Confusion continues to trail the payment of medical bills allegedly by the Edo State governor, Monday Okpebholo, for a mother and her newborn baby at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH.
DAILY POST reports that Governor Okpebholo, on 12 April 2025, announced the payment of the medical bills for a stranded mother and her newborn at the hospital who were unable to afford their fees.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Fred Itua, made available to journalists, further noted that beyond settling the outstanding medical expenses, the governor also facilitated the discharge of both mother and child.
Itua stated that the governor was represented by his Special Adviser on Health Matters, Precious Ogboru, and the Executive Assistant, James Iorkusah.
According to the statement: “The Okpebholo administration placed a premium on the well-being of Edo residents, promising that health intervention programmes would soon be launched across the state to support indigent people facing similar challenges.
“This intervention aligns with the SHINE transformational agenda of the present administration of Governor Okpebholo in Edo State.
“Edo governor, upon learning of the case, immediately instructed us to ensure that the medical bills were paid, first thing this (Saturday) morning. This gesture reflects the compassionate leadership that defines Senator Monday Okpebholo’s administration.”
The family in question, led by Mr Innocent Akpan, expressed deep appreciation to the Edo State Governor for the timely intervention, which led to Mercy Bassey, and her newborn child.
“I am overwhelmed with joy. For over two weeks, my wife and baby have been held here (UBTH), because we could not afford the hospital fees.
“Today (Saturday morning), thanks to the generosity of Edo State governor, we are going home free. God bless him (Okpebholo),” Umoru Imokha Abdullai was quoted as saying.
The statement also quoted the Head of Public Relations and Protocol at UBTH, Joshua Uwaila, who praised the governor’s swift intervention, describing it as a genuine demonstration of compassion and responsive leadership.
However, more than 36 hours after the payment was announced, Umoru Imokha Abdullai — who had earlier raised the alarm in the media regarding the detention of his wife and newborn over an outstanding medical bill of approximately N330,000 — alleged that the governor’s donation may have been diverted to another patient rather than to his family.
DAILY POST reports that Abdullai made the allegation while speaking to journalists on Monday at the premises of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ.
Abdullai, who said he had received calls from people congratulating him on the supposed financial assistance from the Edo State Government, stated that he never received any money, either from the state or from private individuals.
He explained that his wife, Happiness Abdulahi, who gave birth at the hospital, had allegedly been detained for three weeks before being released, following widespread media reports that drew attention to their plight.
“My wife went into labour on March 20, 2025, and was rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, where she finally delivered through Caesarean Section.
“After the delivery, the hospital charged us the sum of N380,000 which I, a jobless man, couldn’t afford. I was able to pay N200,000. Another bill of N150,000 was subsequently added to the balance of N180,000, making the total amount N330,000,” he said.
He alleged that the governor may have been moved to act by the media reports and instructed the payment of his family’s bills at UBTH.
However, he said he never received any funds, and that his family was suddenly expelled from the ward “like common thieves.”
The distressed father further alleged that due to the media coverage, his wife reported being threatened by hospital staff, who accused him of attempting to tarnish the hospital’s image.
“On the day the governor was to visit the hospital, the management chased me, the newborn baby, and the mother out of the ward and led us to the office of the Chief Medical Director, Mr Darlington Obaseki, and allegedly replaced my wife and the baby with one Mercy Akpan, whose bills were offset instead of that of my family.
“I did not get donations from well-spirited individuals and the Edo State government, as they were paid into the hospital’s account directly.
“A spirited individual called to tell me that he paid the sum of N400,000 to offset my family bills. Both the money from the man and that of the delegation sent by the Edo State Government to the hospital to offset the bills after public outcry — none of the donations got to me,” he added.
He called on Governor Okpebholo to establish a panel to investigate the hospital officials who handled the payments on his behalf.
He nevertheless expressed gratitude to the UBTH management for their eventual assistance, as well as to Nigerians who supported him in various ways.
When contacted, UBTH’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Joshua Uwaila, confirmed that the Edo State Government had indeed sent two delegates — Special Adviser on Health Matters, Precious Ogboru, and Executive Assistant, James Iorkusah — to visit the mother and newborn and offset the patient’s medical bills.
He noted that Umoru Abdullai had not initially followed procedure but was eventually discharged after settling his hospital bill. However, he could not explain why Mercy Akpan’s bill was paid instead of that of Umoru Abdullai, whose name was linked to the governor’s intervention.
Speaking by phone, the UBTH spokesperson also referred journalists to the Edo State Government House for further details, adding that Umoru and his family had already been discharged before the governor’s representatives arrived.