The Guardian Assistant Business Editor, Okwe, dies at 52

The Guardian Assistant Business Editor, Mathias Okwe, is dead.

Aged 52 years, he passed on yesterday morning at Alliance Hospital, Garki, Abuja after a brief illness.

His young brother, Linus Okwe, confirmed the incident, when The Guardian team, led by the Abuja Bureau Chief, Bridget Chiedu Onochie, visited the family within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to Okwe, the deceased consistently complained of blurred vision after attending a ‘village’ meeting on Sunday night.

He said: “The whole thing started on Sunday when he was attending his village meeting. On their way from the meeting, he was complaining that he wasn’t seeing well. We had to rush him to a nearby shop to get milk, but he couldn’t take it before they got home, as we couldn’t open it.

“And because he was shivering throughout the night, we had to rush him to Garki hospital on Monday morning, but we were told to book an appointment with a consultant. So, we booked an appointment for 9:00a.m. on Tuesday morning.

“As early as 8:00a.m. on Tuesday morning, I took him back to the hospital because his condition was deteriorating to the extent that we had to use a wheelchair to assist him to his car.

“When we got to the hospital, they told us that they don’t have a bed to accommodate him. They, however, took his blood sample and told us his sugar level was low. The doctor also said there was no oxygen available to help his condition.”

The younger Okwe continued: “We were subsequently referred to Alliance Hospital at Area 11 Garki. When we got there, the doctor conducted a test and said he was no longer with us.

“He then took him inside and asked us to pay N150, 000 before he would attended, but we were able to deposit N40, 000. The doctors proceeded and tried to revive him using oxygen but unfortunately, that didn’t help, as he was pronounced dead after few minutes.”

The later journalist is survived by a wife and four children.