Via Vanguard,
His story runs like a novel; shocking and unbelievable. But it is
real and never imagined. Winner of the maiden edition of Destiny Child
Gospel reality TV show, Israel Osunsanmi recently came to term with the
saying that blood is thicker than water.
This is so, because on a day the world gathered to celebrate him as
the star winner of the gospel reality show, the unexpected happened.
Young Israel had a cause to meet his biological father for the first
time in his lifetime while on stage.
Israel
Until the grand finale of the reality show, 30 year-old Israel has
never had any contact with his father. But on that fateful day, the man
who sent his......
mother packing while she was two months pregnant
suddenly emerged to share in his joy.
Narrating his ordeal to Showtime, Israel, an OND Business
Administration graduate of the Osun State Polytechnic, declared that he
has since forgiven his father, even though his mother’s ordeal really
affected his growing up. “I have forgiven him and the relationship is
gradually picking up,” he said.
According to him, his ordeal started when his father impregnated his
mother’s best friend a month before their wedding. His mother’s attempt
to confront his father got her a knock on the head, as the latter
consequently threw her with her two-months pregnancy out of his house
in order to marry her friend.
Israel disclosed that if not for God’s mercies, he wouldn’t have made
it to this world as his mum attempted about 10 times to abort the
pregnancy but without any success.
He narrates, “I will be 30 this month. I’m from a polygamous family,
and I’m the only child of my mother. I took to gospel music because of
my story. My life is a big story. My dad sent my mother packing when she
was 2-months pregnant. That was when my struggles started in life. It
was myself and my mum alone in the world. But I’m alive today. That
alone gave me the inspiration that it was God that kept me alive.
And it is God, I must live without blemish, and if I do anything
wrong, God is going to take away this life that he has given to me.
That’s why I can’t do anything without God. And this is why many people
today call me ‘ Church Boy’ because I’m always spending my time in the
Church. There was a time, I wanted to go astray, when I was singing in
clubs, and other hangouts, but God in his infinite mercies redirected
my steps.”
Narrating how he was able to reunite with his father. he disclosed
that one of his father’s sisters made it possible. “We got hooked up
on facebook early last year. In the cause of our discussion, I invited
her to the grand finale of the show. Fortunately, she decided to
attend the event in the company of his father. She was trying to connect
with the Osunsanmis online.
She saw my telephone number and immediately gave me a call. That
was how we started getting closer. When it was a week to the finals of
the reality show, I invited her to represent my family. But she told me
she was going to attend the event in the company of my father. I
welcomed the idea. That was it. The mistake I made was telling the
producer that my dad was around and that, I was meeting him for the
first time in my life. Overwhelmed by that news, the Producer invited
him on stage and the reunion was a memorable experience.”
Israel, who won N3 million star prize, including a brand new Hyundai
car said, he would forever remain grateful to God for this turn around
in his life. “My mother is based in Ilorin and could not make to the
grand finale of the show,” he said.
Now married, Israel will be 30 next month. Before he participated in
the competition, he was the Head, Directorate of Media and Logistics,
at TREM in Abuja.
The show producer, Mrs. Uche Esharetury disclosed, she was inspired
to do this project because of her passion for gospel music. “Looking at
the Nigerian music industry, we realise most of these artistes
discovered their talent from the church, participating in choirs and
others right from their youth. They were certified as gifted musicians,
but the absence of potential sponsorship deprived them opportunities in
gospel music.Hence, the subscription to secular music which attracts
sponsorship based on its so-cietal acceptance”, Esharetury said.
