Ugwuanyi promises succour for lone baby survivor of Enugu food poison deaths

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi Enugu State has promised that the state government would take full responsibility to ensure that the nine-month-old Chidiuto, whose parents, siblings and housemaid died in the Enugu food poisoning saga did not suffer in any form.

The governor’s promise is sequel to the tragic news of the death of a couple, Mr and Mrs Lawrence Chukwu, their three-year-old daughter, Nazareth and maid, Ukamaka Chukwu, after feeding a meal suspected to be poisoned in their residence at Umuchigbo, Iji-Nike in Enugu East Local Government Area of the state, leaving their nine-month-old son, Chidiuto, as the only survivor.

Speaking when a delegation from Governor Ugwuanyi paid a condolence visit to the extended family of the deceased, who are in the custody of the orphaned survivor, the Commissioner for Gender Affairs and Social Development, Princess Peace Nnaji, who led the team, conveyed the heartfelt condolences of the governor to the family, describing the incident as a sad development.

The commissioner stressed that Ugwuanyi “is really saddened by this ugly development”, adding that “that is why he has sent us to come and condole with the family.”

Princess Nnaji assured the extended family, headed by Mr Basil Chukwu, that they were not alone in their grief as the government of Enugu State “is going to do everything to make sure it unravels the cause of these deaths so that no other person will be a victim of maybe food poison or whatever.”

She said that the surviving baby is the child of the government and “the governor has given his word that even though these people are no more, the state government is not going to abandon the family (child).”

The Gender Affairs Commissioner, who prayed for the repose of the deceased persons, on receiving information that the surviving child was breastfed by his late mother before she died and also had licked the soup which the victims had consumed, directed that baby be taken to the hospital for proper and extensive medical examination and treatment, after she had spoken with the Chief Medical Director, (MCD), of the Enugu State University of Technology, (ESUT), Teaching Hospital, Parklane Enugu, Professor Hyacinth Onah.

Princess Nnaji thereafter accompanied the child and the family to the hospital saying: “We have decided to take the baby to Parklane hospital; we have just reached the CMD, Parklane on phone here; they are waiting for us; we are moving straight with the baby to Parklane and the state government is going to take charge of the child to make sure nothing happens to him.

“All the medical tests, everything that has to be done must be done at the expense of the state government.”

The Commissioner disclosed that the delegation would brief Governor Ugwuanyi as soon as possible on the information they got from the visit and expressed confidence that the governor in his magnanimity would not allow the child to suffer.

Responding on behalf of the Chukwu family, the elder brother to late Lawrence, Sylvester Ik. Chukwu, thanked Governor Ugwuanyi for the fatherly love he had shown to them in the trying moment, promising that by the grace of God they would join hands with the state government to take care of the child.

Mr Chukwu, who narrated the efforts the family made to save the lives of the victims while in the hospital, equally appreciated the Commissioner for Gender Affairs for the visit, kind words and encouragement.

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