Jerry Suarau is a multi-talented artiste known to most people as Jheri6thsense. With a very dark complexion you can’t miss in a sea of dark faces – because of his good looks – Jheri is a gospel musician, writer, TV producer, who also anchors events. Easily at home with children, this crooner came very close to death in a ghastly accident in 2007, in Lagos.
So began a marathon race of surgeries to save his life and, rebuild the leg he almost lost in crash. Since getting back on his feet he has devoted his life to the service of accident victims, by using his talents to raise money for their medical care. In the course of that he set up a non-governmental organization, JHAVI (Jehri’s Help Accident Victims Initiative), to drive the vision. With commitment, doggedness and tenacity of purpose, Jheri has worked hard with the unflinching support of his manager, Barrister Efe Anaughe and other members of his team to touch many souls and save many lives, too.
Most recently, to mark Jheri’s birthday on June 28, the NGO made a cash donation for payment of the medical bills of seven-year-old Sarafina Idris whose two feet were run over by a vehicle while returning from school, in Agbara, Ogun State. In this interview, Jheri re-lives the harrowing experience of the accident that almost took his life and how he has been using the second chance to serve humanity, among other issues. Excerpts…
Which part of this great country had the privilege of giving Jerry Saurau, aka Jheri 6stSense to the nation?
I am an indigene of Ibadan, Oyo State. But I was I was born and brought up in Lagos. I did all my schooling from primary to university education in Lagos. I am a gospel artist. I started in the children’s choir of our church and later graduated to the adult choir. And in 1997, I teamed up with some of my friends to form a group called the Revelations, which later metamorphosed into another group, The Pillaz was born in 1999 when the Revelations merged with Rhema, another gospel group. I was with The Pillaz for about 13 years. And in 2012, I left the group to start a solo career.
Why did you break away from The Pillaz?
There was no problem really. But then a Yoruba proverb says that 20 children cannot play together for 20 years. So, I just felt it was time for me to move on to the next level and take up the next assignment that God gave me. You know, one thing about God is that once you are faithful in one thing, he will give you another, just like the parable of talents in the bible.
What kind of music do you play?
It is an intertwined genre. My music is not just for self-glorification. I praise God, entertain people and also use my talents to help people that can’t help themselves, especially accident victims. We also run a gospel club by the poolside of Rock View Hotel in Lagos. It holds on the third Friday of every month.
How often do you run your concerts?
We run it thrice yearly. We have already organized two for this year and the last one comes up on September 29th.
To which of your parents do you trace your talent?
Well, my dad does not sing but my mum does. My mum used to be a chorister at the Redeemed Christian Church of God. She is a pastor now. So, I can safely say that music partly runs in our family and that I took my music part from my mum.
How has it been, especially since 2012 when you went solo?
There have been a lot of challenges, because when I was in Pillaz, it was a group and we took decisions jointly. But now, I have to make my own decisions. The major challenge in going solo is that it is more or less like you are starting afresh. Most solo artistes, while trying to establish a new ground even have to do some shows free in a bid to convince people and get them to buy their new brand.
How do you pay all the big stars that feature in your concerts?
Most of them do it on charity basis. It is a two-way thing that is largely based on established relationships. Sometimes, I feature in their events too. Some individuals are just naturally disposed to support good causes at all times. Even my team members, most of them are volunteers who do not earn any pay from the organization. But there are those who would just disappear into the thin air after making pledges. A certain man once pledged to support us with N1 Million when we went on air to solicit financial support for a young girl that needed that amount for her hospital bills. But as we speak, after calling him for months, we had to give up.
How do you rate your general successes at this point?
I would say that we are still taking giant strides towards recording giant achievements. By the grace of God, we have been able to touch lives. I do not play music or hold concerts just for people to come and hear us sing. Rather I do it basically to raise funds for accident victims. And I can tell you that since I started the solo career, we have done so many things and also saved so many lives.
Are your songs on sale at present?
I have a couple of singles. At the moment, I have three tracks that are getting good airplay on radio. The first two are rock gospel songs titled Heartbeats and Durotimi, while the third one, which I released online few weeks ago, on Democracy Day, is titled Naija Smiles.
Why did you choose ‘Naija Smiles’ as your title when it seems as if many Nigerians are frowning because they have so much to worry about?
That’s the point. You know, so many musicians and other artistes tend to paint their country in a wrong light. I have severally pointed out the fact that an average American artist would never run down his country through his music or talent. He would always promote the positive sides, even though worse things happen there. So, I wrote that song to exhibit and celebrate the positive sides of our country. I try to pass the message that despite the odds, we are still standing and waxing stronger. And the song is already receiving appreciable airplay in some radio stations such as Wazobia FM and others. Then, on June 28, 2013, my birthday, I released yet another single titled, Telling My Mind. It is also a gospel song – a love song to God. That will be my last before I release my album later this year. Telling My Mind was released on the internet. And I will soon start promoting it on the radio.
Does that imply that you have reservations for Edrees Abdulkareem’s song, Nigeria Jagajaga?
Absolutely. With all due respect to the icon, I have reservation for such song. And I am sure that if he could do the song again, it would not take that form. He would have travelled far and wide, acquired more wisdom and experience while doing collaboration with artistes from other climes. So, as far as I’m concerned, we shouldn’t run our country down through our music.
Yes, I believe that criticism could be done in a more decent way. You could raise issues in your song and in the same vein, suggest possible solutions because it is said that ‘uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.’ It is easy to criticize leaders but when you find yourself in such position, it may not seem as easy as you viewed it as an outsider. Why not just proffer solutions and don’t be a cynic. Cynics don’t see anything good in anybody and their country. And that is not fine.
Why did you choose to release a song on your birthday, same day you made donations to the needy?
