FEATURE ARTICLE

Temple Chima UbochiMonday, December 20, 2010
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Bonn, Germany

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OJUKWU’S MEDICAL TREATMENT ABROAD:
WISHING HIM A SPEEDY RECOVERY

The best of healers is good cheer (Pindus)

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been (Mark Twain)

The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love (Hubert Humphrey)

The advantage of turning 80 years old is that one has had many people to love (Jean Renoir)

The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease (Voltaire)

Sleep, riches, and health to be truly enjoyed must be interrupted (Johann Paul Friedrich Richter)

The treatment is really a cooperative of a trinity--the patient, the doctor and the inner doctor (Ralph Bircher)

The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, "tender loving care" has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing (Larry Dossey)


Arrives in convoy of 3 Ambulances

Being moved into air ambulance

Takes off to UK


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he Ikemba of Nnewi and Commander-in-Chief of the defunct Republic of Biafra, General Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, who was admitted at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH Enugu following a cerebra-vascular accident otherwise called stroke, was flown to London, the United Kingdom aboard a German Air Ambulance few days ago for further medical treatment. He was evacuated from the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu to United Kingdom by Flight Ambulance International of Germany hired by Anambra State Government. As fate would have it, his flight was the first international aircraft to move from the airport which was recently granted an international status by the Federal Government. Think of it: The first international flight from Enugu was that of Ojukwu. Does that connote anything? True to one of his numerous titles: “Eze Igbo Gburu Gburu”; being the first person to fly out of Nigeria from Enugu shows that Ojukwu is the de-facto Igbo leader, before God and man, and he will live to see an Igbo of his dream (emancipated Igbo land and people). This column thanks Governor Obi of Anambra State for picking up the cost of the medical treatment. An Igbo saying has it that “onye fe eze, eze erue ya (he who serves a king well, would one day become a king himself)”. Ndiigbo have taken notice of Obi’s numerous good deeds; no wonder he’s been touted as a presidential material in 2015. As Obi rightly noted; no amount would be too much to keep Ojukwu alive and healthy. The Intensive Care Unit of UNTH revealed that Obi had to provide the funds when the hospital management informed him that it was one of the challenges hindering Ojukwu's trip overseas. On what Ojukwu’s ill-health is costing the State, Obi only said that he would do everything possible and leave the rest for God. He said that what he was doing was merely what a responsible son would do for a father he so much loved and cherished. Obi said: “who cares what it costs the State than our beloved father getting well.” This column enjoins all Nigerians to continue praying for Ojukwu; that he would return in better condition and may live long to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

This column also thanks the President for granting Enugu Airport its international status (after his predecessors promised and failed to do it), making it possible for Ojukwu to fly out from there without going through the rigours of first flying to Lagos or Port Harcourt and then to United Kingdom. That’s what some of us have been asking for all along, we’re grateful that this president granted our request. This President seems to be a very learning guy, because, he saw a big sense in what this column wrote in its article of Friday, November 26, 2010 captioned “Six months in office: Some of the missteps of this President so far and better ways forward (An advice) 2” and decided to amend his mistake. This column wrote amongst other things therein:

“Mr. President, you committed a blunder by snubbing Ojukwu when he visited Aso Rock, in the company of Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, to congratulate you the time you became the substantive president. That was a great mistake that might cost you some of the Igbo votes during the primaries and the 2011 election proper. This column wants to use this opportunity to advice you to avoid arrogance entirely. Ojukwu remains the only authentic Igbo leader; you snubbed him at your own risk. Now, your opponent, Atiku, has shown how deft, politically, he’s, and is courting Ojukwu and has even given Dr. Alex Ekwueme and Ojukwu the role of helping in selecting onye Igbo as his vice presidential candidate. Moreover, Ekwueme, Ojukwu and Ken Nnamani will co-ordinate Atiku’s campaign in the south-east. Mr. President, you might have an uphill task carrying the south-east during the PDP primaries”.

Then on December 17, 2010,when the President was in Enugu to commission the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu, he used the opportunity to pay a courtesy visit to General Ojukwu (thereby correcting his mistake), and the airport he commissioned that day, was the one through which Ojukwu was flown out. We learned from Governor Peter Obi that the President called him daily to find out about the condition of General Ojukwu; and for the concern, this column thanks him (the President).

