Nigerian music video director, ThankGod Omori, popularly known as TG Omori, has spoken about the financial strain of kidney failure treatment, saying a monthly income of N1 million may still be insufficient to sustain dialysis.
Omori shared his experience during an interview on the Afropolitan podcast published on YouTube on Wednesday, where he discussed the cost of treatment and his prolonged wait for a kidney transplant.
According to him, dialysis costs between N50,000 and N70,000 per session at some hospitals, while treatment at a private facility he used cost between N150,000 and N200,000.
He said patients requiring up to three sessions weekly could spend between N500,000 and N600,000 within a week.
“I spent a lot on surgery. Dialysis costs ₦70k a day, but at an exclusive place, I sometimes had three sessions a week, costing ₦500k. A minimum-wage person wouldn’t cope,” Omori said.
He said he spent about a year waiting for a transplant, which he put at N31 million, while additional expenses could arise from medication, medical tests and complications.
Omori also recounted his experience with a kidney donation from his brother, saying the process took about nine months before doctors discovered that the donated kidney was not compatible with his body.
“My brother gave me his kidney after it took us nine months to find a donor. The doctor said my body wasn’t accepting it, that it didn’t match,” he said.
He said further attempts to get his body to accept the kidney were unsuccessful, leaving doctors to consider additional procedures.
Reflecting on the financial implications of managing the condition, Omori said even a N1 million monthly salary could be overwhelmed by treatment costs.
“So, automatically, if your salary is even one million naira a month, it can’t serve you,” he said.
The experience, he added, changed his understanding of the importance of financial resources during serious illness.
“Even though money can’t buy happiness, money can still buy some time,” Omori said.
Omori had disclosed in 2024 that he underwent a kidney transplant after his brother donated a kidney to him.
At the time, he shared a photograph of himself receiving treatment in hospital with the caption, “Keep my spirit alive.”
