We would take care of his family as his wife would be given N1 million to establish a business venture and also be appointed a technical assistant to the governor after his burial.
Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has launched an educational foundation for the children of the late Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ebonyi council, Mr. Samuel Nweke.
He equally extended the hand of charity to the journalist’s wife and parents.
Nweke lost his life to suspected armed robbers, who attacked the state’s NUJ delegation at Nkalagu, Ebonyi, as they returned from the union’s national delegates’ conference held in Abeokuta, Ogun.
During a condolence visit to the deceased’s family in Abakaliki, on Monday, Umahi announced the release of N3million for the take-off of the educational foundation.
According to him, the essence of the Foundation was to ensure that the education of Nweke’s children was not disrupted. He said though death was inevitable, “an untimely one such as this, is particularly painful.
“We would take care of his family as his wife would be given N1 million to establish a business venture and also be appointed a technical assistant to the governor after his burial.
“The sum of N500, 000 each would be given to his father and mother while the commissioner for works would be responsible for the payment of his house rent.
“The commissioner would also save funds to purchase a Sienna car for his wife to use in conveying his children to school as Nweke would not have loved to leave his children,” he said.
Umahi lamented that Nweke’s death was painful because the journalists had been asked to stay in Awka when they arrived at the town from Abeokuta at night.
He explained that they went with two buses and while one of the buses heeded the advice, the one conveying Nweke and others still continued the journey.
“Death defies all premonitions when it wants to strike and this should make all of us to live exemplary lives in preparation of any eventuality,” he said, commending the state commissioner for information and culture for directing the temporary suspension of operations at the state broadcasting corporation where Nweke worked, for 24 hours.
“Though he did not seek authority from me on such directive, I am happy because it showed that Sam lived a good life.
“I enjoin journalists and others here to live good lives because if he was a dubious person, the corporation would not have accorded him such honour.
“It is also not everybody that the governor and his entourage would visit the family in times of death, if he had been a dubious person, I would not have been here,” he said.
He also warned the citizens on the dangers of embarking on night journeys, noting that even as a governor, he was always apprehensive of embarking on night journeys.
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The governor also visited the two journalists wounded in the incident at the
Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA) where they were receiving treatment. While there, he promised that the government would offset their hospital bills and donate N500, 000 each to their families for their medical upkeep.
Chief Mathew Nweke, father of the deceased, Samuel, thanked the governor for the visit, saying that his son’s death was very tragic.
He also used the opportunity to make a case for the payment of his gratuity. “I urge the governor to look into the issue of my gratuity’s payment as only 20 per cent of it had been paid since I retired in 2011,” he said.
He also pleaded with the governor to do something about deplorable state of the road leading to their home.
Nweke, 39, was until his death, was a principal reporter with the state broadcasting corporation.
