Not everybody will live up to 100 years. For a centurion, Mrs Millicent Watts, she never knew she will be the only one to celebrate her 100 years old birthday out of her 15 siblings. OLATUNDE ODEBIYI reports the secret of her longevity, her younger days, what she wants to be remembered for and her advice for the younger generation.
AGE is no respecter of anybody. A man jumps, dances, runs and does a lot of activities as if to break the bone. At times he has a tall dream of climbing the highest mountain in a jiffy, but when old age sets in, the one who can fly like a cat suddenly becomes as calm as a dove.
Many people in their younger days are very sharp, smart and intelligent, but when age tells, they forget many of the things they were sound about in the younger days. This fact applies to all persons. Be it the educated or illiterate; rich or poor; black or while; tall or short.
This is the fate of a centurion Sierra Leone woman, who spent the major part of her life in Nigeria. Mrs Millicent Watts turned 100 years old on Friday, December 2. She was born in a village called Water Leonne in Sierra Leone on December 2, 1916.
‘I never knew I’ll be 100 years’, she told The Nation. At her 100 years celebration, in her Apapa residence in Lagos, church leaders and members; families, friends and other well-wishers, said prayers, sang songs, and showered the ‘birthday girl’ with gifts.
The celebrant is a relation of the late Mrs. Elsie Nelly Michael Ibru. She was decked in a turquoise blue buba and iro, with red neck beads and matching gele. Her guests were dressed in choice, classic outfits. They all greeted her with hugs and pecks; they were either kneeling or prostrating for her.
The ceremony, which lasted for the whole day, had people trooping in and out of the celebrant’s house. She was the cynosure of all eyes.
She spoke about her younger days, work experience and offered words of wisdom to the younger generations.
“I am full of joy; words are not enough to express how I feel. I don’t know how to describe how happy I am today. I am the happiest in the world; I didn’t expect that I will be 100 years,” she said.
Fondly called ‘mama’, Mrs Watts said she was born into a family of 15. “I am the second to the last child and I am the only one that lived up to this age, so I give glory to God.”
She said the secret of her long life is God. “My long life is in God’s hand. I know nothing about it. God kept me alive, God asked the angels to take care of me and they are still doing it,” she said.
Mama grew up just like the ordinary people. She said she met hardship and things were uneasy. “Growing up for me was just the same like the ordinary human being. My parents were very poor and they struggled to take care of us. As a result, I left Sierra Leone and came to Nigeria in 1928 when I was 12 years old. I went back to Sierra Leone in 1934 and came back again to Nigeria in 1947. I have been in Nigeria since then.”
“Because my parents were very poor, they could not afford to send us to school. My father’s relation, niece and nephew, brought some of us to Nigeria and that was how I spent the major part of my life here. Before coming to Nigeria, I was with my parents, trying to keep life going on. I was not schooling nor learning a trade.
“When I came to Nigeria, I first worked in City College, preparing food for the boarders. when the work was too hard for me, I got another job at a local government as a telephone attendant and I was there for almost 20 years before I retired.”
Although Mama was in Nigeria in 1960 during the independence, but she cannot remember what it was like. She said the mode of communication in her younger days was through letter writing but it’s made easier today because of telephone and other media, although she said she no longer communicates with anybody.
She said she is always happy because she has nothing to think about. “I can’t say I am sad, naked or hungry at any time, I am always happy. When I leave this world, I want to be remembered for cracking jokes, because anybody that spends time with me will always laugh.
“All I do now is to sit down, eat and stay at home. I feel exited being the oldest person in the room most of the time. I am very happy because the people around me don’t allow me to feel anything hard. Nobody is giving me any problem, and I have what I need.”
Mama urged the younger generation to have the fear of God. She urged them to be respectful and love others. Even though she lost her sight many years ago, mama responded well to all her guests at the ceremony. She ensured they were all around her. She brought up conversations and ensured that none of them left her house without informing her.
At the ceremony, Venerable Michael Gbadebo of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Apapa GRA, Lagos, led the guests in prayers and singing of hymns. He later gave mama the Holy Communion and all the guests sang the popular ‘happy birthday’ song for her. Mama cut her cream colour birthday cake. She was later accompanied by some of her guests.
Venerable Gbadebo described her as a woman that is full of life. He said she loves God, she has a good heart and she is always full of life. He added that mama will always sing from the hymn book off head and she will never allow a month to pass without taking the Holy Communion.
“She will always send someone to the church to remind me to come and administer the Holy Communion to her every month,” he said.
One of her granddaughters, Mrs Gloria Ibru, described Mama as the funniest woman on earth. “When you sit with her, there is never a dull moment. You will laugh until you leave and because you are laughing, you don’t want to leave. She will tell you all kinds of story both the one that is true and the one that she is making up herself. She is full of weight, she loves and she has the fear of God.
“I think one of the secrets of her long life is that she is light-hearted; she does not keep anything in her heart. If you offend her, she tells you immediately. Every time with mama is memorable. To reach 100 years is not common. Every time spent with her is a memory,” she said.
Another granddaughter, Taiye Ayodele, who lives with mama, said she sleeps most of the time. “When she is awake, she will eat and she likes talking to herself about her previous life.”
She said mama is funny and caring. “She knows how to tell you that what you did is wrong and how to go about it.” She said she has lots of memorable moments with mama.
Mrs Nansi Kolade, said mama has been a good aunty. She wished her all the best. She described her as a woman with good values, saying that has helped her to live this long. “She is open-minded, contented and lovable,” she said.
