A US-based Nigerian, Chief Sabi Nweke, has publicly expressed gratitude to Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, and presidential candidate for Labour Party for building the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital in Awka — a facility he credits for saving his life.
Reflecting on his experience, Chief Nweke said, “If that hospital wasn’t a teaching hospital, I may not have been alive today.”
According to him, he was in Awka for the Christmas holidays on December 10, 2024, when he suddenly fell ill. By December 15, he was rushed to Amaku Hospital, where he was treated for diverticulitis until December 30. He later returned to the US two weeks ago and is now preparing for surgery.
Nweke emphasized that he felt compelled to publicly appreciate Obi for his foresight in establishing the hospital.
“Obi’s wise decision saved my life. I even sent him an appreciation message as an encouragement for him not to relent on his good deeds because he may not know who will be saved by them,” he said.
When contacted for a response, Peter Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, recalled the motivation behind the hospital’s construction, describing it as a crucial step to rescue Anambra State University’s medical program.
“I built Nigeria’s fastest-completed teaching hospital from scratch—the first and only teaching hospital owned by Anambra State—Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu Teaching Hospital, Awka,” Obi said.
“This project was completed within two years, meeting the strict requirements of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, without which the State University Medical School would have been shut down.”
He explained that at the time, there was no approval or accreditation from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for training medical doctors in the state. As a result, medical students were stranded, unable to continue their studies.
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“The medical students who were admitted at the time were stuck and had lost many years without progress in their studies or training,” Obi noted.
“My administration took up the challenge, worked very hard to meet the requirements of the Medical and Dental Council, and delivered full accreditation within two years. This achievement set the stage for the graduation of the first set of medical doctors from the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Medical School.”
He added that the project was a milestone not only in healthcare services but also in medical education, economic empowerment, and overall well-being.
“It goes to show my commitment to development, which remains anchored on the most critical pillars of progress: the Human Development Index (HDI)—education, healthcare, and lifting people out of poverty,” Obi concluded.
The heartfelt appreciation from Chief Nweke serves as a reminder that the impact of leadership decisions often extends far beyond their initial implementation, with lives and futures hanging in the balance.
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