Akwa Ibom State Attorney General, Uwemedimo Nwoko, on Tuesday disclosed that the ‘world-class’ hospital commissioned by former Governor Godswill Akpabio has not been activated to 100 percent capacity.
Nwoko made the revelation while debunking reports that Akpabio, who is currently the Minority Leader of the Senate, was flown abroad for quality medical treatment after an auto crash in Abuja on Monday, August 31.
The AG argued that Akpabio was on his way out of the country to visit his family when the car conveying him to the airport ran into a convoy of US embassy officials.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, Nwoko said: “Let me use this opportunity to correct one wrong impression, the former governor was not flown abroad for treatment. The distinguished Senator was actually on his way out of the country to visit his family that has been on holiday outside the country and he had wanted to move from there to the United States to attend a conference of his colleagues when the accident occurred.
“Recall that the accident occurred in the morning on Monday (August 31), and by 5:30pm he was discharged that same day. There was no serious injury that would have warranted foreign treatment or foreign medical attention.
“It was therefore not correct for people to insinuate that Senator Akpabio was flown abroad. He flew abroad on his own, he wasn’t flown by anybody. He was strong enough on Tuesday to make the trip which he cancelled on Monday because of the accident.
“After the accident, just like every other person who is in a car that had an impact, he had to go to the hospital where they did all manner of checks and confirmed that he had no internal injury, no broken bones and no dislocation. So the doctor certified him fit to make the trip on Tuesday morning.
“That impression that he went to a hospital abroad for treatment has to be corrected. As for the issue of the hospital he built, I can tell you because I am part of the team that incorporated that hospital.
“The hospital is functional. I can tell you that it is a hospital that was commissioned and is still going to be commissioned in phases.
“The first and second phases are functional and working right now, though not all the components of that hospital.
“I am not going to lie to you; the 100 per cent capacity has not been activated. However, assuming that the distinguished Senator needed medical attention, the hospital would have been enough to handle his case.
“But he did not need such medical attention. The National Hospital declared him fit to make the trip and he did so on Tuesday.”
