Ola Balogun, a veteran Nigerian filmmaker, has asked his family to donate his organs to a medical institution after his death.
At 81, Balogun shared these wishes in his will, called ‘Public Rendition of My Last Will and Testament,’ where he explained that a recent health scare, which came just days after his 81st birthday on August 1, influenced his decision.
Balogun said he could not prepare a formal will with a lawyer because his illness led him to seek treatment at Josek Medical Centre in Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos State. Balogun said he was inspired by Obafemi Awolowo, the late Nigerian statesman, who wrote his will just weeks before he died.
”Barely a week after I was privileged to celebrate my 81st birthday on August 1st, a fresh medical alert has obliged me to once more seek treatment at the Josek medical centre in Ogba, Ikeja,” the document reads in part.
”Consequently, I am hastily writing these few lines, not knowing whether or not I am destined to emerge alive from my latest confrontation with illness.
”Since I do not have the material possibility of calling on a legal practitioner at the present moment to seek help in drawing up a final version of my last will and testament, I have decided to have recourse to the present public document in order to leave instructions behind in the event that my physical being should succumb to death within the next few days or weeks.
”I am encouraged in this decision by the sterling example of the great Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who calmly sat down to pen a final version of his will a few weeks before his death.
”Like the late sage, I firmly believe that departure from earthly existence should involve a well-thought-out and orderly process, rather akin to preparation for a long journey.”
Balogun requested that once his death is confirmed by doctors, his body should be quickly examined to remove organs like kidneys or eyes for donation to people who need them.
He also asked that the rest of his body be given to medical institutions to help train future doctors in anatomy. Balogun explained that he made this choice because he wants his body to help others even after he is gone.
“I hereby further direct that immediately after my physical demise would have been medically certified, my remains should be speedily dissected in order to extract any vital organs that might be useful for donation to persons in need of vital organs such as the kidneys, the eyes etc,” the statement added.
”After that, I hereby direct that whatever is left over should be speedily handed over to appropriate medical institutions for use by future doctors who are learning how to carry out dissections within the scope of their study of morbid anatomy.
”The above decisions concerning the disposal of my corpse are rooted in the firm conviction that my physical remains should, if possible, be useful to the living.”
Balogun is seen as a pioneer of the Nigerian film industry. Over several decades, he has made films and documentaries in English, Yoruba, Pidgin, and Igbo.
In 1972, Balogun directed his first feature-length film ‘Alpha,’ marking his transition from documentary to narrative cinema.
His notable works include ‘Alpha’, ‘Ija Ominira’, ‘Amadi’, ‘Nigersteel’, ‘Ajani Ogun’, ‘Musik Man’ and ‘Oorun Moru’.
