By Ovie Okpare
Billionaire businessman and Chief Executive Officer of Maton Engineering Nigeria Limited, Mr. Matthew Tonlagha, on Monday stunned guests at his 50th birthday celebration with an emotional revelation about an expired polio vaccine administered to him as an infant, which almost crippled him.
Tonlagha, a philanthropist and indigene of Gbaramatu in Delta State, revealed that the incident that occurred when he was three months old shaped his life’s journey, as well as allowing his mum to face humiliation and rejection by those around her.
Speaking during a praise and worship session to mark his 50th birthday at Effurun in Uvwie, Delta State, Tonlagha traced his story back to his earliest days, describing how, three months after his birth, he was given an expired polio vaccine at Omolola Hospital in Ilorin, Kwara State.
“When my mother gave birth to me, after three months, they gave me an expired polio vaccine,” he said, adding, “That is what I’m facing today.”
The consequence, he explained, went beyond physical challenges, but triggered rejection, directed not only at him, but painfully at his mother.
“My mother was rejected. Everybody rejected my mother,” Tonlagha told the hushed audience. “But God stood behind her.”
Fighting back emotion at an event attended by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and captains of industry, the Maton Engineering boss made it clear that his golden jubilee was not a personal triumph alone, but a celebration of resilience, motherhood, and faith.
“If there’s anybody we are celebrating here today apart from God,” he said, “this celebration should go to my mother. My mother, today, you have won the battle.”
Tonlagha credited his survival and eventual success to unwavering maternal support and deep Christian faith, insisting that abandonment by society did not translate to abandonment by God.
“Is Jesus not victory?” he asked rhetorically, drawing resounding affirmation from the crowd.
He described his life as living proof of divine restoration, declaring openly, “I have joy. Jesus is my joy today, and Jesus is my joy forever.”
Beyond his personal story, Tonlagha used the occasion to emphasize the irreplaceable role of mothers in shaping destinies.
“If everybody rejects you, there’s no way your mother will throw you away,” he said, urging the audience to rise and applaud mothers. The hall responded with a standing ovation.
Reflecting on later struggles, including resistance during his marriage process, Tonlagha maintained that destiny, once ordained, cannot be overturned.
“God had already prepared the destiny, and nobody can stop it,” he said.
Quoting scripture, he personalized Psalm 23, stating boldly, “When you say God prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies, it is talking about Matthew Tonlagha.”
“When you say ‘blessed,’ I am a blessed child,” he declared. “It is because of the belief of Christ that’s why I’m succeeding. Nothing apart from Christ”, the billionaire businessman added.
