By Chibunna Esedo
A while ago, I read my good friend, Dr. CKO Ojukwu (Okunaenyeife Abatete), assert that Dr. Amaechi Nwachukwu’s statements during the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku-Awka media parley with YanBaba and other journalists stemmed from a fall-out and from not getting the position of CMD. He alleged that Dr. Nwachukwu was at some point disappointed with Governor Soludo, and is now on a U-turn to please the Governor.
This allegation stemmed from a response from Dr. Nwachukwu concerning Dr. Ojukwu’s podcast at Yanbaba’s studio, where he made false statements concerning COOUTH facility and its management.
The bone of contention is that Dr. Ojukwu did not do due diligence about Dr. Nwachukwu or the current situation of the hospital before going to the press. He made false statements on Yanbaba’s podcast without checking the current state of affairs in the hospital.
He has also been inconsistent in his pronouncements and criticism of COOUTH, Amaku, Awka, where I learnt he once worked before his ‘jakpa’ syndrome which has bedevilled Nigeria health system. That decision was understandable, given the abandonment of health workers’ welfare by Nigerian governments.
When Dr. Nwachukwu, who Dr. Ojukwu accused of being ambitious and bitter of not succeeding in becoming the CMD was and still is the Chairman of all Consultants in the teaching hospital, was fighting for the welfare of doctors and improvement of services between 2016 and 2020, people like Dr. Ojukwu were busy defending the rot in the place at the time and waging a media war against Dr. Nwachukwu. This is in the public space because the internet does not forget.
Dr. Nwachukwu’s record speaks for itself. His activism dates back to his days at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, where he put his training and career on the line while fighting for the welfare of doctors and improvement of services as President of the Association of Resident Doctors, UCH Ibadan. He does not only speak against injustice, he also commends a working management. That is exactly what he has done concerning the current leadership of COOUTH that assumed office 4 months ago. Dr. Commend appropriate authorities when necessary and will reprimand when necessary also.
Dr. Ojukwu claimed that Dr. Nwachukwu wanted to be CMD and was outsmarted by Gov. Soludo. What is expected of an outsmarted person is to attack a working hospital management and, by extension, the government of Anambra State. That is precisely what Dr. Ojukwu is doing now, and he also tried to do damage control for the false information he peddled against the hospital management.
The truth is, nobody can tell what Dr. Ojukwu’s grievances against the Anambra State Governor are. I, for one, do not buy into the governance of deceitful tendencies of the Governor. But to see clear improvements in the health sector and dismiss them with such distasteful narratives is unfortunate.
Dr. Amaechi Nwachukwu has been openly commending the current management of COOUTH for the great job they are doing. This negates Dr. Ojukwu’s insinuation that Dr. Nwachukwu is bitter about not becoming CMD. It appears Dr. Ojukwu expected Dr. Nwachukwu to wage war against the Anambra State Government, and was disappointed that instead, he was eulogizing the Governor and the Management of COOUTH.
Why would he not praise the governor? The governor graciously made COOUTH consultants the highest paid consultants in Nigeria through Dr. Nwachukwu’s advocacy with MDCAN, the body of Specialist Consultants in the teaching hospital, of which he is the Chairman.
For clarity, Dr. Nwachukwu never said everything has become excellent in COOUTH. He only said things have improved markedly and, with the way the new management is working, COOUTH will be a place of pride and excellent medicare in the nearest future.
On the issue of lobbying for CMD which Cko alleged Dr Nwachukwu wanted to be; It is public knowledge that while people were busy lobbying for the job between January, February and March this year, and many assumed it would fall into Dr. Nwachukwu’s lap, he wrote to the Governor declining the position for personal reasons, in case the Governor was considering him.
In fact, at the height of that lobbying, Dr. Nwachukwu declared a dispute with the Anambra State government over the welfare of doctors and improvement of services in the Teaching Hospital.
If he was interested in the job as Dr. Ojukwu claimed, how would he have called for a strike against the same government? This exposes how detached Dr. Ojukwu is from happenings in Anambra State.
I say this not because it is convenient, but because I have witnessed Dr. Nwachukwu’s character firsthand. In March this year, I called him to ask about his interest in contesting for Oyi/Ayamelum Federal Constituency in 2027. He told me he had no interest and gave cogent reasons. I also asked if he was interested in succeeding the then CMD, Dr. Akabuike. He categorically told me he had declined the offer of becoming CMD, which was promised to him by the appropriate authorities in exchange for calling off the then ongoing Consultants and Resident Doctors’ industrial action over poor welfare of doctors.
Those who know Dr. Nwachukwu can attest that he is a man of steel and consistency in character. For Dr. Ojukwu to try to divert attention from his interview on Yanbaba’s podcast by reducing it to a media war with Dr. Nwachukwu is laughable.
He should simply apologize to the management of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, and Dr. Nwachukwu. That is the humble way to go. He should admit that he was detached from the reality and from the current job Dr. Maureen Umeakuewulu is doing in COOUTH.
Otherwise, it will simply look like the work of a man paid to do a hatchet job against the Management of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka, or an adventure of settling scores spree!
~ Chibunna Esedo, anipr
