Godwin Obla Foundation Donates Kidney Center in Benue

By Steve Anyebe

The day 17th of April, in the year of our Lord 2023, will remain fresh in the memories of Benue South people for a very long time. The same goes for the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Community.

It was a day of sobber reflections, a day of long but inactive polical knives, a day of nostalgic regrets, and a day of hope, as well as a day of appreciation. Most of all, 17th April 2023 would go down as a day of realization and challenges.

Chief Godwin Odumu Obla, SAN, continued with his ceaseless philanthropic giving-back-to-the-society Program with the commissioning of an ultramodern Kidney/Dialysis Center, built and equipped by the GODWIN OBLA FOUNDATION, and donated to the Teaching Hospital of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo.

The premises of the former General Hospital, where the Center is located, was a colorful beehive of activities as people from far and near thronged the venue to appreciate the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, from Benue South Senatorial District for his show of love towards his late wife, expressed in his determination to provide such needed health care facilities, the absence of which led to his wife’s untimely demise.

The JUDITH OGWA OBLA KIDNEY CENTER is named after Chief Godwin Obla’s wife who passed on in the United States of America on 21st March, 2022, due to complications arising from a protracted battle with diabetes which resulted in kidney failure.

Her passing on to eternal glory, was glaring manifestation of the unacceptable gap between health facilities in Nigeria and other more advanced societies, prompting her husband to promise a well equipped health Center for his people back home.

For a man who has always regarded a promise to be a debt, Chief Obla pulled all available resources together and within four months the Center became ready for handover, Project fully completed and appropriately equipped and furnished.

Apart from handing over the state-of-the-art KIDNEY CENTER to FUHSO’s Council, the Vice Chancellor of the first Federal Government established Medical University, Prof Innocent Ujah, mni, OON, had a memorable 17th April 2023, as an avalanche of academic endowments totaling forty million naira were thrust at FUHSO, still by the GODWIN OBLA FOUNDATION:
*Judith Ogwa Obla Prize for Best Graduating Student in Nephrology.
*Joseph Elagbaje Obla Snr Prize (to honor his late father) for Best Graduating Student in Internal Medicine.
*GODWIN ODUMU OBLA Prize for Best Graduating Student in Urology.
*Dr Idoko Edwin Obe Prize for Best Overall Graduating Student (in memory of the first Idoma medical Doctor).
Each of the four endowments is to attract annual cash gift of not less than a million naira.

The GODWIN OBLA FOUNDATION and FUHSO signed agreement papers to legitimize the handover, which also included the public presentation of the real bank cheques to Prof Innocent Ujah.

The Director General of GODWIN OBLA FOUNDATION, Elder Michael Uba Obande,JP, had, in his speech while welcoming dignitaries to the historic occasion, given a brief exposition on the FOUNDATION which is committed to upholding the biblical Good Samaritan principle of extending assistance to the needy.

He told the audience that GODWIN OBLA FOUNDATION has already impacted lives positively through its Projects in such areas as the Benue Judiciary, St Francis College, Wesley High School, and New Vision Institute of Technology(all in Otukpo).

The mammoth crowd which witnessed the great event included Benue State Deputy Governor Benson Abounu, Deputy Governor elect Sam Ode, Most Distinguished Senator Abba Moro, House of Reps Member Ottah Agbo, Och’Idoma V, Catholic Bishop Michael Apochi and many clergy, members of both Obla and Ugbo families, Senior Advocates of Nigeria and members of the Bar and Bench, members of the Nigeria Medical Association, late Judith Obla’s NGO, and others too numerous to recount.

The *JUDITH OGWA OBLA MEMORIAL KIDNEY CENTER* was commissioned by the agile mother of Chief Godwin Odumu Obla, SAN. Mama Mamie Obla cut the symbolic tape to declare the Center open on 17th April 2023.

The Project(from design to handover) was very ably supervised and completed in a record time of four months by Emmanuel Obla, immediate elder brother to Chief Godwin Obla.