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| Christian Chukwu aka "Chairman" |
I have just read cheering News Release issued by the Anambra
State Commissioner for Information, Ogbuagu Anikwe, shared by Ikem Okuhu,
regarding the health condition of former Green Eagles Captain and former Super
Eagles Coach, “Chairman” Christian Chukwu. While the statement has put the
issues of the condition and treatment of Chukwu in proper perspective, it has
reminded me of something I had almost forgotten. And I mean the haste with
which Nigerians rush to press with news of death and sickness of other people
(even as they hide theirs) without regards to the feelings of the sick or
deceased, their relatives and friends.
In as much as I know we all must die some day or even lose our
glow and bounce due to circumstances of unavoidable distress of ill-health, I
believe we must be mindful of and sensitive to the feelings of others.
Naturally, human beings love to retain the best, the most exciting and most
flattering images of themselves and their loved ones well into old age and long
after their demise. It is because of this that many refuse to see the dead
bodies of loved ones-so they do not degrade the mental picture of the person in
their psychological possession.
As a personal rule-and I strongly recommend this to you-I always
seek, find and use the best photos of people-living or not-whenever I write
about them. It is a good habit to cultivate, I must say. So, I’m totally miffed
when I see ghastly photos of the dead or injured. I feel even worse when I’m
confronted by unflattering photos of otherwise bubbly, lively, ebullient people
who are known or related to me. For those familiar with my timeline, I always
use awesome photos of my late father and late younger brother and indeed all my
departed friends and relatives for that is how I want to remember them.
So, you can imagine how I felt when I saw “Chairman” Christian
Chukwu in those sorry photos looking poorly, aged, drawn, gaunt, really sick
requiring assistance. I doubt that Chukwu knew when those photos and videos
were made much less sanction their distribution. It is unfair. What is even
more unfair is the fund-raiser purported to generate money to fly him abroad
for “unnecessary” further attention (according to the honorable commissioner).
When you juxtapose the campaign against Anikwe’s statement today, you will
realize the lack of charity and discretion in the process.
Beyond the goriness of the images and the gracelessness of their
deployment, there is the more consequential issue of the welfare of sportsmen
and women and indeed all who have represented Nigeria at international sports
events. Chukwu’s teammate, Segun Odegbami, in a recent write up lamented the
condition of George Omokaro, another ex-Green Eagle, who was languishing on
admission at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).
He said: “...my friend and
teammate in the Green Eagles, George Omokaro, has been in UBTH for several
weeks now recuperating from another one of several surgeries he has undergone
for debilitating arthritis in both knees in india and Nigeria in the past 5
years or so. This time, the new surgery was to extract stones from his kidney.
For all the over 5 years he has been bedridden, jobless, hopeless and with an
entire family to feed, he has been without any major financial support.”
“His (Omakoaro’s)
situation weighs heavily on my mind. I wish I was in a position top do
something, anything for him and others like him in the early stages of old age
with their attendant illnesses that cannot be divorced from our intensive
participation in sports at a young age without the essential healthcare and
welfare to take care of us in old age”, Odegbami lamented.
Like Odegbami, Omokaro’s and Chukwu’s conditions with heavily on
my mind, and I’m sad I cannot do much for those heroes, who gave part of
their lives for Nigeria. By the way, I met Chukwu at the 2018 NFF Awards at the
Eko Hotels, Lagos, and I recall telling a friend that I wasn’t happy the way he
and his teammate and buddy, Emmanuel Okala, the former Green Eagles Goalkeeper
and erstwhile Goalkeeper Trainer for the Super Eagles, looked. Okala is known
to have challenges with his eyesight and that evening he looked poorly too.
Yet, Chukwu’s case is different, better actually, in view of that statement by
Mr. Anikwe, which confirmed the Green Eagles former captain as a employee of
Enugu State Government.
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| Femi Otedola |
I was actuated by the graciousness of billionaire businessman;
Femi Otedola’s reported willingness to pick up Chukwu’s medical bill. I was
also impressed by the effort of Amaju Pinnick-led Nigerian Football Federation
(NFF) to assist. I, however, think a sustainable platform should be established
to take care of our national heroes. This cannot be over-emphasized. Whenever I
see “Reserved Parking” for Servicemen and Veterans in Malls and public places
in the United States, I feel emotional. In most US stores, Servicemen and
Veterans are granted 30% discount on all their shopping and online purchases.
Isn’t that commendable? And why can we not emulate such an honorable practice?
“The labors of our
heroes past shall never be in vain,” says our National Anthem. Let’s mean
it in words and indeed. I wish Chukwu, Omokaro and all other Green Eagles and
indeed sportsmen and women and other Nigerian heroes the very best.
Meanwhile, I must urge circumspection in the use of photos and videos of the
sick and the dead. Personally, I have left so many good photos on Facebook you
do not have an excuse not to use one to celebrate me (alive or dead) I beg of
you.
Oparah, a Corporate
Communications practitioner, sent this piece from Lagos.
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