In a poignant revelation that underscored the pressing need for healthcare reform, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, recounted a harrowing personal tragedy during a ministerial screening session at the upper legislative body in Abuja, as reported by CHANNELS TELEVISION.
Akpabio’s emotionally charged account unfolded on Friday during the screening of Tunji Alausa, a ministerial nominee put forth by President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. As Alausa navigated through the questions and concerns surrounding Nigeria’s healthcare system, Akpabio candidly admitted to being a victim of medical neglect himself, shedding light on a deeply distressing episode.
The former governor of Akwa Ibom State recounted the tragic loss of his first grandchild in 2019, a devastating event that unfolded within the confines of a federal medical center. Recounting the heart-wrenching sequence of events, Akpabio revealed, “He was receiving drip and it was tissued in the night — there was no help.”
Struggling to maintain his composure, Akpabio continued to narrate the grim circumstances. “He was looking for water to drink. He rolled on the floor outside and entered the early morning dew. No doctor, no nurse. He bled until he lost 60 percent of his blood and almost going mental, he struggled and fell on the floor.” The absence of medical intervention left the child in a critical state, eventually leading to a coma.
Akpabio’s account detailed the desperate measures he took to save his grandchild. “I struggled. They went and brought a defibrillator to attempt to revive the heart, but it did not work.” Despite his efforts and those of his personal physician, the situation remained dire. With deep sorrow, he concluded, “I could not revive him. I had to close his eyes and put him in the mortuary,”
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