Nnewi businessman offsets medical bills, offers scholarship to quintuplets

It was all tears of joy at the God’s Mercy Maternity Home, Obiuno-Otolo, Nnewi in Anambra State yesterday when an Nnewi-born philanthropist/industrialist, Chief Louis Carter Izuchukwu Onwugbenu, cleared the mounting medical bills of a set of quintuplets- four boys and a girl- born to a 40-year-old Keke operator, Mr. Abuchi Odo-Ezugwu and his wife, Ndidi, 30.

The babies, named Akachukwu, Chiemelie, Chidiomimi, Chinweolu and Ezinwanne, had remained in hospital, pending when the lucky couple cleared their bills. The Matron of the Home, Blessing Odoemena, who was full of praises for Onwugbenu, confirmed the babies were in good health.

Odo-Ezugwu, a native of Okpaligbo-Ogu in Nsukka, Enugu State, who disclosed to birth of twins runs in his family, from his parents, brothers and sisters, recalled that he had only N7, 000 on July 27, when the babies arrived, forcing him to contemplate running away and thanked the proprietor of the Louis Carter Foundation for his intervention.

Onwugbenu, a Papal Knight of St Gregory the Great, who is presently holidaying in the United States (US), along with his family, speaking to journalists on the phone, regretted his inability to personally receive the new babies.

Represented by a member of the Foundation, Mrs. Monica Chukwuemeka, he presented funds for the clearance of the babies’ medical bills and announced their instant adoption into his education Foundation up to the university.He said: “My watchword remains honesty, hardwork, diligence, transparency and fear of God inculcated early in me by my parents and the Catholic priests who I lived with and who collectively brought me up and shaped my life.

“I believe in God and He has been faithful to me, because favour and fortune have continued to smile on me,” Onwugbenu stated.He said visiting the less privileged and doing humanitarian works remains a cardinal aspect of his annual birthday anniversary celebrations and taking up these set of quintuplets was part of his 65th birthday anniversary celebration on August 15 (Assumption Day).

The industrialist had similarly in 2014 adopted another set of quintuplets who were delivered at the Nnewi University Teaching Hospital by an applicant housewife from Awuda-Nnobi, Mrs. Chiamaka Eze Udenyi, who was then an unemployed 2009 graduate of Microbiology from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli.