AGONY OF A BLIND WIDOW WITH FIVE BLIND CHILDREN.

By Eric Ugbor

If fate is a being that one may confront with questions, very many of them would have been asked by those it has treated unfairly. But Henry Miller would say, ” Destiny is what you are supposed to do in life. Fate is the Ass to make you do it”

For Mrs Nkechi Clement Ugo, a native of Oshigbe Community in Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, fate has in deed put her in the Ass with a precarious situation she finds herself.

A blind widow of six children who lost her husband years ago, the struggling to cater for her bind children has been the most difficult in the present economic situation of the country.

When Topnewsngr Visited the Ebonyi Remand Home located at Mile 50 in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State where this widow and her blind children are currently taking refuge, the blind Nkechi narrated that out of her six children, five are blind like her.

The eldest of her Children is 13 while the youngest is 5 years old. Out of the six children of the widow, five are blind while only one can see. She explained that her first child is in the school of the blind at Opefia in Ezzi local Government Area of the state.

Mrs Ugo narrated that her ordeal started when she was tender and that she just woke up one morning to discover that she cannot see any longer pointing out that all efforts made by her father to enable her regain her sight proved abortive adding that ” my world came to an end when l lost my both parents to the cold hands of death”

She stated that succour came her way when a man approached for marriage despite her condition.

But as if she was created with ill luck, her pathetic life was further stretched when she lost her husband years ago leaving her and her blind children in their own world full of loneliness, suffering and uncertainty.

Mrs Ugo noted that life has been unbearable as her blindness makes it difficult for her to engage in any meaningful activities to eek living ” As you can see l am blind and all my children except one are blind. My first blind daughter is currently in the school of the blind located at Opefia in Ezzi local Government Areas of the state through the help of good spirited individuals. The only one who is free from blindness cannot go to school regularly because she is our eyes and legs as at now so anytime she is not around, we would be crippled until she comes back”

Mrs Ugo who spoke in a local dialect lamented her inability to train her Children in school and recalled how she had the ambition of raising a world class men and women who would contribute to the development of the larger society and wished she could have her Children regain their sights.

MRS NWIFURU TO THE RESCUE.

But all hopes seem not lost for Mrs Ugo as the wife of the Ebonyi State Governor, Mrs Mary- Modlene Nwifuru has located her and commenced the construction of an ultra modern bungalow for the blind woman and her Children as well as donation of food items, clothings and cash gifts to cushion the effect of the present economic hardship on the blind woman and her Children.

Mrs Nwifuru got the wind of the pathetic circumstances of the blind family during her tour of the 13 local Government Areas of the state for the inauguration of her pet project, ” Better Health For Rural Women, Children And Internally Displaced Foundation(BERWO)

The Governor’s wife who couldn’t hold her tears after seeing and hearing from the blind woman vowed to take care of the family stressing that greater part of her life would be committed to humanitarian services adding that her foundation would always be in the forefront in the activity geared towards the well-being of the downtrodden in the society.

She disclosed that her foundation has enrolled over 4,750 pregnant women across the state into the Ebonyi State Health insurance Scheme aimed at ensuring safe delivery and adequate health care for the women among other projects.

However, Mrs Nkechi Ugo while thanking the wife of the Ebonyi State Governor also appealed to other good spirited individuals who can come to her aid to further assist that her blind children go to school and have quality education like their peers and earn a living without having to depend on people through street begging. ” l can’t question God for what He has made me and these children to be, we are His creature and we are grateful to Him”