As shock still greets the decision of a lecturer at the Tayo Akpata University, Ekiadolor, Edo State, Friday Orobator, to kill himself, one of his colleagues, Fred Omonuwa, has spoken on the circumstances surrounding the suicide.
According to him, the deceased had been down with lines and had been depending on friends for survival.
According to reports, Orobator’s lifeless body was discovered behind his apartment in Obakhazbaye area of Benin City, the state capital at about 1.30 p.m. on Friday, October 2.
Omonuwa, who is the Chairman of the College of Education Academic Staff Union, (COEASU),said:
“It is clear the death came as a result of lack and inability to access medical facilities. Some months ago, he became very sick and depended on friends for assistance but very recently he started complaining of getting tired of consistently begging to survive,” Omonuwa said.
“Of course, everybody knows that the Edo State Government owes us 13 months of salary, which we have continued to agitate for even before the election, but it was tagged “political agitation”. The man couldn’t provide for himself. His wife just had a baby. We were surprised yesterday (Friday), that he took his own life. Before he committed suicide, he spoke to some colleagues on Wednesday, complaining bitterly on his inability to access medical facility and becoming very ashamed of begging friends for money to treat himself.
“We are aware some friends in Lagos and Benin have done their best in the past few weeks by providing money for him and yesterday he took his life by hanging. We are very much aware that the suicide he committed was as a result of lack of money. As far as we are concerned, we, staff of the college, are pained. Our people are going through a lot and dying but this is an extreme case because of the way he took his own life,
“Edo State government should please listen to us. Now, school is about to resume. Our members can’t even pay the school fees of their children. What have we done to deserve this? We are pained by the loss of this senior colleague, a principal lecturer. We are not happy.”
