The chairman of Egor local government area, Hon Eghe Ogbemudia on Tuesday revealed how Governor Godwin Obaseki’s directive to provide a health facility to the people spurred him to build a hospital instead of a health centre for the people.
Eghe, the daughter of late Elder Statesman, late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia stated this when the hospital was commissioned where she also revealed that her later father motivated her to go into politics and work for the people.
Not less than 400 people would also benefit from the equity health plan under the Edo State Health Insurance scheme for the first year as the council promised to pay the first 200 patients while the chairman of Orhionmwon local government would pay 100 people and one Dr Osagie Osifo would pay for another 100 people.
She said “This edifice was started in 2019 in 2018 when I was campaigning for my first tenure in office, I came to this office and they told me that they wanted a hospital in this community. In 2019, we came back again, this time around with the executive governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki when the Enogie of Egor mentioned it again and he said we will vote for your party but there is something that we need in this community and the governor asked him what is it, he said there is a land opposite the palace that was given by his grandfather for a hospital that if the governor can do that for them, they will be pleased.
“The governor turned around and looked at me and said to the enogie of Egor, Eghe Ogbemudia is the only candidate I have in the eighteen local government areas, and he told me to go and build them a hospital.
Even though there was no money in the council,we were running at deficit, I resolved that I am not going to build a health centre, I resolved that I would want to build a hospital the way my father built UBTH. All we had in Egor local government coffers then was N7million and a deficit of over N600m. I resolved that we will do something as long as that is what this community wanted because my father told me that give them their needs and not what you think they need, always go back to the people and ask them what do you want me to do for you.”
Commissioning the project, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon Monday Osaigbovo who represented Governor Godwin commended the project and said it was in line with the developmental initiatives of the outgoing governor.
