Life has dealt a cruel blow to Pa Uzoma Okegbe, a 70-year-old man from Umuikogele Village, Isialangwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, who is battling disability, hunger and extreme poverty alongside his wife and four children.

Okegbe’s plight is compounded by the deplorable condition of their mud house, which is on the verge of collapse. A recent midnight flood pulled down parts of the structure, nearly causing a tragedy before neighbours rescued the family and used wooden poles to support the remaining walls.

His ordeal began In 2011, when he was 55, after he fell from a height while harvesting palm fruits for a widow in his community. The accident caused a spinal cord injury that left him unable to stand or walk. After exhausting the family’s meagre resources on traditional treatment, they could no longer afford hospital care.

Today, Okegbe crawls and uses his hands to move around. He desperately needs a wheelchair, but cannot afford one. His four children have also dropped out of school because the family cannot pay their fees and other expenses.

His wife, Mama Joy Okegbe, is now the sole breadwinner, struggling to provide food for the family. Sometimes, they go for days without eating, while their tattered clothing and malnourished appearance reflect the severity of their hardship.

“Whenever it rains with storms, we become apprehensive because anything can happen. We are living here because we have no choice,” Okegbe lamented, appealing to Governor Alex Otti and other well-meaning Nigerians for assistance.

Despite his condition, he hopes to regain some economic independence through poultry farming if given the necessary support.

“I strongly believe that if the Governor and his wife hear about me and my family, they will not hesitate to help,” he pleaded.

Mr Ben Ezinma, coordinator of the Child Right Network (CHIRN), an NGO that has provided the family with limited assistance, said their needs includeincludee emergency shelter, a wheelchair, medical care, food, educational support for the four children and economic empowerment.

He explained that the organisation lacks the financial capacity to meet these needs fully and appealed to the government, philanthropists and other compassionate Nigerians to intervene.

With their home threatened by collapse and their daily survival uncertain, the Okegbe family urgently needs help. Their community, Umuikogele, shares a boundary with Umuoba, the headquarters of Isialangwa South LGA, yet the family’s plight has reportedly not received the attention of the council authorities.

The appeal is for urgent intervention to restore the family’s dignity, secure their shelter and give the children a chance to return to school. (Vanguard)