Dr. Geoffrey Orajekwe, the Chief Medical Director, New Nigeria Hospital, Kirikiri Town, Apapa Lagos, has been recognized with an award of excellence in dynamic leadership by Pan African Youth Development Centre.
The award recognizes Dr. Geoffrey Orajekwe’s immense contributions to the well-being of the sick and the community in general.
In the words of Dr. Geoffrey Orajekwe:
“I thank God because it is His handiwork. I tell people that when you recognise that the profession you’re into is your religion, you’ll practice it with faith. And with that faith, God almighty will continue to make thing’s happen for you.
Your good work is your award. In medicine we don’t advertise. It is your handiwork. When most award companies come to my office to inform me of meriting an award, I ask them: who nominated me? Sometimes I wonder how some of them would come from Maryland, Ikeja and other places where we have hospitals to Kirikiri Town in search of the Chief Medical Director of New Nigeria Hospital to present an award. It baffles me.
They told me they run an independent television programme on the Nigeria Television Authority where they ask their viewers to phone in and nominate Nigerians that are doing exceptionally well in community service within their neighborhood for an award and they had more calls coming from Kirikiri Town that gave out my name, Dr J.J. as they fondly call me and the name of my hospital.
For Pan Africa Youth Development Centre, who gave me this award, I daresay the reason for the award is in tandem with the way I practice, because every year I receive awards from different organizations I don’t even know. They just called me to say they want to present an award to me. Even when I was curious to know how they got my profile, they would prefer I keep numb until they come. When they come, I’ll be surprised at the testimonials from people I have professionally touched their lives.
Whatever you do, there are people keeping records. It is the same way we have allegations of some doctors who will seize some patients’ generators and televisions because they could not pay their medical bills after treatment. Some insist patients must make deposit before they commence treatment. Why must you ask a patient to make deposit before you commence treatment? How much is the cost of drug? We must tell ourselves the truth.”
The Executive Director, Pan Africa Youth Development Centre, Dr. John Odionyme who was represented at the presentation of the award by Victory Johnson and Gloria Odionyme explained the objectives of the centre.
We came to New Nigeria Hospital to recognize Dr. Geoffrey Orajekwe, Chief Medical Director of the hospital with an award of a Dynamic Leader. He was chosen for the award by our viewers who called in from Kirikiri Town and Its environs in the phone-in segment of the show. They called to tell us how Dr Orajekwe has impacted their lives through his medical practice, which was corroborate by our past awardees. We didn’t just get to know his philanthropic gestures, several other people called to attest to It. In fact his name kept popping out in the course of the show.
According to Dr. John Odionyme:
“One of the callers described his humanitarian gestures as beyond ethnic sentiment. They said that he is a detribalized Nigerian who speaks the major Nigerian Languages.
We equally got to know that any medical case he couldn’t handle, should be left to God to handle. He is a perfect gentleman who inspires and mentors people and his hospital has a setting of a community hospital. He treats first and afterwards charges.We have given similar awards to a lot of Nigerians who are leading lights. Our programme on NTA is inspirational where people phone In to give names of those who have touched lives in one way or another. We have orphanages we partner with and some of our awardees have some of the indigent people in our orphanages they are paying their school fees, feeding and clothing allowances. We are indeed inspired by the humanitarian works of these men and women and it is what reinforces our desire to honour them and to let them know that their labour of love is not in vain.
We don’t just give out awards, we make sure that the recipient have impacted the lives of others, with some testimonies of people, before we give you our plaque. For Dr. Geoffrey Orajekwe, the people spoke well of him, which motivated us to consider him a recipient of the dynamic leader award.
We believe that awards should be given to people who positively impact lives and not because of your fat bank account. There is no other life other than the one that touches others, It is the essence of living and a legacy that must endures for a long time.”
