The Cross River State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has announced the transition of of its member, Mr. Jude Okwe, the Cross River State correspondent of Thisday Newspapers.
A statement signed by the state Secretary of the NUJ, Mr. NSA Gill, said a family spokesperson, Mr. Dominic Orim, confirmed his death which occurred at about 12noon in his living room on Wednesday, July 09, 2014 in Calabar.
Narrating the last moments of the deceased, Orim said “he woke up on the fateful Wednesday morning, exchanged pleasantries and shared prayers with the children. He asked one of them to wash his car as he would go to the Press Center later. After giving that instruction he returned to his room to rest. About an hour after, one of the children went to notify him that they had since cleaned up his car as instructed but found him lying lifeless on the bare floor.”
Okwe was on active duty until his death. He was at the NUJ Press Center until 6.pm the previous day where he had covered an event and sent his reports accordingly.
Okwe has however been battling with a protracted Cervical vascular disease, which took him to India last year for a Heart Transplant which cost millions of naira.
An appeal fund by the Union was responded to by Cross River State Government, The Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, friends and other philanthropists which facilitated the treatment in India last year. He returned from India on July 2013 much better than he had left the country and was in good health but have been undergoing regular check up in local hospitals.
A committed and seasoned journalist, husband and father, Mr. Okwe, aged 48, is survived by his wife, Lydia, eight children and several relatives. His body had since been deposited at the General Hospital mortuary, Calabar.
A condolence register has been opened at the NUJ Press Center, Calabar, while burial arrangements will be announced after conclusion of all arrangements by the family.
