Christian Chukwu in steady condition after treatment, says Owumi

Family moves former Super Eagles’ coach to secret location

The management of Enugu Rangers Football Club has described as untrue the stories making the rounds that the club and the Enugu State government abandoned its former player and coach, Christian Chukwu, who is recuperating from a life threatening health challenge.

General Manager of the ‘Flying Antelopes’, Prince Davidson Owumi described the stories as “completely baseless,” saying the club and Enugu State government had done all that was needed to help the coach back to his feat.He said: “Rangers Management and the state government under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been up and doing since Coach Christian Chukwu was met with this health challenge.

“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 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 added that the club made the initial 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 high esteem and takes whatever concerns him with high regard. So, it beats me hollow for some media channels to start peddling 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,” he disclosed.

The Guardian could not reach the ailing former Green Eagles captain yesterday as his family was said to have moved him to a secret location.Family members were also not keen to avail information on whether Chukwu was still on admission and the location of the hospital where he is being treated.

Attempts to extract his whereabouts at their family residence on Kenyatta Street and around his community in Obe proved abortive. But an official of Enugu Rangers, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed that the footballer’s condition “is improving since he started his treatment but the family has kept him away from public view for now.”

Although he would not disclose the last time he met with the footballer, he stated, however, that “what I can tell you is that he is being kept away to avoid influx of people because of his condition. He is not in his house and I doubt if any family member can divulge the information about where he is at the moment.”