We don’t have money to bury our father, children of late governor’s photojournalist cry out

Children of late veteran photojournalist, Stephen Nwuguru, have cried to the Ebonyi State government and good spirited individuals to come to their aid so as to give their father a befitting burial.

Nwuguru who hailed from Alibaru-Ishieke local government area of the state served as former Governor Martins Elechi and Governor David Umahi as the chief photographer until his retirement a few years ago.

Nwuguru whom after his retirement as a civil servant in the state neither received his pension nor gratuity from the state government but was said to have continued to serve as Governor Umahi’s cameraman just to put food on the table.

This he did for his family until 2nd January 2020, when he died after a brief illness.

His first son, Nnaemeka Nwuguru, decried that his father died out of frustration and poverty.

Nnaemeka who said his father retired under the Umahi administration, noted that his father still worked in the press unit, government house, Abakaliki till he departed from this world.

Nnaemeka disclosed this at the government house when he came with his younger brother to remove their father’s belongings from the press unit of the government house.

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He, however, described his father’s death as a colossal loss to the family and called on the state government to come to their aid for the burial of the veteran photojournalist, lamenting that he died of poverty and didn’t have means of survival for the children.

“He took ill in November till December. He came to village on 24th December and was down with the sickness. I told him to follow me to the hospital but he refused. He said he was asked to take herbs. I got the herbs for him.

“He only took a small portion of the herbs before complaining that he couldn’t urinate and defecate properly. He thereby stopped taking the herbs.

“He started taking modern medicine while I still told him to go to the hospital but he still refused. My father was still taking modern medicine before he died.

“Since he died, nobody has visited us or asked how we are preparing for his burial or how we are faring. We have no money for his burial. He has no property for us to sell and bury him.

“My father has no investment, he died of poverty. Even we the children have no money, we have nothing for his burial. As his son, I don’t have anything. Government and people should come to our aid to bury him.”

Ngwuguru who died in his 60s is survived by eight children including two boys and six girls.