Mr Chukwudi Okechukwu never had any premonition when he left his house on Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022 , that he would not return but rather end up at the hospital.
So, for the past three months, he has been ‘quarantined’ at the Crowther Ward, Federal Medical Centre Umuahia, where he is being treated following bone fracture and severe injuries he received in a tricycle crash.
The 56-year old welder who barley managed to start off after several years of financial difficulties, was trekking back to his house at Amuzukwu, when a hit-and-run tricycle operator knocked him down and fled.
Speaking with Vanguard from his hospital bed, the father of two said the incident happened around 8:00 pm while he was returning home after the day’s job.
According to him, a tricycle hit him from behind and ran away.
” I went to work that day because there was public power supply and I said let me go to my workshop and see if I could get something for my family.
” As I was returning home, one KEKE man hit me, abandoned his KEKE and ran away. I was rushed to the hospital because my leg was broken and I had serious injury in my hand also.
” It was later that the owner of the KEKE was traced and it was discovered that after he had parked his KEKE for the day, his friend collected it without his knowledge to do ‘Kabukabu’ ( pick and drop).
” The man that hit me has never been seen again since then but the owner of the KEKE deposited some money but since then he hasn’t brought anything again because he said he is also facing difficulties”.
Mr Chukwudi said that out of the N220,000 bill they had been able to deposit N150,000 leaving a balance of N70,000 besides other expensis.
He said that since the incident happened his wife, a food vendor, had been the one attending to him at the hospital, thus, leaving the family at the mercy of charity.
The wife, Mrs Goodness told our Correspondent that she had to keep the two children in the custody of their church member to enable her attend to the husband.
” She normally brings them to see us here in the hospital”, she added, almost in tears.
She said that life had not been easy on the family as their little source of income had been closed down.
While thanking God for the survival of Mr Chukwudi, the family said that their greater “challenge now is how to clear the balance” of their bill to enable them return to their house.
Chukwudi who hails from Akpu in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State lamented that if by June 17, he failed to clear the bill, he might be detained by the hospital management.
He, therefore, appealed to Government as well as public-spirited individuals to come to his aid.
The family passionately appealed to the wife of Professor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State to help rehabilitate them out of her milk of human kindness.
Mr Chukwudi gave his account details as: 0031642843, Union Bank. He can be reached via his mobile phone number: 08138911128. Continue Reading