You know, a lot of people see their birthday celebration as a time to party, drink heavily and generally indulge themselves. But I see mine as a time for sober reflection because every time a person celebrates his birthday, it actually marks a step closer to his grave. There is nothing as worse as one not living a mark behind. Some people lived for only 40 or 50 years but still left huge marks on the sands of time. But there are people who would waste over 90 years without touching a single soul, even in their family, not to talk of the larger society. So, it is my resolve to see my birthday as an opportunity to touch the lives of the needy, even if it is just one person.
What else do you do apart from singing?
I am also a TV producer and a poet. I once produced documentaries for MTN Nigeria. I anchor events as a compere. I once wrote for the (defunct) Daily Times (Lagos Weekend). I had a column then and I also enjoyed wide readership.
Do you also have your eyes on Nollywood?
No, I don’t. As a teenager, I once acted. But at the moment, acting is not in my agenda.
You obviously have your hands full. How do you allocate time to such sundry engagements?
It hasn’t really been easy. And that is why I am, at the moment, much more focused on my music, the NGO and my anchoring skills. The writing comes in whenever I’m writing music. So, I would say that by His grace, since it’s a talent, there is time for me to do all of that because your passion would always drive you. It depends on which is paramount at a particular point in time.
How did you come about running an NGO?
The NGO is known as Jheri’s HAVI (JHAVI for short), which means Jheri’s Help Accident Victims Initiative. In 2007, I experienced a near-death accident. I was on a motorbike (okada). I was doing the mandatory National Youth Service programme in Plateau state and had visited Lagos. So, as I was rushing to the office to do a presentation, the incident happened. The commercial motorcyclist was very reckless and we hit two passersby and then fell on the road while a heavily loaded articulated vehicle (trailer) was coming towards us. It ran over my right leg. But miraculously, it left me with only extensive tissue damage without crushing my bones. But skin was torn from my knee to ankle.
That was on June 13, 2007 and I was hospitalized for four months during which I had four surgeries and transfused with 10 pints of blood. While at the hospital, I almost lost my life twice; even my leg was almost amputated. As I battled for life, I made a vow to God that if He saved my life and also saved my leg from being chopped off, I would use my talent and part of my earnings to help other accident victims in similar situations. Two accident victims died right beside me while I was on admission. Some people even died because there was nobody to sponsor their surgery. But God helped me to raise my medical bill, which ran over N1.5 million. That was why, immediately I stepped out of the hospital on January 20, 2008, we started the NGO.
What basic things do you do with JHAVI?
We stage musical concerts where we invite some artiste friends to perform. And attendance is always free. But we use such avenue to request and also encourage guests to make donations and support accident victims through our NGO. We started with making donations to hospitals, with our maiden and follow up donations at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital. And they have also appreciated our efforts twice through official letters. We later went into giving patients direct financial support from proceeds of our concerts and other funds our team is able to gather. The last person that we have assisted so far was 10-year-old Nonye Matthew. She was a fire accident victim that was on admission at National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Yaba, Lagos. She lost her mother and two sisters in that fire disaster and was in need of another surgery, after four previous procedures. The visit was in October 2012.
With our assistance and that of other donors, she had the surgery. So, when we went back to the hospital, on December 26, for our usual follow up assistance, I took my band along and we organized a small party for the patients, at the hospital, to encourage them to draw strength from my story and not lose hope.
Another accident victim that we assisted few days ago (June 28), on my birthday, was a seven-year-old girl, Sarafina Idris, whose both legs were run over by a trailer. She was taken to Igbobi but they could not handle her case because her flesh was seriously severed and bones crushed. She was then transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH where her case had already gulped N1.5 million and still needed another N1 million. So we gathered the funds we could raise and gave to her on my birthday, two weeks ago.
Artistes usually have the challenge of managing their female fans, especially when the person is good looking. In your case, how have you been coping?
Hmm. Interestingly I have had a lot of experience in that regard. But the thing is, one needs maturity and the grace of God to guard against getting unnecessarily too friendly and then derail at some point. Female admirers will always be there and you can’t do without them.
Have you had any extreme experience?
There was this lady that once stripped when she came to negotiate with me about a certain event. And I was gullible enough to invite her in.
Were you also gullible enough to pluck her apples?
(Laughs) No now. God didn’t allow that to happen.
So, how did you wriggle out of it?
My sister came in and I got liberated. The truth of the matter is that I treat all my fans equally and I am always conscious of the fact that there are boundaries one must not cross. That is why I now have a female manager. With her in place, managing clients and fans is easier.
Where do you picture JHAVI in the next 10 years?
We actually have both short term and long term plans. And part of our long term plan is to establish non-profit hospitals that would strictly cater for accident victims, not only in Nigeria but across Africa. It would be the first of its kind. And treatment and other services at the hospitals would be free. And they would only serve as first aid hospitals such that once the victim becomes stabilized he would then be transferred to a regular hospital to make way for other possible victims.
Our reason for wanting to embark on such project is because we have discovered that the first 24 hours after an accident are so critical and many have lost their lives due to absence of immediate medical attention. So, we hope to liaise with the relevant authorities to ensure that it is easy for us to treat all accident victims without any bottlenecks. Right in my presence two accident victims died because nobody attended to them during the last doctors’ strike in Lagos.
So, the hospital would work in such a way that immediately someone is involved in an accident, he is rushed to any of our accident hospitals around then country to receive adequate first aid attention. We really have set very lofty goals in JHAV which ordinarily would seem unachievable. That is why we are soliciting for people’s support. But since they are the visions that God gave us, we shall not depend on our human might but that of God. There are so many well-meaning Nigerians who are always disposed to allow God to use them to save lives.
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