Follow Us on Google
A community leader and philanthropist, Ebere Ulelu-Obiesie, has undertaken the renovation and upgrading of the dilapidated Okuenyi Health Post in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State. She equally sponsored a free medical outreach for residents.
The renovated and upgraded facility was recently commissioned by the Director, Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Ukaegbu Ndubuisi, who represented Governor Alex Otti.
The project was primarily funded by Ulelu-Obiesie, with financial support from Rev. Friday Nnah, proprietor of Abundant Living Christian School, Okuenyi.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ndubuisi said the intervention had drawn the state government’s attention to the need for a standard health centre and the rehabilitation of access roads in the community.
He assured residents that their concerns would be communicated to the governor for necessary action, adding that the government would work towards transforming the upgraded temporary health post into a standard health centre and grading inaccessible roads in the coming months.
According to him, the intervention would help the government identify critical infrastructure needs and improve healthcare delivery in the community.
Explaining the motivation behind the project, Ulelu-Obiesie said her personal connection to Okuenyi, where she was born and raised before marriage, informed her decision to intervene.
She said she was particularly concerned about the difficulties pregnant women and other residents faced in accessing basic healthcare services.
“I was born in Okuenyi before I got married. I could not stand by and watch my people continue to face these difficult challenges, especially in accessing healthcare services. Pregnant women, in particular, were exposed to enormous difficulties,” she said.
She added that a visit to the former health post with her husband, Ernest Obiesie, exposed the deplorable condition of the facility and strengthened her resolve to rehabilitate it.
Also speaking, Ernest Obiesie said he initially hesitated to support the project because of financial constraints but changed his mind after visiting the facility and witnessing its condition.
He said they were moved by compassion and decided to address the healthcare challenges confronting the community.
The commissioning was accompanied by a free medical outreach led by Dr. Obioma Nwaogwugwu, Supervisor for Health, Obingwa Local Government Area, alongside Mrs. Nwachukwu Starhelp Nneoma, Officer-in-Charge of Okuenyi Health Post, and other healthcare professionals.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Nwablessing Nwankudu, said residents, particularly pregnant women, previously trekked about three miles to neighbouring communities to access antenatal and delivery services.
The Village Head, Elder Friday Nwakanma, in his address, commended the sponsors for the intervention but appealed to the state government to approve the construction of a fully functional Health Centre in the village, on the already provided parcel of land by the village.
He also appealed to the government to rehabilitate the community’s access roads to open up the area for development.
Similarly, the Labour Party flagbearer for Obingwa East State Constituency in the 2027 Abia State House of Assembly election, Seth Kelechi Ebere, commended Ulelu-Obiesie, her husband and Nnah for their contributions to the community’s wellbeing.
He described the intervention as an example for other prominent indigenes to emulate, urging residents to contribute to the development of their community rather than depend solely on government intervention.
Ebere also pledged continued support for the development of the facility.
In another humanitarian gesture, Mrs. Precious Nnah, wife of Rev. Friday Nnah, distributed food items to the women, who participated in the medical outreach.
The ceremony attracted government officials, political stakeholders, traditional rulers, community leaders and healthcare professionals.
To bring the facility up to standard, doors, beds, mattresses, curtains, bedsheets, drug storage cupboards, a drug trolley, ceiling fans, drip stands, blood pressure monitoring equipment, acuanswer (blood sugar testing device) with test stripes, delivery instruments including forceps, Doppler/Fetoscope, foreign ward/bed screen, foreign wash hand stand, infrared thermometer, a thermocool refrigerator, filing cabinet, wooden desk and chair, were all replaced.
Other vital items purchased included cooking utensils, mosquito nets, tiling and painting of the facility, among others.
Residents described the intervention as a significant step towards improving access to healthcare, particularly for pregnant women, children and other vulnerable members of the community.
