A former Sports Editor of defunct Daily Times has hit hard times in the USA and needs assistance. This is his story as posted by his friend Azuka Jebose Molokwu.
In 1990, at the age of 31, I abandoned my job as the sports editor of Nigeria’s first evening daily paper, Evening Times, a subsidiary of THE DAILY TIMES of Nigeria. I relocated to United States to further my education and seek professional excellence with available opportunities in the world’s free press. I arrived Houston Texas, naïve and timid, with no formal training, information or survival guide kit to a migrant’s settlement in America, seeking all things bright and beautiful that “Yankee” had to offer. It’s “God’s own country”.Continue after the break.
I settled into a shared apartment with a cousin willing to accommodate me until I integrated myself into a new lifestyle and culture. Everything functioned here. Everyday, I waited for the right opportunity to be indoctrinated into the American dream life by my cousin. While waiting for the appropriate time, I was privileged a social security number registered in my name. My cousin would come home, fill out some forms and asked me to sign them and import my social security…. I trusted everything he said and unknowingly empowered his criminal and fraudulent empire.
I married in 1992. Few minutes after my marriage, I was arrested by the FBI for alleged financial fraud, credit card and check frauds totaling $450,000 dollars. I never asked my cousin what I was signing. I willingly, though ignorantly surrendered my priced information to him. He used these against me.I began a long fight with Americas judicial system to clear my name. My identity had been stolen by a most trusted family member, used to commit a heinous financial crime. I was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I was and I am still innocent. Between these challenges, I got married. After years of court arguments and investigations, I was exonerated. The stress had taken a deep chunk off my soul. By 1998,I was diagnosed with kidney failure. Two years later, I had stroke that paralyzed my left body … One year after my stroke, my wife left because she could not care for a husband battered by stroke. In 2003, my ex wife who left me because I had stroke, was stroked. We have a 17 year old wonderful daughter.
I moved to Maryland after my divorce to begin a new life. I carried and still wear the sad badge of a victim of Identity fraud. I am still an undocumented immigrant as a result of the identity fraud. I am an illegal terminally sick alien. I am on dialyses three days a week, thanks to a wonderful Nigerian that owns the Community Dialyses Center in Maryland. In March, doctors diagnosed me with congestive heart failure. They gave me one year to live. I have till March next year to expire.
Few days ago, I called my friend and colleague, Azuka Jebose Molokwu and hopelessly told him my conditions. I wanted to go back home. I rented a room house in Maryland. The landlord was supposed to pay the light bills from my monthly rent. He allowed the bills late and lights had been interrupted. I am too weak and broke to fight him in court. I stayed In that house for several weeks without lights. I fell four times and each time stayed on the floor for eight hours because I had no help; my phone battery died and I had no power to charge my battery. I am disabled and weak. I wanted to return home.
This afternoon, I checked into a homeless shelter. But the female administrator said I didn’t belong there, after seeing my condition. She tearfully paid for my taxicab ride back to the Motel. I will be here until Azuka helps me…I am back to Motel 6, hoping for your assistance. Azuka convinced me that returning to Nigeria may not be the best option. I have a seventeen year old daughter that is close to me. I want her to bury me. I need your help in getting an apartment or a house the next one year or until my life expires. You are my family. After all, we are God’s children”.
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