A 59-year-old woman, Josephine Nwokolo, who was injured in a hit-and-run accident while sweeping Sapele Road in Benin City, has cried out for help.
Nwokolo cannot pay the N600,000 medical bills.
She claimed she was employed by the Edo State Waste Management Board as a street sweeper and received N18,000 monthly.
Nwokolo said her eldest son, Chukwuka, was also sweeping the street close to her when she had the accident.
She spoke to reporters at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) where she is ‘detained’ for not able to pay the bills.
Nwokolo said the accident occurred, about 5:30am, on November 17, 2017, near NITEL junction, Sapele Road.
She alleged that her employers owed her three months’ salary.
The woman said: “I was sweeping Sapele Road when a vehicle hit and threw me to the other side of the road. I didn’t know how my son brought me to this hospital. My husband, Peter, a wheelbarrow pusher, has been paying my bills.
“My boss gave me N100,000 after the accident, but we have spent a lot of money. We cannot afford the N600,000 bill. I want to go home.
“They are owing me three months’ salary. If I’m fit I will still sweep the streets, to assist my husband.”
Waste Management Board officials could not be reached for comments last night.