Obi Onyekaba Solicits for Second Tenure For Ugboaja

HRH Obi Onyekaba Solicits for Second Tenure for Ugboaja

Preamble: His Highness, Obi George Onyekeba, Obidiugwu, is the traditional head of Nnewichi Community, the youngest quarter in the entire Nnewi town. He is a Master Degree holder from Abia State University, having read Geography at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). He is presently a senior administrative staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, Anambra State. In this special interview granted by CRUSADER Newspaper at his palace, Obidiugwu after reviewing the performance of Prof. Joseph Ugboaja, NAUTH CMD called for extension of his stay beyond the first tenure. Enjoy him.

His Highness, let us re-examine the performance of Chief Prof. Joseph Ugboaja, the Chief Medical Director of Nnamdi Azikiwe University teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi, Anambra State. Has he really done well?

Thank you very much for that thoughtful question. Chief Prof. Joseph Ugboaja, OON, the Ochinanwata Nnewi, is simply a special gift to the Teaching Hospital, God sent him to NAUTH for transformation, from analogue to digital, so that people could see that, “an anointed son can come out from the Bethlehem”. He has not only taken the hospital to greater heights but proved the critics and cynics wrong. Right from the time he was canvassing for this CMD job till the period he assumed office, this man has been displaying the exceptional character of someone with a great mission. Although his emergence as CMD was basically sanctioned by Igwe Nnewi, Dr. KON Orizu III and other Nnewi stakeholders, what gladdens my heart is that he has successfully moved the Teaching Hospital from temporary to permanent site. That was not all, he ensured that every naira and kobo brought by the Federal and State government, as well as prominent individuals in Igbo land were effectively utilized. The empirical evidence is there at the permanent site for people to see, gigantic buildings of different dimensions serving various medical purposes, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical and Surgical emergency complex, General outpatient Department, Modern Administrative Complex just name them. It can take only a man of vision to actualize this lofty assignment. It can also take a man of spiritual moral and financial discipline to give out this kind of result.

These exceptional qualities were what I saw in him from on set, and I was saying it loudly that the “Joshua” of our time has come to take us to the promised land. And he has done that emphatically and gloriously winning special laurels-Order of the Niger, Ochinanwata Nnewi, Uzochukwu kwalu of Ufuma, Capacity CMD, and so on. These awards were not bought with money, neither bestowed on favouritism, the conferment was on merit. Within his first tenure, the teaching hospital has become the toast of every right thinking Nigerian, the Federal and State government officials that visited the place were visibly awe-stricken, the CMDs throughout Nigeria who came for a meeting at NAUTH recently went home singing melody over what they saw at Akamili-Umudim.what else can one say about this young energetic man, how can he be truly appreciated than to allow his excellent performance to continue unabated. He has to continue until NAUTH becomes outlandish among the teaching hospitals in Nigeria. The Federal government should, as a matter of necessity, allow Prof. Joseph Ugboaja to remain in office till the end of his second tenure. It will not only guarantee the completion of on-going projects but cement an atmosphere of administrative stability.

Are you saying that anybody who receives huge financial

support, like Prof. Ugboaja, can deliver as seen today at NAUTH Nnewi?

No, so many people have been given money for capacity

projects, and they siphon them, they did virtually nothing with the money. This made me continue saying that Ochinanwata is a special breed, God-sent for NAUTH to become what it is today. You can imagine what Dr. Salma Ibrahim Anas, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Health, discovered when she visited NAUTH on June 10/11/2025. That NAUTH is a model for health care excellence across Nigeria’s system. With Federal government support, community backing, and proven Leadership, the teaching hospital is positioned to achieve its 2030 vision while contributing significantly to national healthcare development. Indeed, NAUTH is a product of vision, hard work, sacrifice and teamwork. The hospital’s operational excellence and innovative approach to healthcare delivery is outstanding in Nigeria.

Is CMD a selfish Leader, does he love himself more than others?

