- Residents of Anambra community celebrate ultra-modern hospital built on once dreaded slum
The ground where the General Hospital Okpoko in Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State is built was a slum and hoodlums’ hideout that also harboured a burial ground before the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, turned the area into a new haven, Southeast Bureau Chief, NWANOSIKE ONU, reports.
Indigenes and non-indigenes resident in Okpoko, a community in Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State are living in disbelief of the fact that a part of the settlement once used as a burial ground is now host to a medical facility that has turned it into a tourist centre.
Before now, it was only in respect of Enugu town that people in the Southeast spoke of new haven. But the slum in Anambra has joined the league, becoming one of the most cherished assets by both young and old.
It is one of the five general hospitals built by the Soludo administration in its two years of existence, the four others being the ones at Fegge, Oroma Etiti, Anaku, and Enugwu-Otu, in different local government areas in the state.
The government is not only building new hospitas, it is also upgrading existing ones. The move is alleviating pressure on primary healthcare centres and ensuring that referred cases are handled with precision and professionalism.
Okpoko, once the most dreaded zone in the state, is now widely called New Haven; a name that distinguishes it from its previous status as the equivalent of Ajegunle and Mushin communities in Lagos many years ago.
For most Okpoko residents, the general hospital is a big signature project for the Soludo administration.
Two residents, 32-year-old Ugochukwu and Nkem Akonam, are of the view that Soludo has surpassed every other governor in Anambra State in terms of land mark achievements since the state was created, given the fact that the once dreaded area has become the cynosure of all eyes.
Those who once knew the area or lived there but had not visited in the last two years may have difficulty recognising the former haven of Indian hemp smokers, pick pockets, touts and all manner of hoodlums around Onitsha area.
Then, the buildings the residents live in were shanties where toilet facilities were hard to come by. Hence, majority of the residents defecated on the roads as early as 4.30am, while some others use polythene bags to throw their faeces.
Ugochukwu said: “The place where the governor built this edifice used to be a burial ground where people threw the corpses of their dead children.
“When we heard that Soludo wanted to build a hospital there, everybody made a mockery of him, thinking it was another empty political promise politicians are known for.
“Nobody thought that one day, development would get to Okpoko, the dreadful refuse dump and home to criminal activities.
“Now the residents have started living normal life.
“When he came to campaign in this area, we saw it as another joke. But today, the hospital is here and the people of Okpoko will never forget him.”
Also speaking with ‘The Nation’, Akonam said Soludo has presented himself as the light that had eluded Anambra for so long.
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He said: “The place we now have the hospital was a no-go area. People were afraid of going close to the place at night for fear of being attacked by unknown forces.
“It was a forest where dead bodies were dumped, including those of newly born babies who died after delivery.
“At a time, the people of Okpoko converted it to dustbin. But now, the burial ground has become a mighty hospital, all thanks to Soludo.
“All these roads you’re seeing today are newly constructed by the governor. There was nothing like roads in this area.
“In each shanty in Okpoko, you would see people numbering more than 50 in an environment that was not supposed to contain more than 10 persons.
“This area has the highest concentration of people in the entire Anambra State.
“We are no longer living in hell; we are now living in heaven. Because of what Soludo has done, some wealthy persons have started building in this area. The hospital alone is a master stroke.”
The new general hospital in Okpoko, which was commissioned in March, 2024, treats between 10 and 15 patients each day, according to the Medical Director, Kenechi Nnaji.
She told ‘The Nation’ that for now, everything at the hospital is free, including antenatal, mother and child care for women
“That is the instruction of the Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, and we have to adhere to it strictly because the people living in this area are all indigent,” Nnaji said.
One of the community leaders in the area, Udoka Ezenwa, said it would take ages for the residents to get another person like Soludo, describing him as the ‘Messiah’ of Okpoko community
But despite the relief given to the residents, some are still not happy with the situation as they demand for more like Oliver Twist.
