The family of the sick former leader of the defunct Republic of Biafra, Chief Emeka Ojukwu, are keeping the London hospital where he was admitted on Thursday to their chest.
So also is the Anambra State Government, which is believed to be bearing the cost of the overseas’ treatment of the Nnewi-born former warlord.
Ojukwu’s eldest son, Emeka Jnr., told SATURDAY PUNCH that his father was taken to one of the leading hospitals in London, the United Kingdom.
Asked to comment on the state of facilities in the hospital where his father was admitted in London, Emeka laughed and asked, “Are you not satisfied with the sensational stories you journalists have written so far on my father’s health? Do you still want to write more?”
He said, “So, the idea of you calling me is to source this information?
“The best I can reveal to you is that he was flown to London in England, which is in the United Kingdom.
“His condition wasn’t as bad as what was reported in the papers. Right now, his state of health has greatly improved and I can tell you that he is in safe hands.”
But the Senior Special Assistant to the Anambra State Governor, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, confirmed that Ojukwu and the party that accompanied him abroad landed safely in London.
He said he was immediately moved to a hospital, whose identity, he said, he would not give to avoid Nigerians in London stampeding the hospital.
Obienyem told SATURDAY PUNCH, “We can authoritatively confirm that the air ambulance carrying (Dim Chukwuemeka) Odumegwu-Ojukwu landed safely at the London airport at 9 pm.
“You know our people. They are so passionate about Dim, and they will just lay siege to the place. So, we will not disclose the hospital for now.”
Ojukwu was on Thursday flown out of Nigeria to a London hospital for further treatment for stroke.
He was accompanied on the trip by his wife, Bianca and Chief of Staff, Prince Bob Onyema.
The Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, only made repeated the call for prayers by Nigerians for the elder statesman, whom he described as still very valuable to Nigerians.
He said, “I am aware that Nigerians would want to know the hospital and that many people will even be willing to forfeit the celebration of Christmas and travel to London to see him.
“The truth of the matter is that once the name of the hospital is disclosed, Nigerians resident in the UK will flood the place. Ojukwu you know, as well as I do, has the infinite capacity to pull a crowd any time, any day no matter his condition.
“All I can assure you is that he is being handled by the best neurologists in the UK.”
Obi was at the Enugu Airport on Thursday to witness the take-off of the air ambulance that flew Ojukwu to London.
When one of our correspondents visited the Ojukwus’ residence at GRA, Enugu, the place was deserted and the two young men who sat directly opposite the compound would not say anything.
After much persuasion, one of them replied in Igbo, “We have been severely warned not to say anything to anybody about Ikemba’s health, especially journalists.”
Further questions were rebuffed as the men became hostile and cautioned the security man on duty not to allow any intruder into the compound.
But a relation of the Ikemba and an economics lecturer, Prof. Ukwu I. Ukwu, said, “Where he was taken to is not the issue, we only pray he recovers from the ailment. We would not want to count him among those who have left us.”
Source:www.punchng.com
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