Pathetic tales of abandoned PDP members involved in fatal accident on their way to Jonathan’s campaign rally
ON Friday March 25, 2011, 50
enthusiastic members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) left the
party’s secretariat in Ikeja, Lagos, to take part in the campaign rally
of President Goodluck Jonathan at the Eagle Square, Abuja the next day.
It began as a smooth journey as the PDP members sang Jonathan’s praises.
But tragedy struck as the travelers
approached Ikire, a historical community in Osun State. The driver of
the luxury bus that conveyed them lost control of the vehicle, leading
to the death of a passenger while scores of other passengers sustained
various degrees of injuries that have refused to heal.
Those who sustained injuries in the
accident included Madam Funke Oyinsanmi and Madam Bisi Awe. Others were
Olabisi Olojede, Mercy Oluyemi and Mary Balogun.
The victims were first taken to the
Ikire Catholic Church hospital, from where they were transferred to the
Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, where most of them
remained about two months.
Mrs. Awe did not only lose four of her
teeth in the accident, her fractured arm had to be amputated while her
broken lower jaw makes it impossible for her to talk properly. Other
victims of the accident are nursing equally serious injuries, nursing
excruciating pains and securing no tangible help, even from the party.
Recalling the events that culminated in
her ugly fate, Mrs. Awe said: “I had no premonition whatsoever that the
journey would bring me recurring tears instead of joy. I went on the
journey because of my love for President Jonathan. Honestly, if I knew
that the journey would turn awry, I would have turned down the offer to
be part of the contingent.
“We were singing songs in praise of
President Jonathan when we suddenly heard a loud noise. I passed out
immediately. The next thing I saw was that I found myself in the
hospital. To my surprise, I found that my right arm had been amputated.
At that point, I wept uncontrollably, but I was frantically consoled by
the doctors and nurses around.”
When our correspondent visited the
Ikorodu residence of Awe, there were tell tale signs of sadness in the
household. She was drinking garri, a delicacy she said she detested when
things were going well.
The 57-year-old woman recalled the fate that had befallen her since she lost her arm and joined the league of deformed persons.
She said: “Apart from the fact that I
have become a disabled person, the incident has turned me into a beggar.
I now live in penury because I have spent all the money I have on
treatment.
“You can see that I have just finished a
bowl of soaked garri, which ordinarily I would not have taken when I
was hale and hearty. Now, I can hardly feed myself, not to talk of my
children and other dependants. I have aged parents whose welfare was my
responsibility before the accident. Now, I can no longer take care of
them.”
She also recalled how prominent party
leaders, including the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, promised to
help her but failed to make good their promises.
She said: “During one of her visits to
Lagos State in December 2011, we met the First Lady at the State House,
Marina, at the instance of our party leaders. She sympathised with us
and promised to facilitate my trip to India for corrective surgery on my
face and to procure an artificial limb. Sadly, she has not fulfilled
that promise as I speak, even though she made the promise in the
presence of our party leaders.
“I am therefore using this opportunity
to once again remind her of her promise and to come to my aid as my
health keeps deteriorating every day.
“I know that some party leaders have
assisted me at one point or the other, but I still need a huge lifeline
to overcome my predicament. As I speak, my children have dropped out of
school while I still have medical bills to settle.”
Other victims of the accident alleged
that they were abandoned by the First Lady and PDP leaders, who had
promised to take care of their treatment and rehabilitation. Lamenting
their fate, they pleaded with the party leaders and the First Lady to
redeem their pledge.
One of the victims, Madam Funke
Oyinsanmi, an indigene of Ado-Ekiti, said: “I am a PDP member in Ward J,
Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State. At about 7.30 pm, we
left the PDP secretariat in GRA, Ikeja in a luxury bus en-route Abuja
for the grand finale of the presidential rally.
“When we got to Ikire, Osun State, our
vehicle was involved in an accident and it somersaulted several times.
Some policemen rescued and took us to Catholic Hospital in Ikire, Osun
State, from where we were referred to LUTH for treatment.
“I spent two months at the hospital
because one of the veins on my wrist was badly affected while there are
still broken glasses that have not been removed from my hand to date.
The affected hand is lifeless; I can no longer use it to lift anything.
“I sincerely believe that the accident
would have been averted if we had travelled in the day time. Queer party
officials in charge of mobilization are in the habit of asking us to
travel in the night, so that they can pocket the money meant for our
accommodation.
“While we were in the hospital, some
stalwarts of the party, including Senator Florence Ita Giwa, visited us
and promised that the party would take very good care of us. But the
promise has remained unfulfilled.
“We also sought audience with the First
Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, during one of her visits to Lagos, and she
promised to take care of our treatment. But she has since abandoned us
to our fate. Please tell Mrs. Jonathan and our party leaders to come to
our aid because our health has not improved at all.”
The story of Mrs. Olabisi Olojede is not
different from those of other victims. The Woman Leader from Ward G,
Lagos Mainland suffered a fracture and a swollen hand that have refused
to heal.
