By Okechukwu Onuegbu
The people of Awba-Ofemili community in Awka North Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State have sought governor Chukwuma Soludo's urgent intervention to save their women from alleged maternal and perinatal mortality by building a functional hospital and posting qualified residents’ medical practitioners.
The agrarian community which shares boundary with Ibite-Olo, Ezeagu LGA, Enugu State, is currently without a functional healthcare facility thereby forcing the pregnant women and nursing mothers to patronise quacks, chemists and traditional births attendants for delivery.
The Awba -Ofemili primary health centre built around 2013 by Anambra State Government through the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) has remained unequipped and inaccessible till it deteriorated even as the residents expressed joy in patronising private chemist shops operated mostly by non medical professionals.
A visit to the facility on October 3rd, 2026 by a team of journalists led by the State Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Dr Odogwu Emeka Odogwu showed that only one ward in the health centre was in good condition although no patient was seen but some cooking utensils and clothing spread in some of the empty unkempt wards suggested that some might have turned the facility to a residential house.
FactcheckNg.com also observed that bushes have taken over the surrounding, its signpost defaced, borehole or pipe borne water not sighted, drugs or power supply also missing although some headlights of solar power were seen on the ground. This contrasted the minimum standards set by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in Chapter 5 of its policy which included a fenced facility, staffing and accommodation, functional separate toilets to both genders, place for storing, managing and dispensing medicine, rooms for examining and consulting patients, among others.
"We need beds, water supply, resident nurse and generating set so that it can function effectively in the day time and at nights. The toilets are not functional. People that can come will have to use the nearby bushes. One security man is working but it is mostly when he comes back from the farm. We have water only in the rainy season," a resident told this reporter.
Another resident and mother of three, Mrs Chioma Chiduba, told FactCheckNg.com that the pitiable condition of the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) is why their pregnant mothers pay up to ₦25000 to chemist shops for medical care and delivery while some travel to Ebenebe, another community in Awka North LGA or Awka capital city,
“There are no doctors and drugs. We don’t have resident doctors and nurses in the place too. The security there comes only when he likes. No ward is functional. They don’t operate at night due to the deplorable condition. Many have lost their lives due to lack of this,” she stated.
A nursing mother, Mrs Chikodi Ikeyina, also recalled how she was delivered of a bouncing baby boy at a private hospital in Ebenebe on September 20, 2026 due to this anomaly, adding that she currently receives postnatal care at a chemist shop in Awba-Ofemili.
Collaborating this, a pregnant woman, Mrs Chinenye Nweke, said she has already paid a sum of 25,000 to one of the chemist shops in the community ahead of her delivery time, and would never patronise their existing PHC at its present condition.
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| Ìgwè Maduagwuna |
On his part, the Traditional Ruler of Awba -Ofemili, HRM Igwe Ernest Ezekwesili Maduagwuna, alleged that the community records death connected to lack of proper medical attention almost every week even as three pregnant women lost their lives together with pregnancies while travelling to far away Ebenebe for delivery.
Igwe Maduadwuna added that "We need attention of the State ministry of health to improve our healthcare system. What we have here is health post and not working health centres. Our people lost confidence on it because it is not functional. Most of us patronise private hospitals at Ebenebe. Our health post lack drugs, facilities and medical professionals.
"We record deaths almost on weekly basis. You can hear news of people falling and dieing most times. We have most of our people suffering of diabetes, hypertension and eye problems. Some are manifesting these with signs of eniule (enyi-ule which stands for Buruli ulcer). Three pregnant women died with their pregnancies while travelling for delivery last week (September 20-26, 2026).
"You will see people attributing these deaths to spiritual attacks. But I keep telling them they are not entirely spiritual. We have constituted a health committee that is sensitising people on health related issues, need to stop patronising quacks and how to take good care of themselves. But they are not enough. We need a functional hospital, midwives, resident doctors and nurses," he added.
The monarch, however commended the State government for providing the community with a network of road and power supply even as he argued that providing them with a functional health facility would go a long way in making lives better to them.
He also extolled the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Anambra State Council and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Anambra State Chapter, for empowering the people and providing them with medical care, noting that they were open for such partnerships and kind gestures from institutions and individuals to enlightening and improve more lives.
Responses
Reacting to this, the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Anambra State Chapter, described the situation as worrisome and called on attention of the State ministry of Health to the plights of Awba-Ofemili people as patronising quacks may result to health complications and deaths.
The Chairperson, NANNM, Comrade (Mrs) Edith Onwuka, who disclosed this in an interview added that "During our medical outreach in partnership with the NUJ at Awba-Ofemili we actually observed that many had symptoms of diabetes, some were hypertensive or experiencing eyes problems. We observed they have no functional health facilities and personnel to attend to their health needs.
"We will advise the ministry of health to come to their rescue. The community needs volunteer nurses. We also promised to attract more medical outreach to the place in addition with volunteer health workers if we get funding. We are calling on governor Soludo to post more health workers to the place and also improve the status of their existing health facilities. But the people should equally be conscious of their health and patronise only medical professionals," she added.
Government reaction
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| Dr Njelita |
But when contacted on phone, the Director, PHC/HOD Health, Awka North LGA, Dr Njelita Chukwudi dismissed the allegations of three pregnant women dying at Awba-Ofemili, describing it as false and politically motivated which ought not to resonate from journalism.
According to him, "It is false and politically motivated. Journalism should be practiced without bias or politics. I personally drove to the Health centre unannounced to confirm things myself. No three pregnant women died. There is no need to cause panic. We have no medical emergency in the place.
"The health centre is operational. We have medical personnel deployed to the facility and they are discharging their duties accordingly. The place is open and accessible to all. You can confirm it from the visitors book. They are very active. We supply them with medicine every month and it is done in such a way that those drugs can't be resold. Although we need more workers, it is not a call for a state of emergency.”