The Enugu State chapter of the Nigeria Red Cross Society has faulted the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its chairman, Ugo Agballa, on the claim that it lost a baby in the process of demolitions at Holy Ghost, Enugu, where the state government is clearing the old motor park and some properties to build a modern transport terminal.
It also faulted the claim that it had over 100 children at the time of the demolition, saying they had only 14 children who had all been safely and temporarily relocated to another orphanage in the state capital, asking to be left out of Enugu politics.
These rebuttals and clarifications were made by the Secretary of the Nigerian Red Cross in Enugu, Tony Udegbu, in a telephone interview on Tuesday.
It will be recalled that the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the APC, Agballa, had on Monday addressed the press at Holy Ghost where he levelled several allegations on Governor Peter Mbah administration over some of the development projects in the state.
But reacting to the development, the state scribe of the Red Cross, Udegbu, said: “It is not true that any child died. We are healthy. The governor relocated us and they are working on our new site. And we do not play background politics. The Red Cross is an impartial body all over the world. And the role we play is auxiliary to the government’s role. So, we want to be left out of politics because we are not a partisan organisation. We do no have anything near 100 children. They are 14.
“What happened that time was that they were renovating a place for us at the old UNTH road. But that place was not ready when they came with a bulldozer. But when the governor got to know about the reality, he relocated the babies to Ken David’s Orphanage Home and they are working on that permanent place right now.
“So, by the grace of God, the governor has since relocated the babies to an orphanage called Ken David’s Orphanage Home. And the children are there temporarily until they finish the new place.
“I thank the governor for taking a decisive action by making the babies comfortable when he got to know the truth.”
“By the law establishing the Nigerian Red Cross, the Nigerian Red Cross Act 1960, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, the Red Cross plays an auxiliary role to the government.
“So, the governor is the Patron of Nigerian Red Cross Society, Enugu Branch, by the Nigerian Red Cross Act 1960. So, those babies are his own too,” the Red Cross said.
