Who’s After Nnamdi Okonkwo?
The tree might wish for peace, the ancient Chinese people said, but the wind is not likely to let her have it. This fits the recent Nnamdi Okonkwo situation almost perfectly. After what seems like a long vacation for the celebrated former Fidelity Bank MD/CEO, troublemakers have featured him in a new rumour. But this is not the usual laugh-it-off scandal, but the kind that can extinguish a legacy.
Only the most pessimistic of minds could have imagined it, but it happened: Nnamdi Okonkwo was alleged to have become the subject of a deepening probe authorised by the Board of Directors of Fidelity Bank. The rumour further noted that the probe was proceeding rather well and could get the former MD behind bars if he is unable to get a good lawyer to represent him in court.
Of course, anyone that knows the depth of Okonkwo’s loyalty to Fidelity Bank would have eventually found the rumours a bit too fantastic, even at these excitable times. It would be those who know little of Okonkwo’s exploits, his devotion, and long-standing contributions to the growth and development of the bank that might spend a moment or two pondering the details of the allegation.
Nevertheless, the current management of Fidelity Bank has responded in the strictest way possible to the rumours. In very clear terms, the press release stated that the allegation is “entirely false, malicious and should be discountenanced.”What is a better defence than this?
Moreover, not too long ago, it was again rumoured that Okonkwo would join the gubernatorial race in Anambra State, flying the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) flag. How that narrative came to be is beyond logic and fact. So maybe this gist about a probe is from the same source. But why? Who is intent on fiddling with the public image of Nnamdi Okonkwo? Who is after a man so well thought of?