Gov Wada rejects treatment abroad

*Undergoes 2-hr surgery in  Abuja

Contrary to insinuations, Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State may not be flown abroad for the treatment of the injuries he sustained in the accident involving his convoy on  Friday.

Doctors at the hospital where the governor was receiving treatment hinted, yesterday, that Wada rejected the option of flying him abroad for further treatment after undergoing what was described as inter-locking nail surgery on his thigh broken in the crash.

The surgery, which lasted two hours, was said to have been successful.

Spokesman for the governor, Mr Jacob Edi, echoed the doctors position when he said his principal was stable.
“I saw His Excellency after the unfortunate accident. He has been stabilised since last night (Friday). I spoke with him and he shook my hands. It was after he stabilised that he was flown to Abuja,”Edi told Sunday Vanguard.

The governor was said to have suffered a broken thigh among other injuries when his vehicle ran into a ditch after a burst tyre on Friday afternoon at Emi Woro village, about 12 kilometers to Lokoja, the state capital.
His ADC died while his driver reportedly escaped unhurt.

The wrecked car after the accident.

Wada was returning to Lokoja from Kogi State University where he attended a function when the crash occurred.

The governor was rushed to the Kogi State Specialist, Lokoja where he was treated before he was taken to Cedar Crest Hospital, Abuja  for further treatment.

Vice President Namadi Sambo; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; and a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Alhaji Ahmadu  Ali; were among those who visited the Abuja hospital to see the injured Wada  yesterday.

The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Felix Ogodengbe, who spoke for the doctors handling the governor’s treatment, confirmed, yesterday, that Wada suffered a broken thigh among other injuries.

Ogedengbe said the governor ruled out the option of being flown abroad for further treatment of his injuries after a two-hour  operation on the thigh on Friday night.

He stated: “When  the governor was brought in at 8pm (on Friday),  we were told he was involved in a car accident and we checked him and explained the nature of his injuries to him. We also told him about our ability to manage the injuries. He had a broken thigh and he was taken to the theatre. The governor has since stabilized and he had a nice night; he said he would not be taken abroad for treatment because he has confidence in our capacity to manage him. There is no immediate need to fly him abroad.”

The medical director could, however, not  state the possible date when the patient would be discharged, saying Wada needed time to recuperate.

He said, “The governor is quite happy to take treatment here; the treatment is on-going. He needs some days in the hospital and I can’t give a date of discharge now.”

Abuja hospital where Gov Wada had surgery.

Findings at the hospital indicated that the surgical procedure performed on  Wada  would enable him regain the full use of the affected thigh  with interlocking nails.

The use of the interlocking nails procedure, according to medical experts, entails intramedullary pin secured in position by proximal and distal transfixing screws which engage the bone to the nail to provide axial bending and torsional stability.

Meanwhile, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, yesterday, prayed God to grant Wada quick recovery even as he urged Nigerians to also pray for the governor.

Orji, who described the accident as “very sad and shocking”, also commiserated with the family of the Kogi governor’s ADC, who died in the accident.

The Abia governor, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Ugochukwu Emezue, lamented the death of the ADC.