She said: “We were singing on our way to
Abuja. In the middle of this, I fell asleep. The accident happened
while I was still sleeping. I woke up to see blood gushing out of my
head while I also sustained injuries on my lips and left hand. My
swollen hand has not gone down and the attendant pain is what I live
with to date.
“In April last year, we met with Mrs.
Patience Jonathan in Lagos and she promised to facilitate our treatment;
which she has not fulfilled. Although she gave us some money on that
day, it was not enough to even take care of one person, let alone the
rest of us.
“I used to work as a bead maker and
traditional wedding engagement anchor, but people are no longer giving
me jobs because of my predicament. Please tell our party leaders to take
care of us in the name of God, because we embarked on the journey out
of our love for PDP.
“Since the incident and the indifference
of party leaders to our plight, we have become the butt of jokes from
members of rival political parties in the state.”
Another victim, Mrs. Mercy Oluyemi-Lawal
(49) said: “When the incident occurred, one of my hands was trapped
under a heavy object. I tried to lift my hand but I couldn’t. My
forehead was lacerated by broken glass and my tooth was also broken.
“To date, I still suffer severe pain in
my arms while pieces of glass are still stuck in my hand. I am a trained
caterer but I can no longer work because of my broken arm. Our former
State Woman Leader, Mrs. Olabisi Odunsi, tried for us but her effort was
not enough to relief us of our pains.”
Also recalling the sad incident,
43-year-old Mrs. Mary Balogun said: “I was sleeping when the vehicle
somersaulted at about 7.30 pm at a spot on Ikire-Gbongan Road. I hit my
head on the pavement and blood started gushing out of it. A co-passenger
had to use her wrapper to tie my head in order to prevent further loss
of blood.
“Now, I can no longer see clearly with
my eyes while my badly damaged hand is yet to heal. As I speak, I cannot
use the hand to lift or pick anything. “
“Despite the promises made by our party
leaders and Dame Patience Jonathan to the effect that we would be given
free medical treatment, nothing has been done about our plight. We can
no longer continue to suffer for being patriotic, and that is why we are
appealing to our party chieftains to assist us. We are dying in
silence.
“Many of us still need treatments that require going overseas even as we battle with poverty and hopelessness.”
A letter of appeal addressed to the
Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, by
the counsel to the victims, Kunle Fadipe, dated March 18, 2013, reads
in part: “We wish to bring to your attention that efforts made by our
clients to get echelons of the party (PDP) at the local government and
state levels to look into their predicament have been futile…our clients
are widows whose means of livelihood have been truncated by the mishap.
“Because of their health challenges,
they cannot go about their daily businesses, which were hitherto their
sources of income. Unfortunately, they now live on contributions from
friends and family members. Even from these contributions made to them, a
substantial part goes to the purchase of drugs and other medications…it
is upon these ugly experiences of our clients that we passionately
appeal to your esteemed office for a comprehensive rehabilitation
programme.
Their situation is pathetic and needs
urgent attention. They have become objects of ridicule and scorn in the
eyes of friends and associates who deride them for sowing where they
could not reap. They blame them for committing so much to the party and
getting nothing in return in their time of need.”
The Acting National Publicity Secretary
of PDP, Mr. Tony Okeke, declined comment when one of our correspondents
met him at his office in Abuja on Thursday. ”I am not in the mood to say
anything on the matter,” he said.
Efforts made by our correspondent to get
the comment of the Media Assistant to Dame Patience Jonathan, Mr. Ayo
Osinlu, were also fruitless. After failing to respond to calls made to
his phone, our correspondent sent a text message, explaining why he
needed his comment, but he responded saying: “Welcome and thanks for
making contact. However, I am not in a situation to make a comment right
now. Please direct this enquiry to Mrs. Ayo Adesugba.”
Adesugba initially did not respond to a
text message our correspondent sent to her phone. Our correspondent
later called her on the phone and she promised to call back. ”I am in a
meeting, I’ll call you later,” she said. She, however, did not make good
her promise to call back.
The PDP chairman in Lagos State, Mr.
Tunji Shelle, could also not be reached for comment as he neither picked
the calls made to his phone nor respond our correspondent’s text
message.
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Sad, they came to campaign for a clueless, visionless leader. No vision of a viable rail system, good interstate roads or a functional health care system, with health insurance to pay their bills; those are the reasons for their predicament. And yes, someone claimed someone is chopping hotel money in the PDP.
ReplyDeleteSo what is the visionless party going to do??
Let's forget about kpidikpi.
ReplyDelete2015 is around the corner.
We shall teach them how to rig, snatch ballot boxes and kill to win elections. No body has the monopoly of those actions. In any case I pity those involve in that accident. They should equally thank GOD that they are alive, otherwise they would have long been forgotten and the exconvict will be celebrated for delivering Lagos state for them. We are waiting 2015 with kin interest.