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Magnus Eze, Enugu
An aide to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Emmanuel Ikechukwu-Jonathan, has enough milk of kindness flowing in him having on occasions been associated with providing succour to the needy.
He recently paid a visit to the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane Enugu and cleared the medical bills of a woman delivered of quadruplets but was detained by the hospital for not being able to pay the hospital bills.
Before this period, the Governor’s aide on New Media had in what could be likened to the biblical Good Samaritan, May last year, picked up a mentally challenged Banking and Finance graduate from the streets of Enugu for rehabilitation.
The Governor’s aide, Mr Emmanuel Jonathan came across Miss Emily Oguns, in Enugu and took her to the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu for onward treatment and rehabilitation.
Daily Sun gathered that the woman’s husband had been on the run ever since the wife was delivered of the babies at the hospital, prompting the wife and the babies, Chizaramekpere, Chidiebube, Chimdalu, Chimeremeze to remain in the hospital even after they were discharged on May 27.
But, God used Jonathan and his wife; Nkechinyerem, a pharmacist to ‘set the mother and the quadruplet free.’
Regardless, there was a mild drama as the woman, Mrs. Ebere Ugwu, though full of joy, was reluctant to leave the hospital over worries of how she would cope with the upkeep of the children.
The husband of the woman was yet to resurface when our correspondent traced them to their residence at Olympic Street, off One-Day Road, Agbani Road, Enugu. That mission was indeed a tortuous one, as they live in the remotest part of the area.
Though free from the hold of the hospital, Mrs. Ugwu in a tearful disclosed that how the family had been under the pangs of hardship.
“To tell you the truth, when I went for scan and was told that there were four babies, I was so scared. I cried out my life that day, I was like God why should I be the one to face this challenge.
“Now, I’m happy and grateful to God, though it has not been easy. In everything, I thank God who has used Hon. Jonathan to pay our medical bills. But like Oliver Twist, I am still appealing to Nigerians and the government to come to our aid.
“I graduated from the University since 2013 but I have no job; it is the same thing with my husband. So, it is really going to be difficult for us; you can see the place we are living; you saw how hard it was for us to get here,” she lamented.
Asked what motivated him to intervene in the woman’s situation, Jonathan said he took the action in acknowledgement of God’s love for mankind.
“I saw a post on Facebook regarding a woman who was delivered of quadruplet, and that they don’t have money to pay the hospital bill, making them to be held back in the hospital since 27th May. I was moved and after discussing the issue with my wife, we had to go come today and pay the hospital bill.
“We believe that doing this is to appreciate God for his love for humanity. It is that love that made Him give this woman four children at a time,” he said.
On the way forward, Jonathan said, “on our own, we also provided them with small means of upkeep, but it is not enough at all.
“So, I am using this medium to call on Nigerians to take a cue from what we have done. Now, that we have brought the children home, we are begging Nigerians to come to their aid. God cannot come down from heaven to do this. There are people out there who have the capacity to address this challenge.
“On the part of the husband, I am telling him to come back; he should come back; he is not supposed to run to anywhere because there are people out there looking for this kind of blessing, but God has given him three boys and one girl at once.
“Having said this, I call on him to come back without further delay and join hands with the wife to take care of these children.”
Jonathan added that he was merely taking a cue from his boss following the privilege of working with the governor.
He said: “We cannot continue to wait for him to address issues we know we can handle. The Governor must not always be called to address issues like this. Before he came into government he was doing it. So, we are learning from him. This is not the first time we are doing this kind of thing.”