Thirty-nine- year old Gladys Nwankwo, while speaking with ‘The Nation’, said: “Are we going to eat hospital or roads? The way the governor imposes tax on the poor should be condemned.
“We have seen the roads an hospital, but is it not somebody who is alive that would use those facilities?
“There’s no water here, yet someone whose income is through kiosk selling pays huge amounts as tax. Does it make sense?” she queried.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, told ‘The Nation’ that Soludo has already exempted such categories of people, including wheel barrow pushers, from taxes.
He said the Soludo administration is one with a human face, which has compassion for the downtrodden and not the picture the lady painted.
The Coordinator, Reform Nigeria Movement, a rights group, Comrade Osita Obi, opined that only a member of the opposition political parties would not see something good in the reforms that are going on in Anambra State.
Obi said: “You know I am not a politician and don’t belong to any party. My position is to always criticise things that are not right in the society. But any time I see any good thing, I must say it.
“One of such good things from Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration is giving the rural populace life, and that is what democracy entails.
“Another good thing I’ve seen in the state is the construction of the road from Amansea- Awa- Ufuma and the Amansea-Ebenebe–Ugbene-Uene-obaofemili.
“These roads were abandoned by successive governments for ages because of the length and funds involved, cutting off communities from their neighbours. It was bad.
“But today, those communities numbering more than 10, are singing the praises of Soludo. And what makes you feel they will not vote for him when he starts his second term campaigns?
“He is also building a massive flyover at Ekwulobia that links many communities; another blockbuster project.
“Soludo has really endeared himself to the people and I believe that very soon, he is going to tackle the issue of insecurity in the state.”
The Anambra State Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and one time state Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, says what Soludo is doing is building a future for Anambra people.
“Governor Soludo’s achievements are not just milestones; they are stepping stones to a brighter future.
“Imagine an Anambra where every child is vaccinated, every mother feels safe during childbirth and no family fears the financial burden of illness.
“This is the Anambra we are building—an Anambra where progress is felt in every home and every heart.
“Let this reflection inspire you to stay hopeful and engaged. Together, under Governor Soludo’s leadership, we are transforming challenges into reality,” Obi-Okoli said.
From all indications, Soludo is gradually ending the agony, pains, sufferings and gnashing of teeth by residents in many communities in Anambra State.
He continues to link communities with roads in the state the way former Governor and former Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige did, including construction of virgin ones.
The residents are singing the praise of the former Central Bank of Nigeria CBN Governor, saying he has ended their pains, sorrows and constant lamentations for many years.
For 36-year-old Chidiebere Chidebe, “the suffering in our area was unbearable because the Ebenebe-Obaofemili Road was abandoned even before we were born.
“We could not take our farm produce to town because the road was not motorable and you can’t use bicycle to transport them. Life was so difficult for the people of Awba-Ofemmili and others,” Chidebe said.
Also, Sunday Nnamah, 41, told ‘The Nation’ that they had not seen any politician like Soludo, describing him as “talk na do”
He recalled that when Soludo visited the communities during the campaign period, he assured them that if elected, he would tar the road for the communities, having suffered to come to the area and seeing how terrible the road was.
He vowed that in the 2025 governorship election, the people would not have any option but to return him, having remembered the area.
Chinedu Oraekie, a 47-year-old native of the area, expressed his deepest appreciation to Soludo, adding that he had given them a sense of belonging.
Oraekie, a former Secretary General of Awba-Ofemili Community, praised the governor’s benevolence, saying: “I was born here, and the road conditions were terrible. I thank God today for the governor we have.”
Comrade Osita Obi, a human rights activist and Convener of the Recover Nigeria Project, lauded Soludo’s developmental strides.
According to him, “the governor is doing wonderfully well in the state, but the public has not been given the opportunity to learn about these developments.”
Another long road done by Soludo that was abandoned for about 40 years was Amansea-Awa-Ndukwuenu-Ufuma Road, among many others scattered all over Anambra State.
