Anambra State Government has announced the settlement of the hospital bill of Mr. Okechukwu Akeneme, who was mistreated by workers of the state who were on revenue assignment
Akaneme, a former chairman of the Onitsha Federated Chapel of Nigeria Union of journalists (NUJ) and chairman of Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, recently had his neck and spinal cord broken by some agents of Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA) during a disagreement over refusal to pay waste bill.
Meanwhile the agents had initially shoved off Mr Akaneme’s claim of being ill, Saying it as pretense, the senior citizen was first moved to a hospital in Onitsha and later to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), which later referred him to Memphis Hospital in Enugu.
Igbo Community Radio Gathered Mr Akaneme health had deteriorated, just as he has incurred about N20million bill.
This situation had led to an uproar with the people, with many calling on the state Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to intervene.
Meanwhile, during its state executive meeting last Tuesday, the state government resolved to pick the bill.
The state Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, who disclosed this in a statement, said the resolution became feasible after the government sent a fact-finding team to visit the victim.
He said: “The 37th Anambra State Executive Council (ANSEC) meeting received the report of the fact-finding team sent by the Soludo government to the victim of brutality by some contractors of ASWAMA, Mr. Okechukwu Akaneme, who is hospitalised in Enugu.
About The Author
