Asema Achado’s unfortunate statement on Benue tanker incident

By: Ede Ogaba Ede

Contrary to the unfounded assertion by Arch. Asema Achado, Benue State Deputy Governor, Engr Benson Abounu, in the absence of Governor Samuel Ortom, who was away in Yaounde for the 7th Session of Cameroun-Nigeria Trans-Border Security Committee when the disaster occurred went round all the hospitals, four of them in Aliade and four in Makurdi, where these patients were admitted.

The Deputy Governor saw all the patients, even those in the Intensive Care Units. He also went to the morgue in Aliade General Hospital to check the dead bodies that were there.

He had first gone to the scene of the accident at Ahumbe and addressed the people there after inspecting the scene of the accident. At the hospitals, he, on behalf of the State Government, made deposits for the treatment of every patient on admission there except the ones at the Nigeria Airforce (NAF) Hospital, Makurdi, where the Commandant declined to collect the funds saying he had instructions from the Air Force authorities to the effect that the treatment of the patients at the hospital would be the Airforce’s contribution to the efforts of the State Government.

Similarly, at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in addition to the funds deposited with the management, offered to undertake the treatment of all the patients, but to be routed through the Teaching Hospital.

The drugs and other medical items procured by the ICRC were formally handed over to the Chief Medical Director of the Teaching Hospital yesterday, 5th July.

It is important to state that the Deputy Governor has been in constant touch with all the hospitals, and that he gets daily progress report on all the patients. The State Government also took complete responsibility for the preparation of the grave and the mass burial of the 26 victims in Ahumbe.

We wonder why Arc. Achado who is a prominent Gwer East son had to wait for a whole week after the loss of many lives in the tanker fire to begin whipping sentiments over the sad incident.

This is politics taken too far. When there is disaster that involves the loss of human lives, tackling such a calamity should be without partisan leanings and interests.

Arch Asema Achado who is supposed to be a responsible citizen from the state ought to know better than taking to social media to make statements without verifying his claims.

Benue people are still mourning the lives lost in the unfortunate tanker incident and what families of the disaster need at this time is consolation not a narrative of blames.