John CDO Alleges Peter Obi Refused to Fund Kanu Nwankwo’s Heart Surgery, Claims Tinubu Stepped In

• Gospel music crusader and businessman John CDO Ikeotuoye has alleged that former Anambra governor Peter Obi declined to support football legend Kanu Nwankwo’s heart surgery, claiming he refused to spend his money on it.

• Speaking on the Talk True Podcast, John said Kanu later turned to Bola Tinubu, then Lagos State governor, who allegedly funded the life-saving operation.

• He further accused Obi of making present-day hospital donations for political gain rather than genuine philanthropy.

Gospel music crusader and businessman, John CDO Ikeotuoye, has alleged that former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, once declined to support football legend Kanu Nwankwo financially for his heart surgery.

Speaking on the Talk True Podcast, John claimed that Obi told Kanu he would not spend his money on such a cause. According to him, after Obi’s refusal, Kanu turned to former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, who allegedly provided the funds for the life-saving operation.

He further argued that Obi’s current donations to hospitals are politically motivated rather than genuine acts of philanthropy.

In his words:
“When Kanu Nwankwo had a heart problem, Peter Obi was one of the first people he approached for financial help. Peter Obi told him that that is not what he will use his money for. Kanu then went to Lagos to meet Bola Tinubu, a Yoruba man, and Tinubu paid for his surgery.”

Kanu was diagnosed with a heart defect in 1996 shortly after signing for Inter Milan from Ajax in a deal worth about $4.7 million. By that time, he had already won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup, and the Olympic gold medal with Nigeria in Atlanta ’96. He was already a multi-millionaire in dollars. In fact, Kanu was probably richer than Peter Obi at that time because he was a global superstar earning foreign currency at the very peak of European football.

It was Inter Milan, his club, that paid for his corrective heart surgery in Cleveland, USA. That is on public record. Kanu never begged anyone, and certainly didn’t need to, because he was already a dollar millionaire and a football legend.