Being poor is not the prerequisite for help to be rendered. And there is nothing wrong with helping the rich. It’s been a while now that news broke. Onyeka Nwelue, popular author and Nigerian cultural entrepreneur, was involved in a car accident.
The filmmaker, professor and author is best known for his novel The Abyssinian Boy, which was published when he was 21 and won the TM Aluko Prize for Fiction, and came second at the Ibrahim Tahir Prize for First Book. He has been nominated thrice for The Future Awards Africa and was a recipient of the Prince Claus Ticket Grant in 2013.
His post about the accident, has received a lot of well wishes. He expresses gratitude to all in a post. In his words:
“Thank you to everyone who has contributed to my medical aid. I am currently being treated by Dr. Nchabeleng at Netcare Park Lane Hospital.”
However, he also seems to have quite an army of detractors.
Some have lashed out at him for soliciting funds for a treatment which could have been done for cheaper amounts in Nigeria. This has even almost turned to a case of Onyeka being blackmailed by Facebook users.
Look at these two scenarios:
1. Public figure, a writer, gets into an accident. He is rushed out to South Africa to get care where he feels would be best for him.
2. A friend is involved in an accident and can only get help in a small clinic in Owerri.
Both of them need financial help. Who would you help out? Your decisions might be based on a lot of things but should the next thing you are doing be to analyse how much money he has in his account? If your mind is not free to help, be silent and pray for him or send goodwill messages. Nobody forced you to help.
The chances are that a lot of people who would not help Onyeka because he is supposed to be rich would most likely not help the poor guy either.
Many of us just come to social media to make long posts about what people should have done or not done, while we will not even send one naira to them.
I doubt anyone needs hateful money. Keep your ill-wishes in the bank!
To think these are Nigerian youths. One would think we would have graduated beyond these kinds of matters.
It’s just stupid and childish to assume that someone needs to meet your rules or expectations before you can help them. They are not even in a position to care that much about your thoughts.
The least you can do is leave them alone. Walk away with your mountain of money, eat it all up and be happy with yourself.
No, you are busy looking for who will walk the particular path you have chosen so that your infinite mercies can fall on them like rain from heaven. Quite silly, isn’t it?
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