OF HEALING AND MEMORY

Being the Text of an Address Presented by Governor Alex C. Otti, OFR, at the Commissioning of the Obingwa General Hospital on Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Protocol

1. Good health is at the heart of every human pursuit; it is foundational to the litany of blessings that we seek. A productive workforce, social prosperity and the expansion of social and economic opportunities are some of the public benefits of sustained investments in the health sector. In the New Abia, quality healthcare is central to our development philosophy; it is for this reason that the sector has consistently received 15% of our annual budgetary outlay over the last 3 years. By remaining unyielding in our conviction that the health and wellbeing of the population should supersede all other considerations, we have restored confidence in our health institutions and saved the lives of several compatriots, especially mothers and newborns. Hope, empathy and compassion are the core drivers of our healthcare policy framework and the reason is simple: development, in its entirety, is about human beings.
2. Let me now on this note, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us for the commissioning of Obingwa General Hospital. We are grateful for the warm reception and generous expression of goodwill from different stakeholder groups. Thank you for your heartfelt words of appreciation for our modest efforts at improving the social and economic realities of our people. We are indeed honoured by the privilege to serve our people at this point in our political evolution; truly, words cannot be enough to capture the scale of our gratitude. One thing you can, however, take as a given is that the best is yet to come.
3. Today we have gathered to commission a secondary healthcare facility that would further expand access to quality medical services for hundreds of thousands of our people in Obingwa Local Government Area and beyond. As you have heard from the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, this 80-bed capacity hospital offers a new paradigm in healthcare services. A healing garden, as we have just been informed, has been introduced to integrate elements of the natural environment in the patients’ recovery process. I am particularly glad that the operational framework is technology-driven in ways that guarantee effective data management and real-time inter-facility collaboration. It is also heartwarming to have learnt that critical medical processes such as analysis of laboratory results and scans will be supported by technology, to improve the accuracy of findings. With the seamless integration of technology into routine hospital operations, we have reached a new milestone in the effort to modernise our health institutions to reflect the spirt of the age.
4. Beyond the introduction of nature and technology into the health delivery framework, the scope of service offering is also as impressive. The theatre, eye care and observation rooms are all fitted with best-in-class equipment and tools to support delicate operations, restoration of body functions and the completeness of recovery. It is equally noteworthy that the renewable energy system would ensure uninterrupted power supply, even in adverse weather conditions. Let me on this note, commend the Honourable Commissioner for Health and the entire project team for diligently delivering this project. I am particularly impressed that beyond putting this facility together, efforts have also been made to bring the community leaders into the operational matrix. This is to enable continuity of operations and periodic feedback evaluation. It is expected that members of the Community Healthcare Oversight Team would work closely with the State Ministry of Health to keep acts of vandalism, truancy and other forms of sabotage at bay. The incorporation of the office of the LGA Mayor in the oversight function would ultimately give the team the strong muscles it requires to function effectively. What we expect in the end are results; this facility should remain open every night and day. With a guarantee of regular supply of quality drugs and medical consumables, whoever comes here for medical reasons must receive the attention and support they need, whatever their social or economic conditions. These are irreducible minimums that would be used in the periodic assessment of the performance of the management team, starting from today. In addition to the work of the oversight team, my office would be particularly interested in the service standards of this facility. As we have done right from the very beginning, we shall keep an eye on everything; and whoever thinks that this is another random government investment without the demands of accountability must abandon such thoughts. What has been invested here is taxpayers’ money and every kobo of it must yield commensurate value to the people.
5. Sequel to the above, attempts at vandalism would be treated as direct attack on the State and shall be dealt with in accordance with the law. I have since directed the relevant authorities to prioritise capacity development programmes for staff for that is the only way to get optimal value out of the investment that has been sunk into this project. I would like to appreciate in a special way, a father in the medical profession, Professor Kanu Nkaginieme, for lending his expertise to our efforts at rebuilding the healthcare delivery framework in the State. We are honoured to have Prof work closely with our team as we rebuild the foundations of quality healthcare in Abia. Words of commendations are also due to the body of medical professionals of Abia origin around the world for their interest and support for our vision. May I assure you that we shall, with your continuing support, get it right on every development parameter that matter to our people.
6. Let me conclude by paying tribute to a prominent son of Abia who lived and died for his conviction, in pursuit of a better society for all; a dear brother and friend, Comrade Chima Ubani, whose death, in the words of the English writer, John Donne, diminished so many of us who were fortunate to have met and interacted with him in his lifetime. Chima’s life may have been cut short by an accident that was as mysterious as it is unfortunate but as Benjamin Franklin taught, “a long life may not be good enough but a good life is long enough.” My dear friend Chima may have suffered the grave misfortune of an untimely departure but his was a good life and like I said last year at the memorial of his passing, the vacuum created by his demise is yet to be filled. As a leader in the pro-democracy community, he led campaigns against military dictatorship and repressive economic policies; he was an unyielding champion of the common man, a defender of righteous causes and a vehement opposition to those who trade in injustice. As I stated in my tribute, Comrade Chima was a martyr of the masses, one who died in pursuit of the very ideals that he lived for. He may have passed but like with every great soul, his legacy would endure.
7. In keeping with our tradition of honouring the individuals who live out the values that that stand them out in their vocation and into afterlife, this facility built to reflect our collective aspirations shall bear the name of Chima Ubani. Naming this facility after this remarkable son of our land represents a modest honour to his memory and a call to action to all of us still on this plane of existence. To be clear, Chima earned his place in immortality strictly on the strength of the work that he did in his lifetime, albeit a short one; even then, it is important that we are reminded by a gesture such as this that we can also earn our place in eternity by living out the values of courage, compassion and service, just like our brother did.
8. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, permit me to specially honour our dear sister, Mrs Ochuwa Ubani, wife of our brave comrade and the mother to their 4 lovely children, Adaoha, Eyeoma, Ekene and Okoro. Thank you for everything that you do to preserve the memory and legacy of your husband and father. It is comforting that you have not allowed grief to hold you down. As a community, we are lifted by the knowledge that you have continued, in your individual ways, to live with the courage and conviction that defined Chima’s entire existence. As I have stated on countless occasions since that unfortunate news filtered in around the evening of September 21, 2005, all of us who are privileged to have known Chima owe a duty of support and interest in the welfare of the family he left behind. Our goodwill could be misinterpreted but it is nothing short of betrayal to watch those who bear the most grief of Chima’s passing trudge on without the critical support that keep life in motion. Chima’s life, through his days at the University of Nigeria Nsukka where he was the Students’ Union President to his time as the Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation, was defined by endless struggles for the welfare of his compatriots; in the light of his devotion to the pursuit of liberty and the blessings that follow therefrom, his family, at the minimum, deserves a share of the fruits that his brave labour bore. As a government, we shall continue to extend modest support to this family, as a tribute to the memory of our brother and in appreciation of the light that he lit to make our path brighter.
9. Special commendations are also due to the leadership and members of the Civil Liberties Organisation, past and present, Campaign for Democracy, and the body of pro-democracy campaigners and activists in Nigeria for their individual and collective efforts in preserving Chima’s memory. Thank you for being resolute in the unending push to build a society that answers to the aspirations of the people. Here in Abia, we shall continue to do our best to uphold the philosophy that shaped our consciousness in the ways we interact with power or manage privilege of public trust. This hospital, named in honour of our friend, shall stand as an enduring testimony to our commitment to development, good governance and faith in humanity.
10. Thank you for listening and may God bless you.