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Gift Kolawole And Nwankwo Kanu: A Brief Parable Of The Beauty And The Beast

July 18, 2010

Recently the majority leader, Pedro Espada Jr., of the New York state Senate siphoned $14 million   from his Foundation here in the Bronx, immediately Attorney General Andrew Cuomo responded as he announced a lawsuit against him, a fellow democrat. Now, most of you as usual will not read this article before commenting on it in a negative way.

Recently the majority leader, Pedro Espada Jr., of the New York state Senate siphoned $14 million   from his Foundation here in the Bronx, immediately Attorney General Andrew Cuomo responded as he announced a lawsuit against him, a fellow democrat. Now, most of you as usual will not read this article before commenting on it in a negative way.
I wrote an article few weeks ago, in it I criticized Chief Kanu Nwankwo’s Foundation as a tool for corruption and most of you criticized me for that. By the way I put “Chief” before Kanu Nwankwo as Nigerians love titles (I am sure Kanu will be more angry if I put “Mr.” before his name.)

Gift Kolawole is an eight years old daughter of Mr. Kolawole Adewale. She was diagnosed with a heart condition, leaving a hole measuring about 3.35 centimeter in diameter in her little heart.

The specialist in charge of the little girl has warned that the hole in her heart will expand and continue to expand with time. But a surgery of about $20,000USD or N2.5 Million will resolve the problem for the little girl. Such amount is too much for Gift’s parents as his father and mother are a taxi driver and a fashion designer in Nigeria respectively.

Mr. Kolawole has been running around like a concerned father from church to church for financial assistance and all was to no avail. He has appealed to corporate organization and have written two electronic mails to Governors Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Alao-Akala and yet no cash for the little Gift’s surgery.

Now having tried everything, Mr. Kolawole has no other choice but to go to Chief Kanu Nwankwo’s Foundation (aka KHF or Kanu Heart Foundation)
Mr. Kolawole mentioned that he paid the sum of Fifteen thousand Naira or N15, 000.00 just to register or get her sick daughter’s name listed with the Foundation of Chief Kanu Nwankwo. I am talking about a Foundation that is non-governmental and is tax exempt. This is where my problems with Chief Kanu’s Foundation begin.

Fifteen thousand Naira for a Ttaxi driver in Nigeria to get her daughter registered with the foundation is unheard of! From Euro-Asia to America, Australia to Africa, this is the first time I have heard that an end user of foundational objective goals would have to register with up to $100 to get the end result of the said foundation. But I guess only in Nigeria is such obtainable.

For those who do not understand the in workings of foundations and privileges bestowed on them across the globe NGO foundations do not pay taxes to any country in which they are located. What this means in extension is that even Nwankwo Kanu the owner of the foundation does not pay certain taxes ranging from home tax, salary tax, auto tax et cetra to any government in this world.

Foundations operate on the basis of charity and the issue of charging N15, 000.00 does not arise. Yes, Chief Kanu can charge any amount for people to attend a fund raising   for his foundation but he cannot charge such huge amount of money for the beneficiary of his foundation or the end users. This is double jeopardy. Kanu and his associates should as a matter of fact refund all the money paid to his foundation by this would be gullible recipients of his foundation’s benefits. It is against the law to collect donations from people, organizations, churches, and governments for your foundation and then again turn around and collect money from the end users for services meant for them in the first place. This is atrocity and a sin against humanity.

Most Foundations have budgets, if you go to their various websites, they will give you a total account summary and expenditures (and transparency which is equal to none). For instance they will tell you this is how much we got from donations, the government gave this to us and we are using so for this number of patients or users as the case may be. But such will never be found on Chief Kanu’s foundation website and this makes the whole charity work of Kanu very questionable.  Most experts in the fight against corruption will agree with me that accountability is the anti-thesis to corruption. The reason why Nigerian officials steal so much is that they are not accountable to any one. Nobody knows how much they make and how much they spend. This is disturbing. This also goes along way to show that most Nigerians will do and behave like “James Ibori, Tinubu or IBB” if given the opportunity to rule their various states or country. Most of those who criticize these thieving governors or officials do so because they do not have the opportunity to steal from their various states or country.

Finally, I strongly recommend that the Kanu Heart Foundation should have a page in their website where they publish how much they make as well as how much they spend. Foundations are not like family business. No.No.No. You do not run foundation the way Orji Kalu and mother ran Abia State.  Foundation is a public trust and it is run with accountability. I equally call on the Attorney General of the Federation to investigate various Foundations in Nigeria. Nigerians are known to always exploit the loophole of anything good for our self aggrandizement. I equally call on the Kanu Heart Foundation to clear itself by making a publication of all the monetary activities of their foundation based on public trust. For as they say, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse”

NB: I have made my contributions to Gift and you can do same by contacting Mr. Kolawole Adewalewith the number 08037898306 or 08058831105, while charitable Nigerians, who would like to touch Gift’s life can send their widow’s mite to Mr. Kolawole Adewale with First Bank account number: 5983010000231
 To read more about Gift Kolawole confer to this link http://www.tribune.com.ng/sun/index.php/news/1624-child-with-hole-in-the-heart-needs-N25m.




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