A Kidney For Sonia Ekweremadu – A Thought, A Wish, A Prayer

The major news yesterday, Thursday, was about former Nigerian Senate Deputy President Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice, who were charged with flying a young man to the United Kingdom for an organ transplant for their daughter, Sonia.

The news came out of a statement issued by the UK Metropolitan Police, and the two appeared same day before a magistrates’ court in Uxbridge; however, bail was rejected, and they were remanded in jail until July 7, when the case will be heard.

The personality of the couple involved has somehow almost suppressed the underlying reason for the alleged offence – to procure a kidney for their ailing daughter.

The organ procurement scenario is very similar to the one in the movie, ‘John Q’, released on 15^th February 2002 and directed by Nick Cassavetes, with leading American actor Denzel Washington playing the lead role. John Q Archibald lives with his wife Denise and young son Michael. But when Michael needs an emergency heart transplant that John cannot afford, he vows to do anything to keep his son alive.

The full story centres on a man whose nine-year-old son is in desperate need of a life-saving transplant. When he discovers that his medical insurance won’t cover the costs of the surgery and alternative government aid is unavailable, John Q. Archibald takes a hospital emergency room hostage in a last-ditch attempt to save his child.

Organ transplant is very expensive. In the US, a kidney transplant will cost you over $400,000. The cost for the average heart transplant, on the other hand, can approach $1.4 million.

So you can understand John Q’s problem because his insurance did not cover the huge expense for his son, but as the movie promo says, “Give a father no options and you leave him no choice”.

I guess that is where the Ekweremadus found themselves as parents. They will have their full day in court, in a legal system that does not waste time on frivolities or political maneuvering.

Will there be legal or moral dilemmas? In the movie, John Q has to decide whether he will let his son die by not getting a heart transplant for him or do everything in his power, including harming himself or others, to get his son a new heart. From the information in the public domain, without prejudice to what will be revealed in court, it is possible the Ekweremadus were also ready to do all in their power as parents to save their daughter.

A moral dilemma is a conflict of morals, where you are forced to choose between two or more options and you have a moral reason to choose and not choose each option. No matter what choice you make in these situations, you always end up compromising some moral value.

In such circumstances, immoral and illegal decisions can be made along the way. No one is in a position to judge yet, what decisions were made and how they resulted in the predicament the parents are, currently, because from their standpoint, the ultimate was to save their child. Many will say the end does not justify the means, but tell that to the parents of an ailing child or put yourself in their position.

The Ekweremadus are not known to make too much noise about their family affairs, at least not as much as others, although the man has spent close to two decades in Nigeria’s legislative chambers, including becoming one of the country’s top 10 citizens as Deputy Senate President. Anything close to public display of activity in the family was on 18^th of July 2019 when Ike Ekweremadu tweeted the following:

“Please, join me in congratulating my darling daughter, Sonia Chinonso Ekweremadu, BA Media and Communications, on her graduation. Well done, girl. Proud of you. I celebrate you.” 

The tweet also featured the photo of a happy family of father, mother and children. All this happiness may now be affected by the current events.

While experts and others are making political and legalistic comments, we must not forget or lose sight of our humanity and humanness and remember the cause and beginning of the whole state of affairs – the love of a father and mother, and efforts to ensure that the fruit of their loins survives and lives a life better than theirs.

Whatever the legal outcome may be, we hope Sonia receives a kidney to prolong her life. We pray she goes through these trying times and her health condition does not deteriorate.

A kidney for Sonia was the original objective of the Ekweremadus that has landed them behind bars. Who will run after the objective now, in their absence? Who will provide succour for the young lady?

When John Q Archibald, in the movie, ended up holding a hospital full of people hostage and attracted SWAT, some people understood his position while others did not support him, just like this, but in the end he had to give in to the law. But his action saved his son because the boy received a heart transplant and lived. We pray Sonia also receives a kidney and that she lives.

I pity Ike Ekweremadu and his family on their new plight which has now added more burden to their daughter’s problem and the kidney search to save her. I do not think this is the time to blame her father and the whole Nigerian political class for their neglect of the healthcare system in the country. WE have been doing that and we will continue to do so, but for Sonia’s sake…………

Okay, blame if you want; but we must not forget Sonia Ekweremadu, whatever you have against her father and others.

Epa Ogie Eboigbe, veteran journalist, broadcaster and public affairs specialist, writes on, and analyses current and historical issues with a ‘wise pen’.