Lawyer donates kidney centre to Nigerian university in honour of deceased wife

A Nigerian lawyer, Godwin Obla, has donated a kidney centre worth N400 million to the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State.

The facility, which is named: “Judith Ogwa Obla Kidney Centre,” was facilitated by Godwin Obla Foundation, in honour of the lawyer’s wife who died in 2022.

Mr Obla said his wife, Judith, died in the United States of America as a result of complications arising from diabetes, leading to kidney failure.

The donor, who lamented the “dearth of (health) facilities” in Nigeria, said the donation was not just to immortalise his wife, but to also contribute to efforts aimed at helping Nigerians suffering such critical health challenges.

Kidney centre

Speaking at the inauguration of the facility at the university in Otukpo on Monday, Mr Obla said it was in fulfilment of his pledge to build a top-notch kidney centre within one year of his wife’s passing.

Equipped with six units of brand-new dialysis machines, an intensive care unit, a laboratory, conference room, among other state-of-the-art equipment, Mr Obla noted that the centre would contribute to addressing the gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare services.

The kidney centre is housed at the General Hospital, Otukpo, which has just been converted to the university’s teaching hospital.

Management structure

To forestall the problems of poor maintenance associated with public facilities, Mr Obla demanded a “clinical governance structure/agreement” from the university management.

He explained that the agreement would define “parties’ obligations to the project,” adding that the agreement would tackle “needles government bureaucracy that may impact on equipment maintenance, consumables procurements issues that may determine the success or failure of this project.”

He advised the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Innocent Ujah, a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, to set up a team of eminent medical professionals to fashion out “a proper clinical governance structure.”

To ensure staff discipline, Mr Obla said Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras would be installed at the centre to capture medical personnel activities as they relate to patients’ care.

He explained that the facility would serve as a research and training centre to assist the government in planning, policy and decision-making.

Mr Obla decried the absence of a functional renal centre in Benue State, describing the situation as embarrassing.

“It is a sad commentary on the state of our leadership that a Foundation can commence a centre in December 2022 and deliver the same in April,” he said.

He called for a “leadership reorientation…in providing facilities for the citizenry…in the health sector.

Endowment fund

Meanwhile, determined to encourage research and academic excellence amongst medical students of the university, the Foundation signed an agreement with the institution for an endowment of N40 million.

The first prize of N10 million has been instituted in honour of the late Mrs Obla for the best-graduating student in Nephrology with every annual winner receiving N1 million.

The second prize of an endowment of N10 million for the best-graduating student in Internal Medicine, with a reward of N1 million for every winner, the donor said is in honour of his deceased father, Joseph Obla.

He also instituted the ‘Godwin Odumu Obla SAN’ N10 million endowment for the best-graduating student in Urology.

Meanwhile, he also announced “Dr Idoko Edwin Obe N10 million endowment for the best overall graduating student,” which he noted is in memory of the first medical doctor in the Idoma-speaking area of Benue State.

Mr Obla described the late Obe as “a legend and a great humanist” whose services he said cannot be forgotten in “our land.”

Foundation DG speaks

Earlier in a welcome address, the Director General of the Foundation, Uba Obande, said the centre was set up to fill “the yawning gap in a specific aspect of our health care delivery – nephrology.”

He explained that the facility would cater for “persons with end-stage renal failure requiring dialysis before possible transplantation.”

Itemising other areas of public interventions, Mr Obande disclosed that the Foundation signed a N10 million endowment agreement with the New Vision Institute of Technology in Otukpo to help cover tuition fees for “indigent students of Idoma extraction.”

VC hails intervention

Commending the interventions, the Vice Chancellor, Mr Ujah, thanked Mr Obla for his contributions to societal development.

He said: “We are very delighted at this life-saving philanthropy of …Godwin Obla,… through the Godwin Obla Foundation to Nigerians.”

“By this singular act, (Mr) Obla has stimulated unparalleled contributions to the lives of not only his people but other Nigerians who may be afflicted by kidney diseases that will require highly specialised treatment and care,” Mr Ujah noted.

Calling for more donations to the young university, the vice-chancellor said the institution and the teaching hospital “are experiencing several challenges of “pioneering-ship.”‘

Speaking on the endowment funds, Mr Ujah said it “will enhance the university’s efforts towards creating an enabling environment for a world-class institution that will bring about innovation for improved healthcare in Nigeria.”

“It will also act as a stimulant for healthy competition among medical students of the university,” he added.

The university was established about three years ago as a specialised health institution for the training of medical doctors and other healthcare practitioners.