Warri Wolves Player ,Emmanuel Cries Out for Justice..As Club Refused To Pay Medical Bills

To most Nigerians, playing football I the domestic league is like attending a ritual mass in hell. The league is bedeviled by so many problems.

Apart from infrastructure, unpaid wages, fix matches, hooliganism and all other forms of unprecedented actions which has made the league, one of the worst in the world.

In the contrary, Nigerian players are some of the best not only in Africa but around the globe.

They excel in an unprecedented terrible working condition which includes but not limited to bad pitches, lack of good medical care etc. Or how else would one explain the terrible condition of one of Nigeria’s rising star in the round leather game who got injured while playing for Warri Wolves, a first division team in Nigeria’s Premier League.

He had to personally foot his medical bill to Germany after he was promised reimbursement by the management of the club.

Months after his return, neither the club nor the management of the Delta State club has deemed it fit to redeem their pledge to the footballer who is now living from hand to mouth and crying out for justice.

Here is his unedited message to CKN Nigeria

My name is Emmanuel Omodiagbe.Am a midfielder playing with WARRI WOLVES F.C
 I sustained a serious knee injury in August WARRI WOLVES F.C vs RANGERS F.C
 I did several x-rays on my own to find out what was wrong with my knee but to no avail. Each time the results of the x-rays comes out it shows that nothing was wrong with my knee, but i couldn't walk or play with it due to the pains i was still having on the knee.
 I was then advised to go to MECURE DIAGNOSIS CENTRE in Lagos Oshodi for a proper MRI to be done. I took a flight to Lagos for it.
 When i got there i was told it will cost me 68,000.00( sixty eight thousand naira) for the MRI to be carried on my knee, and i had to stay in Lagos awaiting for my result which i was told will take about 4days for it to be ready.
 On the day i collected my result, when i saw the result with what was written on it, i knew it was a serious problem, so i was advised by my sister to see her doctor (Dr MUHAMMED MAIZA)who now introduced us to an Orthopaedic doctor in Ogun State, when we got there we registered with the hospital in Ogun State. when the doctor saw the result, he advised for a surgery. I asked if the surgery can be done here, he said it is only LAGOON HOSPITAL that has the facilities for such surgery and it's very expensive.
 The doctor said it's very expensive here, but he advised if i have the money it's better i travel abroad for the surgery to be done. Immediately i took a flight back to warri.
 I went to the management of my club WARRI WOLVES F.C, I showed them the result of the MRI i did on my knee, they said i should go on with every necessary arrangement that they were going to pay for the treatment. I called my brother who immediately contacted an hospital in Germany with my MRI result which i scanned to him, immediately an invitation letter was sent to me. I went to German Embassy, my visa was granted.
 The chairman of my club WARRI WOLVES FC( Amaju Pinnick), said no problem that i should prepare for the journey. he promised to send the money across. I believed him because i do not believe a man of his type could tell lies. when i got to Lagos, the chairman( Amaju Pinnick) called me that i should grant an interview with CHANNELS TELEVISION, thanking the governor of Delta State, DR EMMANUEL UDUGHAN for paying for my surgery. because of traffic, the journalist couldn't get to me on time. I took off to Germany.
 When i got to Germany, my brother stood in as a guarantor for me. they did the operation, it was successful too. while in Germany i was always calling my chairman(Amaju Pinnick) of my club WARRI WOLVES FC, they said i shouldn't worry that the state hasn't released money for my club ( WARRI WOLVES FC) that immediately is released they will send the money across.
 I travelled january 2012 and came back April 2012, on getting to Lagos i called the chairman(Amaju Pinnick) of my club (WARRI WOLVES FC) that am now in Lagos, he said i can now grant the interview to CHANNELS TELEVISION thanking the governor of Delta State for paying fr my surgery before coming back to warri that the money has been released to the club, which i happily did. when i got to warri i resumed with my club fully. i noticed that he( Amaju Pinnick) didn't want to pay the money because i have granted an interview. i started calling him(Amaju Pinnick) and begging him because the hospital in Germany has started disturbing my shortee, sending letters to remind him of the payment and that is not good for his personality. I even told my chairman that he should loan me the money from my signoff fee, he started shouting that i should not call his phone number again that am disturbing him.
 The management of WARRI WOLVES FC signed a paper for me that they were going to pay for my surgery.

I was not paid salary from October to December 2011, and i was placed on only half salary between January and June this year, which nothing came after in the month of July and August and the club(WARRI WOLVES FC) is still owning me 3.6 million balance of my signoff fee.
 The expenses i incured for the surgery in Germany totalling 1.6 million naira has not been paid either, and my wages(salary) 1.2 million naira, everything amounted to 6.4 million naira. The last time i called him( Amaju Pinnick Chairman/ Commissioner of Sport Delta State) that i will go to the media to complain about the way there were treating me in the club WARRI WOLVES FC, he ( Amaju Pinnick) now said he has the money to bribe the media, i told him that if he can bribe the media over i will take him to NFA and NFL, he(Amaju Pinnick) said most of them there are on my payroll.

I don't want problem with anybody at all, what i want is for the club WARRI WOLVES FC to pay me my money and the one meant for my surgery, my fear is that i may be blacklisted in Germany if i don't pay the money and that may kill my career"...CKN