Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh: The man without identity -By Rees Chikwendu

Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh

There are many Nigerians that I esteem highly due to their contributions to the Nigerian project; especially considering that the country – at this moment – does not give to her citizens (or children) despite taking more. The efforts of most Nigerians are individual efforts, not the result of any social mechanism or platform that the government or leadership (if you could call it that) in the country provides for the people to thrive and succeed. In fact, sometimes, I do ludicrously tell some of my Nigerian friends that the country is the killer of our youth’s ambitions. Mind you, this does not in any way mean that I do not love my country. I am proudly a Nigerian, and I have always represented the country in my personal endeavors and have not given it a bad name due to any of my actions in life. Therefore, when I see those who despite this sorry state (or ungenerous spirit) of the country still possess in them the personal spirit to give to (and not take from) Nigeria, I do admire and respect them greatly.

It is within this context that I used to respect Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh as one of the great football players of the country. As a child, I used to sit in front of the TV watching the Super Eagles represent our country in football matches. And my fondest memory has been the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, U.SA. By far, Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh was one my favorite players in that glorious team, and I have always respected him for such service to the country. I should not have to mention that it can be disappointing to see someone you respect act disrespectful and immature. I say this because last year I stumbled over a TED talk given by Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh (see link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8g3fQn3zuA). During that talk, he publicly denied his identity as an Igbo. I personally consider it as an affront to the great nation of Ndi-Igbo; no matter what happened it is shameful for anyone to deny his/her identity. If he said that to be accepted by others, I do not think any reasonable person would see him as being wise. It is simply foolishness! Even my son, who is born as a citizen of another country, cannot make such bold denial of his Igbo identity. He is, apart from his citizenship and nationality, also an Igbo by blood. He will always refer to his Igbo descent in describing himself. And if he fails to do that due to any reason unknown at this moment, there are other people that will somehow, in describing him, tell him his origin.

Based partly on this reasoning, I did confront Mr. Oliseh on his Igbo denial, because I was curious to know if it was a joke. He firmly maintained that statement, before blocking me from his social media platform. I also contacted a friend of mine from Delta State in Nigeria to tell me exactly the ethnic groups that made up his state. He mentioned the Igbos (Mr. Oliseh’s ethnic group) as one of the major ethnic groups in Delta State. I did that not because I do not know the ethnic groups in that state, but to be sure of how other ethnic groups in Delta State perceived those from the Igbo ethnie. So while Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh is busy denying his identity, other ethnic groups perceive him rightly as an Igbo. As a result, many of my friends have come to dislike him for that very statement he made, because it is like denying those who caused your birth. No matter the abomination your parents may commit today, they will always remain your parents. You carry with you their blood and DNA. You can choose not to be in agreement with your parents, but you cannot deny the fact that they caused your birth to enjoy the gift of life. Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh acted very childishly, indeed!

The creation of the self and socialization into a larger communal context starts with one’s identity. It is also the basis of how we construct our social reality or world. The creation of self and negotiation of meaning is through identity – which is like a looking glass. Without identity, there is no self. No one at this moment in Nigeria’s history can claim a true Nigerian identity, because that does not exist in its true meaning. Whatever identity Nigeria can claim today is still derived from its different multi-nations. One can claim a Nigerian identity out of an attempt to patriotism or nationalism, but it simply does not exist. The country is still hugely fragmented, and there is no serious effort from its elites to deliberately engineer a Nigerian identity. In fact, Nigerian history is purposefully omitted from its school curriculum. And Nigeria only came to exist after its amalgamation. Before that there were (and still are) different multi-national identities in that region. No one can obliterate it if eventually fashioning a Nigerian nation becomes successful. Therefore, Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh was first an Igbo before a Nigerian.

Still, I am dumbfounded on why he is still keeping his Igbo middle name and surname. At least, if you are to deny your descent, you should also be bold enough to change those names. You have only shamed yourself, not Ndi-Igbo. No one can shame great people as Ndi-Igbo. I do not think my Yoruba and Hausa friends will ever see you as one of them, apart from being a Nigerian. So, please tell me Sunday Ogochukwu Oliseh, who is the REAL you?