Washington -- For National Football League stars like Osi Umenyiora of the New York Giants, Amobi Okoye of the Houston Texans, and Adewale Ogunleye and Israel Idonije, both of the Chicago Bears, the annual Super Bowl game in the United States that signals the end of the U.S. professional football season marks the beginning of a new journey.
These players -- many with family ties to Africa -- head to Nigeria as part of "Athletes in the Diaspora." The trip includes good works like digging water wells, handing out HIV testing kits and donating uniforms and equipment to youth soccer teams.
In 2008, Ogunleye oversaw the dedication of three wells in the Nigerian town of Emure, where his parents had lived. That year, Athletes in the Diaspora also established 20 college scholarships at 10 Nigerian universities.
On March 20, the group once again travels to Nigeria to expand the programs started in 2008.
NEW MEDICAL MISSION
A new group member, Tommie Harris of the Chicago Bears, approached a group of physicians and nurses affiliated with INTEGRIS Health, a nonprofit health care system based in Oklahoma, about assisting in a medical mission to Africa.
Tommie Harris of the Chicago Bears asked a group of American physicians and nurses to participate in a medical mission to Africa.
Aware that Nigeria is plagued by malaria and other treatable diseases, six doctors and six nurses, three of whom are from Nigeria and one from Ghana, volunteered to provide clinical services in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and both Bayelsa and Anambra states in southern Nigeria. The medical personnel will provide medical screenings and treatment for malaria, in addition to health education and awareness programs.
Harris, Okoye, Idonije and Ogunleye, along with Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders and Xavier Adibi of the Houston Texans, will accompany the medical personnel.
PLAYERS DRAWN TO FAMILY HOMELANDS
Umenyiora, who was born in London of Nigerian parents, moved to the United States as a teen, but feels drawn to the land of his parents and is eager to share his success with the less fortunate.
He said the reaction to last year's trip was good. "There aren't the same opportunities as in the U.S., [so] hopefully we can help." He dreams of starting a youth program that would teach American football to Nigerian youngsters.
Umenyiora is in the midst of rehabilitation from a season-ending injury and must focus on returning to the playing field, so he may not be able to travel to Nigeria this year with his colleagues.
Nevertheless, he would like to see their initiative spread beyond Nigeria to include Liberia, Ghana, Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire, he said.
Umenyiora's potential contributions to Africa are not confined to the humanitarian area. He told America.gov he has plans to launch a political career in Nigeria once his football days are behind him. "I would like to be a governor and maybe run for the presidency."
Comments 1 to 4 of 4 Post a comment
I commend these patriots for their public spirited actions. However on Osi's plans to enter politics, I plead that he reconsider his decisions because unlike in the US, we do not play fair politics in Nigeira
"Humanitarian"? Sad.
A "humanitarian mission" into Nigeria - one of the world's richest nations in resources? We are talking about one of the top ten producers of crude oil IN THE WORLD! And timber! And rubber! IN THE WORLD! "Humanitarian"?
Shouldn't those players go to Texas instead, to present their case to the plunderers of the wealth of the Nigerian native?
Are they aware that oil companies primarily based in Texas, USA, ship out of Nigeria more than US $60,000,000 A DAY in crude oil? And that they pay the worker in Nigeria's oil fields less than $1 a day for the same type of work they pay over $20 an hour to a worker in the oil fields of Texas? And that the impoverished Nigerian kids go to school under a tree for lack of school buildings? And that the oil companies get away without paying just taxes to the Nigerian government - which leads to the oil companies' annual declaration of record windfalls, and generous contributions to the re-election campaign efforts of the complicit USA's lawmakers.?
Shouldn't these players strive to bring up their case for Nigeria - visibly and vigorously - at the USA's congress when the issue of the oil companies' windfall profits come up for discussion?
[Of course, the fat oil moguls will tell you that Nigerians are corrupt. But aren't Americans corrupt too? [Do you remember the on-going saga of Madoff? Check. Regardless, what is the perspective here? If the oil companies take out of Nigeria over $60 million a day in crude oil, how much do they pay in corruption - 50% or over $30 million A DAY? Of course not
20% or over $10 million A DAY? Of course not.
Should the USA and American companies be exporting democracy and good governance the world over through bribery and corruption corruption?
Should the USA government be benefiting (through tax revenues from the oil companies' ill-gotten loot) and the American people be waxing prosperous by way of plunder of Africa and the use of slave labor by USA companies in Africa?]
Well written and explained. As a whole all of us Africans must end the ties of corruption that keep on feeding these Western Contries of our riches. We already don't have as much. I guess other than Nigeria and oil, most of the other African contries may only have some wealth in resources, but they are all being stolen out or given for close to nothing as they take it out of our continent and turn in into ridiculousely huge profits for them. Sierra Leone and Diamonds. Guinea and Bauxite. And I am sure there is alot more to it than we see. I really don't blame those Nigerians who kept holding employees of the drilling companies (I think Chinese employees) in mountains. What Osie and the other guys can do is be a voice for Africa as they have a platform to bring out the truth. But I doubdt they would do so since their endorsements would be hurt by it. In America, its all about who you know. The C level execs all know each other. They would be sure to hurt them in the pockets and their careers. It is a dangerous game. But the corruption is really what keeps taking Africa backwards. The deseases, hunger, lack of education, etc...will not stop until we use what we have to benefit us first by making sound contractual agreements with everything that leaves the continent. Then we must have those revenues used for our people who work their a**** off just to live on a buck a day. Trully sad...
I would just like to applaud these african trailblazers for their dedication and recognition of the issue Africa