Federal University lecturers allover the country aren’t finding it easy at this period in time considering the financial issues they are having with the Federal Government. Some of them when they are employed, aren’t paid for months and a few years. Sadly, this has become the plight of federal university lecturers in southeast, Nigeria.
The Plight of Federal University Lecturers in Southeast, Nigeria: Nnamdi Azikiwe University Lecturer pleads for 19 million Naira to offset Hospital Bill
This is the plight of Mrs. Ngozi Uzodike, who was delivered of septuplets (seven babies), two boys and five girls. She is a lecturer at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State. Out of the seven babies, one of the girls didn’t make it alive.
Mrs. Ngozi works at the Department of Business Administration in the university. She delivered the babies at Obijackson Women and Children Hospital, Okija, on Sunday.
Due to the number of babies, and how they were born prematurely, the family was charged 19 million naira by the hospital. The 19 million covers the expenses of delivery, care, and incubation of the babies till they reach the exact maturity.
Even though, it is expected for her to be elated for being delivered of such amount of babies at a time, it was a mixture of feeling for Mrs. Ngozi Uzodike. Her happiness was limited due to financial problems. She and her husband lacked the money to pay for the hospital bill.
Her husband, Mr. Celestine Uzodike, stated that his wife hadn’t been paid since she was employed as a lecturer in 2020. From then till this moment, she hadn’t been paid. He further lamented that his wife had never earned a kobo as salary, even after she had been promoted from Assistant Lecturer to Lecturer II.
He appealed to the Federal Government to pay the two years salary arrears owned to the new mother, and also come to their aid.
He said they aren’t able to foot the hospital bill and take care of the surviving two boys and four girls, alone.
He said, “The babies came out prematurely at 26th week gestation period and the hospital said they will need to be placed under intensive care unit and each of them will cost N3million. One of them has died, remaining six babies, that is why they billed us like that.”
The mother, who was very weak to speak after the delivery, said, “All I want is for philanthropists both in Anambra State and Nigeria at large to come to our aid in other to offset the hospital bill.”
Source: The Punch Nigeria