Phyna Otabor was the lucky winner of the 2022 BBNaija ‘Level Up’ edition, which came with a whopping N100 million prize money.
Her parents, who were struggling to make ends meet, were overjoyed and proud of their daughter’s achievement. They hoped that their daughter would use her newfound wealth to improve their living conditions and support them in their old age. But they were in for a rude shock.
Phyna, who was the first child of four children, vanished from their lives as soon as she received her prize money. She never returned to her parents’ home, nor did she contact them in any way.
She ignored their calls and messages, and blocked them on social media. She lived a lavish lifestyle, flaunting her riches and fame on the internet, while her parents suffered in silence.
Her father, Mr Felix Otabor, who was a professional hearse driver, told our reporter that he had sold all his four cars at the request of his daughter, who promised to change his life.
He said that his daughter had asked him to stop being a hearse driver, and wait for her to come back with better things for him. He obeyed her, thinking that she had good intentions for him. But he regretted his decision, as he lost his source of income and his position as the Vice-Chairman of his association.
He said that he had no car to work with, and no money to buy one. He said that he sometimes borrowed a car from his colleague to do some jobs, but it was not enough to sustain him and his family. He said that he was looking for someone who could give him a car on hire purchase, as he was desperate to survive.
“I haven’t seen Phyna, my daughter since she won BBNaija ‘Level Up’ edition last year. She hasn’t returned home since then. I don’t know why? I am a professional hearse driver, and when she won the reality TV show, she asked me to do away with all my old cars, promising to change my life.
“ But since then, I haven’t seen her. And I don’t have a car again. Once in a while, the Vice-Chairman of our association will allow me to drive his own car.
“I sold all my four cars because at the time , my daughter won the show. I thought that God had finally answered our prayers. I called her on the telephone, and she said God has blessed us. She asked me to do away with all my old cars, or she would give them out to Aboki, any day she returned. So, instead of allowing her to dash out my cars to scavengers, I decided to sell them as scraps and used the proceeds to renovate my house. And that was the beginning of my suffering.
“I stopped doing my business because I had no car again. And my neighbours thought I was either stingy or pretending as if my daughter just won a N100 million grand prize. I was the Vice-Chairman of our association, but when I couldn’t show up at our station for some time, they replaced me with another person.
“From that moment, things started getting tough for me. I am even looking for somebody that will give me a car on hire purchase. I need help, it has come to that point/. I don’t want to die in silence.”
He said that he was not angry with his daughter for refusing to share her money with him, but for cutting off all ties with him and her mother. He said that he loved his daughter, and wanted to see her and talk to her. He said that he did not know what they had done wrong to deserve such treatment from their own flesh and blood.
He appealed to anyone who knew the whereabouts of his daughter to beg her to come back home, or at least call them and let them know how she was doing. He said that he was worried about her safety and well-being, as he did not know what could happen to her in the outside world.
He also urged other parents to be careful of how they raise their children, and not to put all their hopes on them. He said that children could be unpredictable and ungrateful, and could turn their backs on their parents when they least expected it. He said that parents should work hard for themselves, and not depend on their children for their happiness.