On the other hand, General Ojukwu’s ill-health and medical tip abroad have exposed the uselessness (worthlessness) of life in Nigeria. It’s pathetic that there’s no well equipped hospital in Alaigbo or Nigeria as a whole that can take care of Ojukwu’s condition. Think of what ordinary Nigerians are going through in the country. Ojukwu was flown abroad easily because of his larger-than-life status, but, there are millions of Nigerians having worse medical conditions, who are suffering or dying without getting the necessary or adequate medical treatments. Nigeria makes a lot of money from oil, but, can’t even afford standard hospitals for everyone. What the elite does is to jet out every now and then for medical treatment abroad leaving the poor Nigerians (more than 149 million) forlorn. In addition, General Ojukwu’s ill-health has also exposed another ugly side of Nigeria. Think of it, the whole of Nigeria has no air ambulance that whenever there’s need for one, it would be sourced from abroad. Many corrupt Nigerians are buying private jets, but, none of them has deemed it necessary to buy air ambulances for chatter or rental. The corrupt Nigerians steal our commonwealth and still don’t even know how to invest it (the loot) for their own benefit.

Fortunately, report reaching this column says that General Ojukwu is responding to treatment and that his condition is improving. Ojukwu was immediately placed on life support before his evacuation to London by Flight Ambulance International of Germany hired by the Anambra State government, but, now, he’s breathing without any aid whatsoever.

In all and all, this column wishes General Ojukwu speedy recovery. It (this column) hopes that anytime he’s back in a better condition, that he (Ojukwu) would slow down, from his numerous engagements, a bit by taking life easy knowing fully well that age is no more on his side. Unfortunately, there’s dearth of leaders or fighters for the downtrodden in today’s Nigeria. People such as Ojukwu, Soyinka, Enahoro, Gani etc were forced to continue trudging on, despite their age, because, there were no ones to pick up the gauntlet should they drop it. Along the line Gani and Enahoro passed on while still fighting. This column prays for General Ojukwu to live long, because, in a criminalized and morally debased Nigeria of today, he’s one of the very few remaining role models.

This column has reiterated the above points so many times. In one of its articles: Deciphering what Ojukwu said (1) of Friday, November 6, 2009, this column wrote: “this writer wants to say that in a very conscious society, Ojukwu and his contemporaries are not supposed to continue playing the role of "the defenders of the oppressed" at their age. Nigerians are selfish, once comfortable, they forget that there are millions of their follow citizens walloping in abject poverty; Nigerians are so selfish that a person would want to own the whole town so that all others would be coming to him in genuflection to beg for food. Only few are all out to see a society where life is made easier for all. One thing people always forget is that if there are no equal rights and justice, there would be no peace and both the rich and the poor would bear the brunt. For instance, majority of the kidnap victims now are the rich and their relatives. Due to the lackadaisical attitude of our people, seniors like Ojukwu, Enahoro, Soyinka etc who have played their part well and should have retired for a well-deserved rest are still fighting for the downtrodden because, when these elders look back, they see no one to pick up the gauntlet should they drop it. Without anybody in sight, these septuagenarians/octogenarians continue trudging on. It's unfortunate”.

Our dear General and Eze Igbo Gburu Gburu: Yiddish Proverb has it that “time is the best doctor”; take your time, please make it and come back stronger. We don’t want to lose you at this point in time. Remember that you haven’t achieved your most important dream. Orison Swett Marden said “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow”. Friedrich von Schiller wrote “Keep true to the dreams of thy youth” On December 11, 2009 at Providence, Rhode Island, United States, in your address as the Chief Guest of Honour at the Professor Chinua Achebe International Colloquium on free and fair elections in Nigeria, you (General Ojukwu) said that “Nd'igbo shall regain political relevance in Nigeria in my lifetime”. This gives us joy and hope that you aren’t ready to leave us yet until this political relevance is achieved. Please hang on our great leader! For a refresh, read the entire address: https://nigeriaworld.com/articles/2009/dec/161.html

General Ojukwu: This column sends some get-well thoughts your way:

  • It isn't always easy, but when you're not feeling well...hope it helps to know others are thinking of you... and hoping that you'll be better very soon. Take good care of yourself.

  • Give yourself whatever gifts of time and rest you need to feel better - and know that you're surrounded by caring thoughts and prayers and heartfelt wishes. Rest easy. Get well.

  • Wishing that each day brings you renewed strength, brighter times, and a healthier, happier you. Get well soon.

  • Hurry up, feel better and get the heck out of there soon. As you rest and heal, know that you are thought of warmly and wished a quick recovery.

Tit Bits

* Alex Ikefuna wrote: It is a disgrace that there is no hospital in the whole of Igboland, let alone in Nigeria, that is capable of treating General Ojukwu. Given the number of well trained medical practitioners that are of Igbo origin, one would think that, at least, there will be one hospital that has the capacity to handle the General's sickness.

