Victor Ezeja
Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has approved payment of hospital bills of Mr Okechukwu Akaneme, former President of the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture, who was allegedly brutalized by Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA) officials.
This was announced by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, in an interview with newsmen.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelMefor said the decision was made during the 37th State Executive Council meeting.
According to him the decision followed report of a team led by commissioner for health and managing director of ASWAMA, who the governor sent to ascertain the condition of Akaneme, who has been receiving treatment at Memphis hospital in Enugu.
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Mefor said the team came back with a report that Akaneme’s health condition is serious.
“The governor and ANSEC have decided to intervene. The summary of the intervention is that the government will be picking the entire bill,” Mefor stated.
The Commissioner added that apart from the bills accumulated so far, the state government will continue to cater for his medical treatment until he fully recovers.
He added that the state executive council expressed sympathy to the family of the victim and prayed for his quick recovery.
Prime Business Africa gathered that Akaneme was allegedly attacked on 11 October at his residence on Obi Lane, America Quarters, Onitsha, by contractors working for ASWAMA during a controversy that ensued over unpaid sanitation fees.
Akaneme, who is also a former president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Onitsha Chapel, allegedly sustained injury on his spinal cord in the course of the scuffle.
Prime Business Africa learnt that has been at Intensive Care Unit of Memphis Hospital in Enugu where his health is said to be deteriorating.
The state government has reportedly suspended the firm, Salitz Ventures contracted by ASWAMA after the unfortunate incident.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
