COVID-19: The Scramble To Save Femi Odekunle’s Life Yielded 170 Oxygen Cylinders

[Edoman]

Mr Odekunle, a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, died Tuesday from COVID-19.

By Ebuka Onyeji

The frantic bid to save Femi Odekunle from COVID-19 complications yielded donations and pledges of over 170 cylinders of oxygen from his family, friends and close associates, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

Mr Odekunle, a professor of criminology and member of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), battled the highly infectious disease for 12 days.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the professor was left gasping for air during his treatment due to shortages in oxygen supply at the isolation centre at the Abuja University Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada. He died on Tuesday evening at the facility.

In a bid to save him, his friends, largely top government officials and politicians rallied for oxygen from far and near to support his breathing, those familiar with the matter told PREMIUM TIMES.

This resulted in the donation of over 170 oxygen cylinders by friends and associates. It is unclear if some of the pledges were eventually redeemed since the professor died before a good number of the equipment are delivered.

The hospital’s Chief Medical Director (CMD), Bissallah Ekele, admitted there was shortage of oxygen in the facility, a situation he blamed on the recent surge in coronavirus infections officially declared the second wave.

He, however, said Mr Odekunle died because of the “severity of his infection.”

The medical director, in a text message Thursday afternoon to this reporter, said “when we had the crises last week, some patients and other Hospitals in the FCT supported us with cylinders of Oxygen but that was resolved as soon as the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 waged into the matter and we now have adequate supply!”

Scramble for Oxygen

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, signing the Y2021 Appropriation Bill into Law at Lagos House, Marina, on Thursday, December 31, 2020.

According to details obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, there were multiple interventions by the governors of Lagos and Osun, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Adegboyega Oyetola, the health ministry, the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, and the Air Force to procure oxygen for Mr Odekunle.

Rauf Aregbesola, the minister of interior, led the intervention process, our sources said.

While efforts to get oxygen began over the weekend, many of them did not arrive before Tuesday evening when Mr Odekunle died.

Our sources said the Gwagwalada isolation centre hurriedly sent 100 big cylinders, through the efforts of the Nigerian Air Force, for refill in Yola, the Adamawa State capital. Those were billed to be delivered to Abuja on Tuesday.

The facility was also to receive about 50 big cylinders from Jos on Tuesday. It is unclear who made that donation.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that 10 oxygen cylinders were delivered to Mr Odekunle’s bedside by a donor identified as NHA late Monday.

Also, four big cylinders were stationed at Air Force base, Ikeja, Lagos, to be flown to Mr Odekunle’s ward on Tuesday morning.

Another 10 big oxygen cylinders were also arranged by Olu Aina, a professor, and Mr Aregbesola, from Osogbo, and were scheduled to be flown to Abuja by special helicopter.

This newspaper also learnt that one big cylinder was donated by the Nigerian Air Force and was delivered to Mr Odekunle’s ward by his son, Dayo, and an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

“A lot of the oxygen procured for Professor Odekunle were not delivered before he died,” an associate of the late University teacher said. “I think in the interest of humanity, his friends and family should ensure that all the oxygen cylinders donated and pledged are delivered to the isolation centre to save the lifes of patients still alive.”

In a statement he released after Mr Odekunle’s passage, former Minister Olu Agunloye said the late professor’s “friends rose stoutly to his support … but it was just too late.”

“Top Government functionaries amongst them led by Hon Minister Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola along with President’s Spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, SGF Boss Mustapher and two sitting Governors tore through bureaucracies and red tapes and pulled stunts but the damages to Femi’s health appeared to have gone too far for remedy,” Mr Agunloye said.

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