By Sam Akadoro Sapele
Health is wealth and wealth is said to be meaningless if it cannot add to the public growth. This could be part of what motivated the decision of Mr Austin Avuru, the CEO of Austin Avuru Foundation and Manager of Seplat Petroleum Development Company, to build and donate a multi-million naira Catholic hospital to Abbi community in Ndokwa nation of Delta State.
Dignitaries at the commissioning event.
The Austin Avuru Foundation, which has been known for its philanthropic gestures, got to its peak with the building, equipping and handing over of the 60-bed hospital to the Catholic Diocese of Warri.
And the Archbishop of Warri Diocese, Rev. John Afereha, wasted no time in naming the facility as Catholic Hospital, Abbi.
The cleric also pledged to run the hospital efficiently using a management board in the true spirit of the Catholic Mission.
The official dedication of the hospital which started with a church service at St. John’s Catholic Church, Abbi, later assumed a festive ambience with the emergence of various dignitaries from far and near. There was celebration among members of the community who described the project as a life changing one.
Avuru, who also contributed to the building and maintenance of the Catholic Church where the event was held, was described by dignitaries as a patriotic citizen who can go out of his way to help humanity.
Addressing newsmen on what informed his decision to upgrade the status of the community with such a project, Avuru noted that wealth or value is meaningless if it cannot be applied for public use, and, therefore, urged others to emulate such gestures.
He also pledged to create conducive atmosphere for maintenance culture around the project as he had done to other similar ones he donated to the community.
The Archbishop of Warri Diocese, Rev. John Afereha, while congratulating Avuru for the gesture, described the project as what can only be given to God and prayed for God to bless and reward him.
Delta State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr Kingsley Emu, who represented the Governor-elect, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, at the event, also noted that what Avuru has done was worthy of emulating, as it was quite inspiring.
Describing the facilities in the hospital as modern and state of the art, he urged the Catholic Mission to ensure effective management of the edifice.
While urging the community members to utilise and maintain the property, the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and representative of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan at the event, noted that such projects were part of what the Governor has started since he assumed office.
Saying the health indices have improved tremendously since he took over as Governor, with the reduction of mortality rate, HIV and aids among others, he urged the Avuru Foundation to replicate such philanthropic gestures in other communities.
In the same vein, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman in the Okpe Local Government, Chief Cosmos Ughoraye, also noted that the project was the kind that every one was supposed to do.
“A clinic like this is what some governments do and see as a major project but here you see just one man doing it for his people and we thank God for that and I pray for God’s blessing upon him so that he can keep doing what he knows how to do best.”
Other dignitaries present at the event included the Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof Patrick Muiboghare, former Commissioner for Power and Energy, Mr. Charles Emetulu, and Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mofe Pira, among other top political officers and royal fathers. After the official commissioning of the edifice by representative of the Governor and the Catholic priest the community members were seen bursting into celebration at the new residence of Mr Avuru.
Apart from the health benefit of the project, as there is no general hospital in the community before now and the clean and portable water that comes with it, it is also expected to provide about 500 jobs for the community members if they can key into it.
Wife of Mr. Avuru, Victoria, who could not hide her joy over the establishment of the project, told newsmen that although it took three years of hard work to be completed, it was eventually worth it at the end.
“Am happy it turned out this way, because we had to go all the way to Abraka to seek medicals four years ago but now that will be a thing of the past,” she enthused.
Although it was the first general hospital in the Abbi community, it did not mean the lack of government’s presence there as there were good road networks and electricity.
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