Rangers, Enugu State Govt. Didn’t Abandon Chukwu -GM, Owumi

The hierarchy of NPFL club Enugu Rangers, says the club and Enugu State Government did not abandon their ailing Legend, Christian ‘Chairman’ Chukwu, Completesports.com reports.

The media, especially the social media, has been awash with suggestions that the club turned their faces away from their former captain and coach who steered the side to several domestic and international trophy successes in his critical moment of need of support.

Prince Davidson Owumi, General Manager of the club, rubbished talks of abandonment of the national icon as completely baseless, insisting that both the club and Enugu state government under the leadership of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi have been doing all that was needed to help the coach back to his feat.

“Rangers management and the state government under the leadership of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi have been up and doing since coach Christian Chukwu (MFR) was hit with this health challenge,” Owumi said in a statement made available to Completesports.com.

“We, Rangers, made the initial deposit for his admission for medical attention at Nike Clinic, GRA, Enugu and after informing the state government of his condition, the sum of One million, five hundred thousand naira (N1, 500, 000) only was made available to his family for treatment which has been carried out and he is right now in a hotel recovering from the treatment carried out on him.”

Owumi would further inform that Enugu Rangers made an initial two hundred thousand naira (N200, 000) deposit for his admission and commencement of treatment at the private health facility.

“Christian Chukwu is a legend and our governor holds him in very high esteem and takes whatever concerns him with high regard.

“So, it beats me hollow why some media channels would resort to unfounded stories that he was abandoned.

“It is not true. Our legend, Chukwu has been assessed by medical personnel at the hospital and is gradually getting over the health challenge.

“We did not want to make the efforts of Enugu state government and Rangers in this case public, because his family never wanted his condition a public affair”.

Chukwu, a former Kenya national team coach and SAFA FC, Lebanon manager had been hit by prostrate cancer following knee injury he picked during his illustrious playing career.

He captained then Green Eagles to Nigeria’s first Africa Cup of Nations win in Lagos, March 22, 1980.

As a coach, he assisted Sebastian Brodricks-Imasuen to win the inaugural Kodak/FIFA U17 World Cup in 1985 in China.

In 1994, Chukwu and Bitrus Bewarang assisted Dutchman, Clemens Westerhof, to win that year’s AFCON in Tunisia and as well qualify Nigeria for her first FIFA World Cup finals appearance in USA where they reached the knockout stage, exiting the tournament after a 2-1 defeat to Italy in the second round.