Okereke-Onyiuke: Castigation Of A Fundraiser By A Petition Writer

Written by Odimegwu Onwumere

Like the pilotless guided missile, otherwise called doodle-bug, used by the Nazis against London in 1944, the media is awash with critics’ misguided assessments of the person of Prof. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) since 1999 and Chairman of Transnational Incorporation of Nigeria PLC (TransCorp). Since August 11 2008 the Prof held a concert christened fundraising at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, we have not rested reading nothing but debasement of Ndi.

Many Nigerians are good at mudslinging others, especially when the person has attained an immeasurable feat in the call of his duty. This is what we have seen traducers do. They are now plastering Okereke-Onyiuke with vituperations. While she is called a fundraiser through the Africa for Obama platform, petition writers in this country are nothing but petitionraisers. Their petitions could make anyone not familiar with the works and patriotism gestures Ndi has rendered to this country; begin to see her as nothing but a dupe, which perhaps she is far from.

Okereke-Onyiuke who said that she had stayed in the United States for 14yrs and has a green card passport is such a woman detractors can never be allowed, as they are going, to pull her down, no matter the angle they perceived the fundraising concert from.

If the letter said was signed by the Staff Council for Obama Campaign Organization in the USA which was made available to Nigerian media was dissociating self from any knowledge of the Ndi fundraising dinner, doesn’t give enough room to take the dog to the nose before its conviction. Afterall, a lot of people, especially writers, have they not in one way or the other given their supports to the Senator Barack Obama? Have people not been sending personal letters to him since he became the Democratic Presidential hopeful in the USA elections. Can Obama take an oath by Amadioha that he has not received any monetary gift from people who are not even associated with the USA since he was becoming prominent in his presidential bid? Ms. Kendall C. Burman who was said signed that inglorious letter to Nigeria was an alarmist. Was she trying to defend her job or what? What a job seeker!

Ms Burman in that villainous letter was too fast to say that Obama for America and National Committee will not accept any funds raised by an individual Nigerian who has nothing to do with the USA since the law of the USA forbids external funds. But was it not the same America that was in the forefront on the pages of the newspapers proclaiming to be human rights observer but took a cruel measure against the now late Sadam Hussein? Was it not the same America that told the whole world that there was weapon of mass destruction hidden in Iraq but rather preferred a war in Iraq for its economic want that Ms. Burman comes from?

advertisement

While traducers have not heard Ndi’s side of the story they began to trail her on the road to Golgotha. The iron lady had told Nigeria that nobody was forced to attend the event where the huge millions naira was raised. She even said that she paid N10m for a table at a concert, the event was a private one and she used her own money to put it together. “Some people like to sit in front of the television and watch history in the making but we chose to mobilize people to vote for someone we believe in”, she has said.

Were the people who donated at that concert complaining that they were defrauded by Ndi? And if they in Obama for Africa decide that they are asking Ndi to take all the money raised in that event, is it any person’s concern?

Many Nigerians perhaps hated Okereke-Onyiuke because she had the charisma of pulling people for such event like fundraising. Again, perhaps, why the petition writer(s) was angry with the Prof. was because she is always raising funds for people he never liked. That somebody studied law doesn’t give the person the conception that he knows it all.

Why are many Nigerians myopic? To this sect of people, they always make noise on matters that are not of concern to them; just because they want to always be in the news and make others continue to see them from the Olympia Height of detraction they wouldn’t accede to leave.

What this entire heck about the fund Okereke-Onyiuke raised? If she fished funds for politicians and has been involved in raising money for the UNN bid to host the Nigeria Universities Games is not a crime. What is crime is the manner the media presents this to the people, as if she was fraud.

This writer, apart from reading this woman on the papers, doesn’t know her in person and does not wish to know her, except in the case of twist of fate.

Nigerians should be appreciative of our own, a figure like Ndi merits respect. Years back, she was able to pull eminent Nigerians to raise fund for a project in her native Bonny of Rivers State. Nigerians should encourage her than pull her down. She didn’t organize for a fundraiser, just as a former president of this nation used the influence of his position and raise huge amount of money for a questionable reading citadel. She is not like that tyrant who once ruled Nigeria.

In Okereke-Onyiuke’s word: “I am very intelligent person; I have a PhD that I didn’t buy. We were careful with our advertisements and we were transparent in all we did. I don’t understand why Nigerians like to be negative. People have been mobilizing support for Obama all over the world and they are not being castigated. I want to make it clear that I am a Nigerian and I have the right to do anything I want with my time and my money”. Period!

Odimegwu Onwumere, a poet and an author, is the Founder of Poet Against Child Abuse (PACA), Rivers State. +2348032552855. apoet25@yahoo.com