TheCable

BY FRED CHUKWUELOBE

Chairman Christian Chukwu who hails from the current Enugu State and arguably one of the finest footballers this country has known, is down with prostrate cancer.

He was one of the longest-serving captains of the Green Eagles, later renamed Super Eagles. He captained the team in 1980 when we won our first African Nations Cup.

He played for the nation with his heart in the field. He was also part of the famous Enugu Rangers international football club (the antelopes), which was the envy of other State-owned football teams. He equally captained Rangers for years.

Together with many others, including one of the famous Atuegbu brothers, late Alloysius Atuegbu (the blockbuster), they offered some soothing balm to the then war-torn East Central State carved out of the defunct Eastern Nigeria after the fratricidal war of 1967 to 1970.

Today East Central State is known as South East geo-political zone. In effect, Chukwu and his dedicated colleagues played out their hearts for Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States and then Nigeria at large.

He is a gentleman to the core. Everybody who knows him can attest to this. Yet, here he is, dying slowly from cancer and going cap-in-hand begging for money for an operation. Yet, he is a national award recipient – Member of the Order of Niger (MON).

Thank Heavens oil mogul, Femi Otedola, has pledged to foot all the bills for an operation that is estimated to cost about $50,000.

Meanwhile, before Femi promised to offset the bills, Enugu State government, the ailing footballer’s State, chipped in a meager N1.5million. Other South East are waiting for this ambassador of theirs to come begging.

I am not sure it is true Enugu State gave him that pure water money, but if it is, I will have to ask that the government covers its face in shame. N1.5 million for such a man? O eziokwu? Who knows? Forgive me if it is not true.

If it is true, then I will say you see why people hate to serve this country with dedication? You see why people loot the treasury?

If Chukwu was a politician, or top civil servant, he wouldn’t need to go cap-in-hand begging for money to treat an ailment that is devastating him.

Unless somebody says otherwise, I feel sad as a Nigerian and particularly as an Igbo man that one of our best ambassadors of football is being treated this way.

To God in heaven, I wish I had the means! My heart bleeds.

Chairman Chukwu, I join your family in expressing a heartfelt thanks to Femi Otedola. O ga dili ya nma.

Take heart. And may God heal you.

Ndooo!