"I Gave Birth at 26 Weeks": UNIZIK Lecturer Who Welcomed 7 Kids at Once Seeks Help to Pay N19m Bill
As the year 2023 clocked a week and a day old on Sunday, January 8, a Nigerian woman named Mrs Justina Ngozi Uzodike delivered a set of septuplets in Okija, Anambra state.
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Mrs Uzodike, a 36-year-old master's degree holder delivered the babies at 26 weeks which means they were born prematurely.
Source: UGC
Mrs Uzodike is from Umunya while her husband, Celestine Uzodike is from Omogho Orumba North LGA.
Legit.ng spoke to Mrs Obidike and she said she chose the Obijackson Women and Children Hospital, Okija, which according to her could handle such births to save her life and those of the babies.
The children comprised two boys and five girls, but unfortunately, one of them (a girl) died. The remaining ones according to the mum are in stable condition.
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Battling with N19 million hospital bills
After the birth of the babies, Mrs Uzodike and her husband are now battling with a huge hospital bill.
The hospital where she delivered has billed them the sum of N19 million as the total cost of caring for the babies.
Speaking to Legit.ng, the new mother said she needs the help of Nigerians in offsetting the overwhelming hospital bill.
Her words:
"I really need good Nigerians to come to my aid."
Mrs Uzodike decries unpaid salaries
The new mother is a lecturer in the Department of Business Administration at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
However, she has lamented that she has not earned salaries since 2020. Legit.ng checked UNIZIK's website and Mrs Justina Ngozi Uzodike is conspicuously listed as an authentic staff of the school.
It becomes baffling why a staff of a federal school will work for two years without receiving her pay.
Legit.ng posed the question to Mrs Uzodike and she said no reasons have been given for the withheld salaries. She however mentioned that she and others in her situation were yet to be captured by IPPIS.
IPPIS, the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System is a centralised system used by the Federal Government in the payment of salaries and making statutory deductions. IPPIS is under the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, AGF.
As a staff of a federal school, Mrs Uzodike comes under the purview of IPPIS.
Stated as its mission on its official website is to pay staff accurately and on time too. However, this does not seem to be the case with Mrs Uzodike who has not been paid since 2020.
A delayed capture could mean that a government staff is not recognised in the payroll, even though they may be properly employed as is the case of Mrs Uzodike who has even been promoted to the position of Lecturer II without being paid her due earnings.
Legit.ng placed a call to +234 908 700 573 5, a phone number which is on IPPIS' website as the contact for enquiries, but it did not ring. Also, text messages sent to the number are yet to be answered as of press time.
The new mother has cried out bitterly, asking the government to release her pay so that she can begin to take care of her remaining six kids.
She has described the lack of pay for two years as heartbreaking. She told Legit.ng:
"I want the government to release my unpaid salaries and help us take care of the babies."
Disabled mother gives birth
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that a disabled Nigerian woman successfully gave birth to her baby.
The mother said the birth of her baby is her greatest achievement in life.
Nigerians praised her for her resilience and for refusing to allow her situation to dampen her spirit.
Source: Legit.ng