Not all, he always like to do something that would benefit

people, he wants something that people would feel the impact of. Yes, not everybody will perform like him especially when enormous cash is in the treasury. But here is a different character, he has seen it all and no amount of money unsettles him. He goes about struggling to get money from the government and donors and utilizes it for the genuine purpose of lifting the hospital. At the permanent site, his managerial skill is glaring, his capacity for ingenuity remains a talking point till date, his national connections are quite amazing, a man of creativity with excellent decision-making. He is ever walking from place to place, working out the formula towards NAUTH performance. He is a human plumber who always put square pegs in square holes, and because of the trust and confidence people built on him over the years, he was careful in expenditure, executing the projects with experts that respect terms of engagement.

What message do you have for some Nnewians who are feeling uncomfortable over the continued denial of their citizen becoming NAUTH CMD?

I quite agree with those who are agitating for Nnewi citizens to emerge as CMD, the reason is genuine, but then they should relax their minds and allow Pro. Ugboaja to complete what he started over the years. Any good thinker who visited the hospital at Akamili should agree with me that the removal of the current CMD will obviously affect the progressive march going on there. In fact, a new CMD whether he is Nnewian or not, will only come there not just to truncate the developmental strategy, but equally embezzle the project fund. I’m therefore appealing to my people who are anxious to have our kinsman as CMD, to wait further. Certainly, Nnewi man will eventually occupy the exalted seat but let us finish benefiting from the managerial acumen of Prof. Ugboaja. NAUTH is in our territory, the development belongs to us as a community, we must be wise and sensible enough. I don’t want to go into the politics of whether a Nnewi man can perform or not, it is not necessary to talk about non-existence matter. The big question every citizen here should be asking is whether Prof. Ugboaja will, at the end of his tenure, carry all these NAUTH infrastructures away, probably to his Ufuma community? The simple answer is no; therefore, we should continue to support his effort in this transformation. The hospital is a federal government institution, but then we are the first beneficiaries as the host community, employment, contract jobs and other auxiliary benefits are there for us to harness and earn as stakeholders. NAUTH is in our place, as development is going on, we are equally developing. We should bear in mind that Prof. Ugboaja is not the first CMD of NAUTH, he is the fifth, his predecessors, what did they do? What stopped them from moving the hospital to the permanent site? Remember my word, Ochinanwata will not be there perpetually, or even longer than second tenure, he must leave after finishing the new projects he started. That’s my take.

With the Presence of NAUTH at Akamili village, what

socio-economic impact will it bring to the people?

NAUTH at Akamili-Umudim is a huge plus to Nnewi

development, since the relocation took place, the socio-economic lifestyle of people have changed, the price of communal land has skyrocketed, in fact any wise property investor should think towards Akamili now because in future a plot of land near the teaching hospital will not be sold for less than N50 million. There are other developments going on there, commercial buildings are springing up, pharmaceutical shops are opening, private clinics and hospitals are emerging, hotels are being established, car hire services are operating at nearby entrance gates, what of much-room eateries, laundry services, courier companies and so on. Indeed, the Teaching Hospital has the capacity to turn rural communities into urban ones, and NAUTH will not be an exception.

Nnewi town is lucky to be the seat of both College of

Health Sciences and Teaching Hospital of Nnamdi Azikiwe University. The citizens, are they aware of the enormous benefits involved?

One thing is clear and understandable, both the medical

School and teaching hospitals operate together and must be located within a town so that the students would not suffer untold hardship in moving from classroom to hospital. Both institutions are very essential in their learning process, theory and practical, and must be located closely for proper co-ordination and continuity. In case of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, the medical students have to start from Otolo Nnewi campus, after graduation they will move to the teaching hospital Umudim for their practicals. The two are enjoying a symbiotic relationship.

What of the staff – management relationship at NAUTH,

How well so far?

It is cordial under Chief Prof Joseph Odilichukwu Ugboaja’s administration. He has been working very hard, ensuring that staff welfare is maintained, the director of administration, Mrs. Uche Ugochukwu is also collaborating with CMD’s effort to guarantee an atmosphere of peace, joy, and love among the teeming staff, promotions are executed regularly and promptly. The CMD has equally assisted so many to upgrade their academic curriculum, by allowing them to further education on a part time basis. The overall relationship is quite blissful and commendable.