By Valentine Amanze
The Campaign for Democracy (CD) has accused the Federal Government of neglecting Nigeria’s Second Republic Vice President the late Dr Alex Ekwueme in London hospital, leading to his death.
The group’s National Publicity Secretary and Chairman, South East Zone, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, alleged that the Federal Government flew Ekwueme to London when his health condition got stabilized in Nigeria and subsequently abandoned him to his faith, alleging that he died frustrated.
“The Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria (SGF), made a press statement that Federal Government will not take the responsibility of the medical bills of late Dr Ekwueme, forgetting that he was the former vice president of Nigeria.
“By the virtue of Section 180 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended, his medical treatment must be taken care by the Nigerian government. So when the former Vice President heard that, he felt disappointed by a country he labored for.
“He collapsed and died; that led to his death. He died as a result of Federal Government abandonment.
“So Federal Government of Nigeria should be blamed for his death. After all that was a man who had been taking care of himself since he left office, very contented and not disturbing successive governments in the country for any benefit.
“They should have allowed him to take care of himself like he had been doing over the years both in and outside Nigeria; why must Federal Government get involved this time only to abandon him where they had taken him and allowed him to die there,” it queried.
According to group, “We are not talking about immortalizing Dr Ekwueme, that is another different thing. How can you allow somebody to die for an ill health that can easily be cured and you want to immortalize him?
“If you say you cannot take care of somebody’s medical bill when he was alive, why coming back to say you will immortalize him, that is an insult to the entire Igbo race.
“The Federal Government must take full responsibility and blame for the death of Dr Alex Ekwueme, and if they fail to accept full responsibility and blame of the death of the former vice President of Nigeria, at the expiration of 21 days from Monday, CD will mobilize Nigerians and like minds to protest against the present Nigerian Federal Government.
“If you tell a man who is in coma that you are not going to take care of him, when he rightly deserved that right, what do you call marginalization?
“This is one of the things the Igbo are agitating against, it will not continue if this country must be one.”
