By Olusegun Olanrewaju
Before he took his eternal exit on Monday, former Nigerian information and culture minister and Rivers State military governor, Anthony Ukpo, had a tall dream.
The retired brigadier-general in the Nigerian Army wanted to battle the daunting challenge of a dreaded disease still in search of a cure, cancer, with the dream of building a first-class oncological centre in his native Cross River State.
He almost got there, before the cold hands of death snatched him away from his dream, leaving behind a huge project begging for commissioning.
Ukpo, 74, according to a relative, died in the early hours of Monday at his privately-owned Asi Ukpo Calabar Hospital, in the Cross River State capital, after a brief illness.
Facilities at the cancer centre
The cancer hospital has the dream of world-class status. The Asi Ukpo Oncological Centre.
Before Ukpo’s demise, the Cross River State Government had taken time to campaign hard for the project.
Governor Ben Ayade said it is the best thing to happen in the medical circle in the country, considering the enormous resources dissipated yearly to treat cancer-related ailments abroad.
Named Asi Ukpo Oncology Centre, the facility is poised to be the premier cancer treatment centre in Nigeria and West Africa, utilising the best equipment available from top manufacturers worldwide.
The management said the plan was to treat all forms of cancer using a wide range of the latest techniques and technologies.
They added that the Centre would also be involved in training and research, as well as helping to grow, I large number, skilled practising oncologists and “the body of knowledge available in the country”.
The ASI Ukpo Oncology Centre, according to ranking, is a hallmark project of TSl Property and Investment Holdings Limited.
It is a privately-owned holding company, based in Nigeria floated by the late Brigadier-General Stephen Anthony Ukpo, As a company, on promotion, it had the vision of preferring and providing for the Nigerian, international standard products and services.
The Centre also aims at creating, with a global mission, value in communities through investment in sustainable ventures.
Thus, in setting up an Oncology Centre that is in line with the company‘s values, the late Ukpo, became the Chairman/CEO of TSl Property & investment Holdings Ltd.
The retired general resumed another phase in life as an industrialist with varied interests in hospitality, agriculture, manufacturing, property development and healthcare.
ASI Ukpo Diagnostics & Medical Centre (ADMC) was established in 2013 to make readily available and affordable comprehensive medical services to Nigerians, especially those residing within the South-South and South-East geographical zone of the country.
In 2016, the company opened another diagnostic centre in Ogoja, in the northern of Cross River State.
To better reflect its range of services, the company said it had to change its name to ASI Ukpo Hospitals in 2018. “We place patient care at the pinnacle of our company’s values,” the hospital said.
Life and times of the founder
Born on July 16, 1947, the late general was a minister of information and culture, and later the governor of Rivers State between August 1986 and July 1988 during the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida.
Ukpo was born in Okpoma, Yala, in the northern segment of Cross River State. On joining the army, he rose through the ranks to become a brigadier-general before his retirement.
A stout Catholic, he died in his private hospital in Calabar early Monday due to an undisclosed ailment.
Tribute
Short of tears, his home-state governor, Prof Ben Ayade, described Ukpo’s death as unfair.
In a tribute on the incident date of Monday, the governor commiserated with the widow of the late Ukpo, Salome Ufoma, and their children.
Governor Ayade, at the Calabar residence of the late former military administrator of Rivers State, consoled with the family, assuring them of government support and participation in the funeral rites.
The governor said the death of the retired general only reinforced his philosophy of life, which was that life is but vanity. “That is just my philosophy about life. From nothing to nothing, life is just a waste. “General Ukpo was a great man, a great warrior; he lived very strongly for this country.
“He had established factories and industries to create jobs for his people. “And today, he remains one of the major investors in Cross River State as a Cross Riverian.
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Legacy project
Ayade summarises the plight of the important cancer centre in Nigeria. “It is so sad that we have to lose him at this time, particularly with his huge investments in the social medicine, where he was setting up a cancer treatment centre that is almost due for commissioning,” According to Ayade, “Having gone at this time is really regrettable, but God knows best.”
He urged the family to stay strong and not despair, knowing that their late father left behind legacies that would etch his name in the sands of time. “The family has to be strong; they have a matriarch to take off from here.
As is, the family, especially the three children left behind by the deceased are left with the enviable task of completing the project.
Not to worry, the governor has noticed the ‘level-headedness of the siblings and their commitment to the ideals of their father. “I have told them to be strong and take heart, and be aware that he (Ukpo) is resting in the bosom of the Lord. “Let them be strong and keep his legacies,” Ayade concluded.
The Asi Ukpo Oncology Center
Our team has a unique combination of resources to fight and defeat cancer. We will provide an adapted service with a multidisciplinary clinical team of specialists consisting of Radiation & Medical Oncologists, Surgeons, Physicists, Radiologist, Endoscopists, Pathologists, Specialized Nursing Personnel, Dietitians and Physical Therapists.
Incentives to patients
In order to provide additional convenience to our patients and their families, we will be providing subsidised flight tickets into Calabar from all West African countries, as well as from Lagos and Abuja within Nigeria. Once in Calabar, we will also provide a discount on accommodation with our partner 520 Hotels Asdam Lodge & Spa. The city of Calabar is famous for its serene and beautiful environment and is a great place to recuperate in.
