By Paul Orude
Jaminaye Olokpa, a father of four from Eghurhie quarters, Aladja community in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, is currently in hospital following a ghastly automobile accident that affected his spinal cord.
A team of medical doctors, led by Dr. Odili, a surgeon, attending to Olopka at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Ogharra, said the patient needs close to N500,000 to carry out surgery on his damaged spinal cord, if he is to ever walk again.
Olokpa, who worked at the Tipper Garage in Mofor, Udu Local Government Area, before the ill-fated accident, has a 50-50 chance of walking, but the needed surgery could have a significant impact, Daily Sun learnt.
The result of an X-ray carried out on him showed that Olokpa suffered damage to his fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth spinal cord bones following the auto crash and is currently at the orthopaedic ward of DELSUTH.
With the half a million naira out of his reach, Olopka’s situation requires urgent attention and the family is, therefore, appealing to kind-hearted Nigerians to come to his aid.
His elder brother, Bassey Olopka, who spoke with Daily Sun, said the prayer of the family is that Jaminaye would walk again, but that depends on whether the family is able to raise the money required for the surgery.
Bassey said: “The problem started for him on June 9, 2017, when he was involved in a car accident on the Ovwian-Aladja expressway and broke his spinal cord. He was with two of his friends during the accident but he was the only one that sustained serious injuries.
“He has been admitted in hospital since then and we have been running helter-skelter over his situation. His family has been thrown into hardship since the accident because he is the breadwinner.”
The elder Olokpa said that the family has explored several avenues, including appealing for donations from family members. He urged well-meaning Nigerians to come to Olokpa’s assistance.
Donations can be made to Bassey Olopka’s Zenith Bank account. The account number is 2002017204.