We all love babies.
They are cute, they smell heavenly and when they come out in fours or seven. We stop goggle- eyed to admire this feat…
Then when they need money for survival, we swipe on to the next story! A few days later, we see the sextuplets haven’t got the desired help. We take swipes at the rich men among us. We attack politicians, Presidential candidates…anyone that has the misfortune of good fortune for not helping the babies.
So I’ve been reading about the sextuplets in Anambra State. They have accumulated N19m in debt at the hospital where they are being treated after birth. The hospital is threatening to stop medicare. These babies will likely not survive if they don’t get the needed oxygen and incubator which is what the hospital has…at a premium. The federal and state medical facilities are a joke.
Multiple births are rare. When the babies born to a lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra state on the 8th of January, 2023 became news, I knew she would soon be asking for help. The babies need oxygen, all seven infants, one died and so, there are six of them left.
The infants’ parents are not lazy ne’er do nothings.
Thankfully, the father didn’t run away
The father, Mr. Celestine Uzodike is said to be a junior aide to the current governor, Chukwuma Soludo. The wife, Ngozi Uzodike is said to be a lecturer of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. In the last two years, she hasn’t been paid a salary.
Now their case is compounded.
My sympathy goes to the couple. I hope they don’t have other children before this six, if they do, they will likely be on charity for a long, long time to come.
They will be at the mercy of anyone who chooses to help them because the real people we should be taking swipes at for not quickly stepping in is the government both at the federal and state level.
If Ngozi and her husband, Celestine weren’t working, I’ll say, they should go find work but she is and hasn’t been paid for two years. That is the fault of the government that lacks accountability. An irresponsible government that enslaves its people and refuses to pay their wages.
Why hold the rich responsible for the sextuplets?
I read people taking swipes at Peter Obi, Senator Uche Ekwunife, Hon Chris Azubogu, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, Chief Chris Uba, Senator Andy Uba, and other notable sons of Anambra state. I understand the sentiments but the real culprits here is the government that enslaves its own. If government hospitals were running and fully functional, Ngozi and Celestine won’t need to go to a private hospital because care at the federal and state hospitals will be subsidised. Where a country functions well, the sextuples would be instant celebrities and their medicare taken up by the government.
But we are a people given to mediocrity. This sort of story will be told over and over again and we forget how we got here. This is a failure of our styetem and it behooves us as citizens of this nation to vote out mediocrity!
The sextuplets should have been in a government hospital to enjoy subsidized Medicare, if…
What century will Nigerians enjoy free health care, I mean quality health care?
Let’s not go into education, or security of lives and property or little things like food for the hungry. Let’s just about basic healthcare.
Nearly all federal and state hospitals are mere shadows of what they should be. Doctors and nurses are leaving in droves because the condition of service is horrible. There are no drugs, no medical facilities…yes these are sweeping statements because every adult in this country knows the true state of the nation.
Keep collecting their branded rice but don’t vote for them!
When we keep voting in people who give us branded rice and beans for our votes, we will continue to rely on individuals rather than the government to truly do its job of providing things like quality health care for its citizens.
In a report I read in the Nation newspaper, a woman is quoted to have said, “Ekwunife, Ubah and Azubogu will be sharing what looks like one- cup of rice to people to vote for them or wrappers, but they will prefer those children to die instead of rendering help.”
It’s another voting season people.
Politicians will not stop playing us, it’s for the rest of us to know that it’s time to vote out rice in a cup giving politicians so that our children will not die from lack of oxygen but will live!
Today it’s the Uzodike’s who need help, it might be you or your neighbor who needs something as trivial as an ambulance that will get to the hospital on time.
This is when we should use our votes to bring in credible leaders.
Use your vote wisely.