to go home for a rest. He returned to school, hoping that he would join his colleagues in their new classes but was obliged to repeat year one. The pain was unbearable, he cried his emotions out and found it hard to resume that year, studying the same things he had studied the previous year.
There was a patient who had a transient ischemic attack (TIA), the patient was examined, managed and discharged. Nonso as a medical student saw the man. A few years later, while Nonso was preparing for his final examination, the same patient arrived at the hospital with the same ailment. Unfortunately, he kicked the bucket. This brought a realisation to the young Nonso, “Was it that the man was negligent in adhering to his medications? What possibly went wrong that made the man come with the same ailment.”
Nonso believes that since the medical consultant has little or no time to educate patients on step-by-step means of avoiding or managing certain ailments, then it is important that a means be utilised in communicating with the masses. For instance, it is wrong to take oranges when taking antimalarial. Unfortunately, many Africans tend to gift fruits when a friend is ill with malaria, orange is a common fruit to be gifted. A lot of people have poor knowledge about the ailment. This realisation led to the emergence of the use social media presence.
First, he began with graphics. He posted his health education graphics on Facebook but it did not gain the vast visibility he desired. He took his graphic to Instagram yet got poor engagement. He moved to Twitter yet again, with low engagement.
Surviving as a medical doctor in Nigeria is a lot of pressure. Young Nonso had to work three jobs to keep body and spirit together. He held three jobs at the same time: Between the hours of 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, he would be at a hospital in Iyanu Isolo, Lagos. 5:00 pm – 8:00 am, he would be at FESTAC, Lagos. At weekends, he had an appointment at VI, Lagos. For all these appointments, he worked as a medical doctor in those hospitals yet his total salary did not look like the hard work he was engaged in.
His breakthrough came when he tweaked the story of one of his patients and boom! It went viral. It clicked; people love to hear stories. He continued with his storytelling skill on Twitter. There were times he was backlash for his authenticity and plainness in speaking about health issues. Soon, he grew from just the medical doctor who trends on Twitter with facts and stories to the celebrity medical doctor who makes excellent videos, educating the masses while using Emeka and Nkechi as his characters.
In 2020, he got married to Chef Amaka, his secondary school colleague. On 5th
December, 2022 he was diagnosed with a brain tumor which led to a major surgery, he wife had to take up the role of a caregiver and he had to learn to walk again.
The celebrity Doctor’s life is no doubt a story of, “I do not look like what I have been through.” He scaled through his scars.
Aproko Doctor stands out not only as a medical professional but as a beacon of reliable health information in the digital age. His ability to bridge the gap between medical expertise and public understanding has made him a leading figure in health communication, and his impact is likely to endure as he continues to empower individuals to prioritise their well-being.
What is your present pain? Paint a better picture with your pains.
Posted By: ADEYEMO JESUTOFUNMI,
About the Author
Wow, such an inspiring story.
Tomorrow is better for us no matter our current situation.
Wow, This is Beautiful.. Never knew all of this about Him. Truly he scaled through his scars.
Thank you for the feedback.