Abia State Governor Alex Otti has named the newly renovated Obingwa General Hospital after the late Chima Ubani, honouring the human rights activist and pro-democracy campaigner who died in the course of his advocacy work. The 80-bed facility, commissioned on Tuesday at the Obingwa Local Government headquarters, now bears Ubani’s name as a permanent tribute to a man Otti described as “a mentor of the masses” who lived and died in pursuit of justice and democracy for ordinary Nigerians.
Ubani, a native of Obingwa LGA, rose to national prominence as a student leader at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, before going on to lead the Civil Liberties Organisation, one of Nigeria’s foremost civil society institutions during the country’s transition from military rule. His decades of activism centred on democratic governance, civil liberties, and the welfare of Nigeria’s most vulnerable citizens.
Otti told the gathering that the renaming was designed to preserve Ubani’s memory while inspiring current and future generations to embrace courage, service and integrity in public life. He pledged continued support for Ubani’s family and said his administration would keep working with health professionals and community stakeholders to strengthen care delivery across the state.
The choice of tribute struck a chord with attendees, who noted that pairing a human rights icon’s name with a health facility built to serve “whoever comes here for medical reasons… whatever their social or economic conditions,” as Otti put it, reflected the same commitment to equity and dignity that defined Ubani’s activism.
Beyond the renaming, the governor used the occasion to showcase the hospital’s upgrades, including digital data management systems, real-time collaboration with other facilities, a well-equipped theatre and eye-care unit, and a renewable energy system intended to guarantee round-the-clock power. Health Commissioner Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche said the facility forms part of a broader push that has seen 301 health infrastructure projects executed under Otti’s administration, including 277 primary health centres statewide, 18 of them in Obingwa alone.