It would have been nice if General Ojukwu had spent his lifetime pursuing the development of world class medical facility in the eastern region and in a situation like this, he would be one of the patients that would benefit from the visionary outcome.

For the other Igbo leaders and what have you, they need to pressure the governors and legislators to do what is right. General Ojukwu was flown to London because of the failure of leadership in doing the right thing. The Igbo states can come together and build one regional hospital with state-of-the-art equipment, recruit qualified doctors around the world and pay them well. This would have a sustainable impact on the well-being of our people, including elevating the Igbo image.

I see no solace or need for celebration because Ikemba was flown outside Nigeria for treatment. The only celebration is shame and colossal failure of leadership in Ala-Igbo. Ojukwu's medical treatment trip abroad represents, yet, the cumulative impact of inaction, corruption, and unwillingness of the leadership to do good and justice to public good. What about those disadvantaged citizens that cannot afford a trip abroad? What about them?

* Emenike Nwankwo, PhD wrote:

Being able to have Dim Ojukwu fly off in a medical jet is something we must celebrate and thank God for. But also something we must use as basis for reflection on the state of development in Nigeria following 12 years of PDP administration. The process that was used to make it possible for a plane to arrive from Germany to lift up Our Ikemba to potential chance of cure is not a miracle. It took planning and efforts put in place by people who think ahead, empower their systems, and spend where they should spend. Imagine had the contractor that developed the plane just squandered the money with his cohorts in government that assigned him the contract? Were it Nigeria, there would have been no such plane in place to give us this hope and it would have cost the people more than 4 times the investment and there will be nothing to show for it.

To have that plane ready took years of thinking, experimenting, building and trial and error and actual investment streams that supported such efforts. It took lots of idealization from the classroom to board rooms. It took years of funding university studies, years of students work on prototype projects that inspire them to know what could be done and years of government sponsorship of studies and proposals by different people all over the country for Germany to come up with this plane. You can see a marriage between care delivery groups, engineering, funding resources, students, professors, research organizations, government and even foreign investors.

It is not about having money to spend but about having the vision and doing something to realize them. Nigerian leaders do not show they have visions and could work to realize them. When John Kennedy told Americans that he wants them to put a man in the moon, it is a feat no one has ever tried or achieved. But in the years they embarked on that dream, millions of jobs were created, students and universities were funded, people were empowered to think, streams of money were actually placed on the table and both students and their professors were empowered to think. Since then it is not just about reaching the moon, but about the many innovative technologies that emerged from that one wish of a president.

That simple comment, has changed flight technologies because along the way many ideas were harvested that is being used in speeding up and making airplanes safer; medical technologies were born as going to the moon involved thinking about coming back safely. Computer technologies were born as it requires finding ways to monitor the flight process and getting information about the progress of the flight systems. It has also advanced photographic systems because what you can not see you can not improve, so there was need for parallel development of the means to capture and visualize the process. Without the need to see things visually and better, we may not have the large screen TV of today. So you can say that one Kennedy wish has also advanced the Television systems and most importantly the wireless communications systems of today. Without the need to communicate to those going to the moon, we may not have cell phones that we take for granted today.

I am just using this to illustrate the contribution Kennedy made to technology and Global development by saying he wants a life trip to the moon and then putting in place the processes to make it happen. More importantly, it took honesty in agenda and having the right mindset to keep it going years after the death of Kennedy. However, it took a president that has vision to inspire the country and its people. It took a government that is concerned with making its peoples proud to put the kind of resources to make that happen. It took honest managers, legislatures and scores of self-directed and motivated people to make sure the money was spent as proposed. Will that have been true for Nigeria?

50 years after independence and about 35years following the discovery of commercial oil wells in Nigeria that produce billions of barrels every day, Nigeria does not have a working hospital, she does not have a working school, her education systems have been completely vandalized under the 12 years of PDP administration, the rails systems is now dilapidated, the nation no longer has any airplanes to her name, other than the fleets of presidential jets, our universities are in ruin, nobody in government is there to work for the people, 90 percent of Nigerians are now thieves, 99% in government are greedy thieves, the legislatures are greedy thieves, the streets are infested by armed robbers and kidnappers, the villages that used to be where people retired to find sanity is now infested with government-sponsored kidnappers and the future is no longer pleasant for anyone. Think about it?

This column wishes ALL peace and good health this season and always!

THE THANX IS ALL YOURS!!!

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