Fortune smiled upon 50-year-old Eno Asuquo Essein, an abandoned woman grappling with suspected chronic breast cancer, on Sunday.
She typically sat by the roadside in Ekorinum, Calabar, begging for assistance. However, her luck changed when the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, who was in town for the Obong of Calabar event, noticed her.
Essein, a destitute food vendor who had sold all her possessions to address her worsening breast cancer, was taken aback when the Minister stopped to offer her help.
The Minister, known for her quiet displays of empathy, was visibly moved as she rescued Essein from Ekorinim in Cross River State. The Minister committed to providing full rehabilitation, medical care, and humanitarian support.
Living in Calabar and struggling with the debilitating disease for over three years without financial means for treatment, Mrs. Essien expressed immense gratitude for the Minister’s intervention.
Dr. Edu, as part of her Christmas celebrations in Calabar, had been engaging in humanitarian activities, including visits to orphanages and aiding the needy. During one of these outings, she encountered Mrs. Essien, abandoned by her family, and promptly took her to the hospital for urgent medical attention.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Mrs. Essien tearfully conveyed to the Minister, “God specially sent you to me during this season to save my life. I thank Jesus, I thank you, and I thank President Bola Tinubu who appointed you into this office; you are a humble and kind woman.”
Human Rights Lawyer Barrister James Ibor, who witnessed the Minister’s immediate intervention, praised her as a “Humanitarian per Excellence” for the life-saving and timely response during the festive period.
The Minister, however, remained modest about her actions, stating, “God will save Eno Asuquo Essein’s life from this deadly state I met her.”
Investigations revealed that Mrs. Essien had been suffering from suspected breast cancer for over three years without any medical attention, distorting her physical appearance. Fortunately, relief came her way through the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Edu.
