* It is to us a great expectation; a God sent, good Samaritan
The Periscope reporter
He visited his mother on admission at Federal Medical Centre, FMC Yola, Adamawa State, Northeast Nigeria, as he frequently do before and after office hours, from the day she was admitted, it was revealed.
While he was going out, he met an indigent orthopaedic patient with his father, lamenting a rather financial ordeal; how the family exhausted almost everything they had and how the patient has impressively recovered, billed for discharge but payment of hospital fee was not completed.
He was said to be touched by the lamentation. He stopped to ask them about the hospital balance.
It was relatively huge, hence heavy for the patient and relative to give an instant response to the request by a personality they knew not.
It could, they could conceive, be dishonourable, refusing to honour the honoured request by the honourable they knew not much of, so they gave the total of what counts for the balance.
It was somewhat a great expectation when the honourable assured them that he was going to foot the hospital bill.
They were later to learn that the God sent, Good Samaritan was the Speaker with the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aminu Iya Abbas. They were surprised.
The balance of the hospital bill was eventually paid on Monday and the patient who hailed from Fufore local government was also discharged. He was booked for follow-up.
Before leaving, by way of appreciation, the patient and relatives prayed for speedy recovery of the Speaker’s mother and that Almighty Allah SWT should guard and guide the man of honour.
This is entirely apolitical, not begging for publicity philanthropy – a worthy son making-a-mother-on-admission-proud. However, Rt Hon Aminu Iya Abbas has scored a political goal.