Dr SIMEON OYIGUH : SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT.
The Chairman, Incorporated Trustees of ICDA, Dr Omakoji Oyiguh has reacted to the purported statement said to have emanated from the Eje Dekina, His Royal Highness, Dr Usman Obaje, the Acting Chairman Igala Area Tradditional Council of Chiefs, describing Dr Omakoji Oyiguh as snubbing his invitation to a meeting at Anyigba on 17th July 2021, called by him.
Dr Omakoji Oyiguh, Chairman of the Incorporated Trustees wishes to let the general public know that Dr Omakoji Oyiguh is currently treating severe Malaria and upper respiratory tract infection with members of his family, some of whom took injections earlier, because of the severity of the illness. This can be verified.
Dr Omakoji Oyiguh, though on oral antimalarial, had arranged with Hon Sunday Alikali, another Incorporated Trustees member, to prepare and attend the said meeting, so that nobody uses it to make any case, as is being done today. This also is verifiable.
However, overnight, the symptoms worsened with cough, catarrh, nose dripping and sneezing, including feverish feeling and headache, possibly due to stress. Dr Omakoji Oyiguh is with his pulse oximeter at his bedside monitoring his oxygen saturation regularly. He is also doing steam inhalation. It is a person who is alive who attends a meeting.
It is not correct for anybody who is well trained, particularly a medical doctor, to go to the public coughing, sneezing and with nose dripping.
Igala culture says” one adojo oga no”. Dr Omakoji Oyiguh promptly requested Hon Sunday Alikali, another member of the Incorporated Trustees, to travel early and visit Eje Dekina at his Dekina palace very quickly to communicate the ill health of Dr Omakoji Oyiguh to the Eje Dekina, the convener of the meeting.
Dr Omakoji Oyiguh requested Hon Sunday Alikali to stand in for the Incorporated Trustees at the meeting, but Hon Sunday Alikali declined for obvious reasons that he cannot stand for the Chairman, Incorporated Trustees at the meeting.
Dr Omakoji Oyiguh expected commendation from Eje Dekina for making the effort to communicate directly with him in his palace before the meeting. Dr Omakoji Oyiguh also expected to get a word of sympathy from same Eje Dekina RATHER THAN A BACKLASH.
Dr Omakoji Oyiguh was also advised by Ohiegba Mozum to send a text to Eje Dekina with his complaint of ill health and inability to attend the said meeting. Dr Omakoji Oyiguh promptly sent a text to Eje Dekina, which same Eje Dekina acknowledged to Hon Sunday Alikali during the early morning visit to him in the Palace at Dekina. Dr Omakoji Oyiguh even added in his text message to the Eje Dekina that he was just recovering from a lumbosacral radiculopathy, but despite that had arranged to come before the onset of the severe Malaria and URTI.
Dr Omakoji Oyiguh received a call from Ogohi Akpacha who was to represent Onu Ife at the meeting, to know about the issue his name was been mentioned in. Dr Omakoji Oyiguh gave him the background and also appealed to Ogohi Akpacha to come earlier to Anyigba to enable him receive hard evidence. Dr Omakoji Oyiguh called same Ogohi Akpacha the following morning to express regret that he cannot make it to the meeting on account of malaria he was treating which was not responding to oral medication.
Even in a court of law, there are medical reasons why cases are stepped down and adjourned, more so that that was not the only matter before the meeting to address.
Dr Omakoji Oyiguh also called Ogohi Onu of Anyigba to help him appeal to Ejeh Dekina not to view the inability to attend the meeting as disrespect. Ogohi Onu of Anyigba promised to call the Eje Dekina to inform him ahead of the meeting. What should Dr Omakoji Oyiguh have done differently that he has not done? The public should judge!
Dr Omakoji Oyiguh is in regular meeting with the other members of the Incorporated Trustees, particularly Hon David Inah Ogu and Hon Sunday Alikali, and they know those who are causing problem in ICDA, and would soon make them public.
Igala says” macha loji one ubi nwu no” Dr Omakoji Oyiguh and the other members of the Incorporated Trustees are respected citizens and have made their names outside of ICDA. ICDA is a legal entity today and anybody that deals with it should be careful to follow the rules, while we call on the people of goodwill who understand what is going on to remain calm.