His love for parents’ country of of birth is rock solid. Anthony Joshua deserves our support in this period of grief following a traffic accident that claimed the lives of his friends,, Latif Kevin Ayodele and Sina Ghemi on the Lagos – Ibadan highway.
The height of patriotism is to believe in your country, irrespective of the multiple challenges of leadership, insecurity, poverty, insensitivity and stinking politics. Yes, the United Kingdom may be the dream of many young Nigerians but I admire Joshua for his Yuletide visits to Sagamu.
We all as humans must exit Planet Earth someday. Only GOD knows the appointed time. It could be at night while one is asleep or in broad daylight, sometimes untimely. While some deaths are avoidable, the pains those left behind go through are indescribable.
Joshua and his friends were not in Nigeria for the firs time. It is something like a yearly pilgrimage. They lived with the people of Sagamu without wearing airs. With all the hard earned money, the pugilist did not play hard to get. His doors were open.
While we mourn the dead, there is need to do some soul searching. At this time of the year, the volume of vehicular traffic is high. It is right to describe the Lagos – Sagamu – Benin – Asaba Expressway, as the busiest in the country and possibly all over Africa.
I understand there are speed limit devices to guide drivers. Some motorists do not obey traffic rules, no doubt. The Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC) and the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) were swift in blaming the accident on over speeding.
Joshua’s Lexus SUV crashed into a stationary truck that was parked off the lanes. The dead sat on the right side that suffered the impact. The driver and the boxer were on the left. That possibly ensured their safety, with no life threatening injuries.
What turned my insides out is that all eyes have turned on the driver of the truck who has been declared wanted by the police. There is no law against parking your vehicle away from the busy road to take a nap or answer the call of nature.
We must hold responsible those in government who mismanage money meant for emergencies. Let us assume that the truck broke down, it is the responsibility of FRSC and TRACE to tow it to a safer place. What they did after the accident, was medicine after death. Calling the driver a bad name to hang him is diversionary.
Road safety is not about chasing vehicles like game hunters or mounting check points. It is also not about hiking the fee to procure drivers licence and changing number plates like a beauty queen would change her wardrobe. Our busy highways need FRSC officials and Emergency facilities.
I feel for Joshua. It will be a long psychological walk to normalcy. Time is not ripe to talk him back into boxing. This man is going through a lot at the moment. We should be mourning the dead and wishing him speedy recovery. Prize fighting can wait.
Tyson Fury has sent a message of encouragement. The scheduled September duel with AJ in Riyadh come September, is inconsequential. The money made from victory over Jake Paul at the Kaseya Centre, Miami cannot heal the trauma. Sure, 70 million pounds in the bank is like paper.
It is sad when our Sportsmen who show love for Nigeria return from overseas and end up in death or pain. Nwachukwu Onyekwelu, also known as Igaliga, a member of the Enugu Rangers African Winners Cup team of 1977, arrived with a chain of American degrees.
In February 1987, Igaliga died in a car crash on the Enugu – Awka road. Another Flying Antelope, Ifeanyi ‘Eusebio’ Onyejiaka, died in Anambra State after relocating from the United States. More tragic was the fate of former Enyimba star, Idika ‘Pele’ Aku. He was burnt to death on May 8, 2003 during a communal crisis between Nguzu Edda and their Ekoli neighbours in the Afikpo area of Ebonyi State.
Joshua is lucky to be alive but he will never be a happy man, without the company of his dear friends, Latif and Sina. Bringing them home to savour the warmth of Sagamu should not be the source of eternal regret. Their parents are in tears, my prayer is that God should wipe the tears and heal the wounds.
Born in Watford, England, AJ spent some of his early years at Mayflower School, Ikenne. School proprietor, Tai Solarin, turned himself into a Road Safety Manager while with us on Earth. I am sure even as a dead man, he would be looking for his cane to pursue Nigerian leaders for looking away from the needful.
After winning super heavyweight boxing gold for Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Joshua did not forget his roots, as the son of Robert and Yeta. He never abandoned Ijebu and Remo. Sagamu was real home and Christmas and New Year were full of fun.
After beating Jake Paul, Brits complained about the Nigerian flag raised by AJ. They would have loved to see him fly the Union Jack. Soon after, the strong man flew into Nigeria. Many believe he should have been flown to London, from the Duchess International Hospital, Lagos.
Well, we must look at the connections. The most popular Duchess is that of York. AJ is not only a Member of the Order of the British Empire ( MBE ), the Remo Prince is also recognised as Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire ( OBE).
President Bola Tinubu, was on the phone with Joshua. Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun kept watch.Host governor, Babajide Sanwo – Olu issued a statement. I did not see a handy ambulance after the crash. The crowd was maddening. Those in government should learn from this.
The post Anthony Joshua’s Nigeria story, by Emeka Obasi appeared first on Vanguard News.
