Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Edo State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua has described the death of ThisDay Newspapers Edo State Correspondent, Mr. Adibe Emenyounu shocking and a personal loss to him.
He said this when he in company of the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Fred Itua and the Chief Press Secretary to the deputy governor, Fred Aghedo paid a condolence visit to the leadership of the Edo State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Benin.
Prince Afegbua said himself and the late Adibe spoke the previous day before his death and he was so full of life adding that, the news of his death was devastating.
Afegbua said himself and Adibe have known each other for years and he was very meticulous in his job.
“The death of Adibe, for me, is a personal loss because on Thursday, he called me. And in my usual manner, I called him Ogbuefi. I hailed him Ogbuefi, Ogbuefi.
“Then later in the evening, we started again. And I told him that we should make time to see. That I want to grant him an interview on a specific issue. I was excited, hoping he would come and talk to me. I was shocked when I was told that he is no more”, Afegbua said.
While praying that God should grant the family and the members of the union the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss, urged journalists to always go for medical checkup.
Welcoming the commissioner and his team, chairman, NUJ, Edo State council, Dr. Festus Alenkhe thanked them for sharing in the pains of the union.
He said the death of the Correspondent of the ThisDay Newspapers was a shock to the union maintaining that he was present at the secretariat earlier before his death and there was no sign of him being sick.
Dr. Alenkhe said that the union places premium on the wellbeing of its members just as he said a team of medical professionals led by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Edo State chapter was invited to attend to Journalists in the state and journalists took time to get themselves examined.