Ghastly accident – Kogi Gov Undergoes Surgery

The governor was involved in a ghastly accident on Friday which claimed the life of his Aide de Camp (ADC) and left him and his driver injured. Speaking to journalists yesterday in Abuja, the doctors treating him said although the governor did not sustain life-threatening injuries, he had broken his thighbone. Dr Felix Ogedegbe, the […]

The governor was involved in a ghastly accident on Friday which claimed the life of his Aide de Camp (ADC) and left him and his driver injured.

Speaking to journalists yesterday in Abuja, the doctors treating him said although the governor did not sustain life-threatening injuries, he had broken his thighbone.

Dr Felix Ogedegbe, the Medical Director of CEDARCREST Hospital, Abuja, where the governor is being treated, said the governor is in stable condition.

He, however, declined to disclose when the governor would be discharged.

Dr Ogedegbe, who answered reporters’ questions in company of his colleague, Dr Tunde Olawoye, and the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Strategy Mr Jacob Edi, said the broken bone had been fixed in the hospital.

He said Governor Wada could stand on his feet after receiving the treatment, stressing that his “spirit is quite high and everything is well with him”.

He said: “I can confirm to you that yesterday (Friday) evening at about 8pm, we received Governor Wada into our care. We received him here in a condition that was very stable. We were told he had been involved in a car crash. He had already been to another hospital before he was brought here.

“However, when he got here, we assessed him. Like I said, there were no immediate life-threatening injuries. He was found to have fracture in his thighbone. That was assessed. A whole team did a comprehensive assessment on him and we decided to take him to theatre. He has had the bone that was broken fixed and he had a very good night sleep and he is quite fine now.

“He had woken up this morning (yesterday). He has had his meal and is doing very well. So as much as I can tell you, he is stable. He is not in a condition where his life is threatened at all. He is doing very well at the moment,” he said.

Dr Ogedegbe further said there was no need to fly the ailing governor abroad for further medical attention.

Asked when the governor would be discharged, he said: “The treatment is ongoing. You know he has been involved in a major accident. He needs some days in hospital. We need to monitor his progress and see how he is doing. I can’t give a date of discharge as at now. I will tell you that he will be out of hospital as soon as possible”.

He said the governor had confidence in their capacity to treat him as can be done anywhere in the world.

“He gave his consent for treatment and that treatment was immediately done. It was done as fast as it was needed to be done. There is no immediate need for him to be flown anywhere. He is stable. He is fine.

“His injuries have been looked after to a standard that is up to what is available in any part of the world. He quite understands that and he was happy to accept the treatment. And he is quite happy with the outcome of the treatment,” the doctor added.

Also speaking, Wada’s media aide said the governor insisted that he believed in the medical situation in Nigeria and would not love to be flown abroad because of injuries that could be handled by Nigerians.

“Let me add that as soon as the accident occurred, the governor was taken to Kogi State Specialist Hospital where he got initial treatment. Even before coming here, he was in very high spirit. I spoke to him. I shook hands with him. He waved to a lot of people,” Edi said.

On the health condition of the driver, who was also involved in the accident, the media aide said “the driver, Jibril Isa, is also stable and alive.

“I can confirm to you that we lost his ADC, Muhammad Idris, who was an Assistant Superintendent of Police. But the driver is stable and alive. He is at Kogi Specialist Hospital”.

Edi confirmed that Deputy Governor Yomi Awoniyi was out of the country, but said he is in touch with the ailing governor.

Among those who visited Governor Wada at the hospital yesterday were Vice President Namadi Sambo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim, former national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr Ahmadu Ali and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi among others.

The governor along with his now deceased ADC and driver had the accident while returning from the Igala Education Conference in Anyigba, near the state capital, Lokoja, on Friday.

The accident happened when the governor, who was travelling in a Lexus jeep, had a burst tyre on his way back to Lokoja after attending the conference in Anyigba.

The accident occurred in the afternoon at Emi Woro Village, about 12 kilometres to Lokoja.

The governor was flown to Abuja in a helicopter and hospitalised at CEDARCREST Hospital.