In a moment of sober reflection, the survivors of two accidents involving the supporters of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Plateau State which occurred in January during their rallies were shown love, care, and support with resources that revived their hope and sources of livelihood.
The first auto crash took place on Tuesday, January 10, at Bisichi in Jos South Local Government Area when the supporters who were mostly women were heading to Shendam for campaign flag-off and left 11 persons injured. The second road mishap occured on Saturday, January 14, along Panyam Road while they were returning from the zonal campaign rally in Pankshin which perished 15 persons and left 68 others badly injured
All the victims, who sustained various degrees of injuries ranging from spinal cord, legs amputation and underwent different kind of surgeries have been discharged from the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and other private hospitals in the state where they were treated.
The survivors, who were reunited with members of their communities in Ampang West, received assorted fertilizer from Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, the PDP Governorship candidate to boost their yield for the farming season, cash donations to pick up life while crutches and wheel chairs were earlier presented to those whose legs were amputated to aide mobility.
Bank accounts were opened for children of the deceased and reasonable amount of money deposited for the children to access when they attained adulthood. Wives of the deceased who are pregnant were also presented babies kits in preparation for safe delivery.
Yakubu Progress, 22, who sustained spinal cord injuries, said he was on top of the truck while returning from the zonal campaign rally in Pankshin when the vehicle crashed and found himself in deep pains in the hospital.
“I thought I was dead. I cannot explain what happened until I woke up in the hospital and I realize that accident took place. I praise the name of the Lord for sustaining and keeping me among the survivors; many of my friends died,” he said.
Progress, who is an NCE 2 student of Federal College of Education Pankshin, also praised Mutfwang’s effort and the committee set up to manage the accident for given them the desired medical attention.
Kelvin Mathew, whose leg was amputated as a result of the accident had no premonition that an accident was going to occured. He praised God for the gift of life and said he is currently walking on crutches which will not permit him to do the kind of work he was doing before.
Mathew expressed no regret over the incident and believed that God was aware of the accident and when it happened. He prayed to God to restore his health and give him the grace to move on with life.
“I am grateful that I was taken care of in the hospital and when I came out. Crutches were provided to me to aid my movement. I was also given fertilizer and some money to take care of myself,” he disclosed.
A 25-year-old pregnant woman, Chiplang Pangni, lost her husband in the accident. She has not been herself since the incident happened as she has being running from pole to pole, seeking for help to take care of herself and the two kids left behind.
“I have been provided with baby kits ahead of delivery and some bags of fertilizer for farming. Bank account has also been open for my two children and money would be deposited in there until they attained the required age to withdraw the money,” she explained.
She prayed for self delivery and hope to move on with life as nothing could be done to bring back her husband.
The case of Dankakan Alkano was painful as she married just six months before the accident that consumed her husband. She is also pregnant and baby kits were also presented to her in preparation for delivery.
The 20-year-old woman was worried that she has become a widow too early and prayed God to give her the courage, and strength to move on with life.
Mutfwang, who was sober and emotional, presented succour to the survivors of the accidents and relations of the deceased.
He appreciated God that all the survivors of the two ghastly accident who were receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and other health facilities across the state have been discharged and are recuperating fast at home.
Mutfwang appreciated Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate, PDP National Chairman, Dr. Ayu Iyorchia, and Dr. Chris Kwaja,among numerous persons who intervened in various ways to provide proper medical care for the victims.
Mutfwang, who took over the medical expenses of the victims from the scenes of the accidents, spent over N4 million until external help came the way of the victims and promise to continue to offer help to the survivors and the deceased families.
“I will like to promise that by the grace of God, that as long as I live and I have the means, that any of them that will have reason to need help in the future, that we will do our best to provide such help,” he promised.
Mutfwang thanked families of the deceased and the entire Ampang West community for their resilient during the trial moment and appreciated the Accident Victims Management Committee led by Prof. Shedrack Best for bringing into bear their expertise and wealth of experience in addressing the situation.
Chairman of the PDP Accident Victims Management Committee and former Secretary to the Government of Plateau State, Prof. Shedrack Best, explained that supporters of the party were involved in two different accidents which occured on January 10 with 11 patients desiring of medical care and another accident on January 14 with 68 patients, totaling 79 patients who required medical care.
He noted that with the finances donated by spirited individuals to assist the victims, the committee took over the hospital expenses of the victims from Mangu, Panyam and Jos, including the expenses of initial surgery, mortuary cost and funeral rites and procedures for the deceased.
Prof. Best expressed gratitude to God that the last set of victims who were on admission at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) where severe cases were referred to were discharged on March 5.
He said: “We are delighted to report that all the patients on admission have now been discharged. We are now ready to face the final items on our terms of reference, to extend restorative and supportive services to victims to ameliorate their suffering. Let me caution that our committee was not set up to distribute palliatives. It was mainly to ensure that persons who sustained injuries and who were in admission at different medical facilities received excellent care and support.”
He explained that the committee decided to give out fertilizer to the survivors and deceased families to ameliorates their condition, putting into consideration that Ampang West is an agrarian community.
Best said the medical team categorized the victims into four groups which includes those with mild injuries, moderate injuries, severe injuries and death.
“For the first category with 86 persons, they were giving one bag of fertilizer each; the second category with moderate injuries with 17 persons were giving one bag of fertilizer each with cash donations.
“The third category of severe injuries with 10 persons were supported with fertilizers, any equipment required, such as crutches, wheelchairs, artificial limbs and any supportive medical ware. They will also enjoy cash donations. For the Fourth category of those who lost their lives, totaling 15 persons, we are giving out four bags of fertilizer each to their accepted and documented next of kin, as well as cash.
“For those who left children behind, we have further facilitated the opening of bank accounts for the orphans. Parts of the donation will be paid into the accounts of the children and will become available only when they attained a certain age of responsibility,” he stated.
Prof. Best recalled that the Accident Management Committee was inaugurated on the 24 January, 2023 to utilize the existing funds to manage the victims of the two accidents and explained how funds were secured to address the plights of the injured.
“The second accident involving a truck after the central zone rally in Pankshin, the Presidential Candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general elections visited the victims in the company of the National Chairman of the PDP and other senior PDP figures. They came along with a donation of 30 million Naira and 10 million Naira respectively. A further donation of N100,000 was later received from Dr. Chris Kwaja.
“The leadership of the PDP in the state under Hon Chris Hassan, in consultation with the Governorship Candidate of the PDP in the 2023 elections, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, appointed our committee to manage the affairs emanating from the two accidents.
“We especially thank the governorship candidate, for being proactive and demonstrating uncommon leadership and empathy, by attending to the needs of accident victims from the very first day until our committee was established. He bore the cost of all interventions in the first accident and from early parts of the second accident before the arrival of the interventions mentioned above. Overall, Caleb Mutfwang spent N4,171,100 to care for the patients.”
He explained that their assignment is coming to an end with the discharged of all the victims from various hospital across the state and with the presentation of the support to the survivors and deceased families.
District Head of Ampang West, Daa Pius Mutla appreciated Mutfwang and the party for the medical care and extending restorative and supportive services to ensure the victims of the accident get proper medical care.
