Introducing Dr. Chris Ede,
Dr Chris Ede, a Russian trained medical doctor hails from Ugbawka, in Nkanu East LGA.
He is the Managing Director/CEO of MAXIVISION Eye Hospital, Lagos. A Specialist Hospital adjudged one of the best in Africa.
I first met him during a medical mission which his hospital organized for Enugu State Government, during the administration of His Excellency Sullivan Chime.
Another opportunity with him came when Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo Youth Council, conferred on him the position of PATRON. This event took place about eight years ago and he spoke passionately about Governance, politics, and way forward for Enugu State
Hear him: If you ask me about the development of any society in Africa today, I will name three things. Number one Industrialization, number two Industrialization, number three Industrialization.
“Because we have not started and Enugu State has the opportunity. We only need to draw at both human and natural resources that are available, do a proper analysis to be able to have a synergy between what comparative advantages the state has and tailor a programme that will bring in investors and industries that will make use of those comparative advantages for the industrial development of the state.
“The state has opportunity to be an Industrial hub, it has opportunity to be a scientific hub in Nigeria and Africa if there is proper planning and programming. Building scientific and Industrial parks that would make use of the large number of talents that we have among our young people.
“Create conditions that will be attractive to our many specialists that are outside the country making contributions to the development of other countries and societies when we need more of their services.”
Plans for Ogbete Main Market
Ede said there will be no need to relocate the Ogbete Main Market. “I believe Ogbete doesn’t need to be moved, it will stay there but in a different form. In the form of a transformation that will see ultra modern multi floor shopping Mall that will have multi floor underground parking lots to clear the double parking you see on the roads and some flyovers that will relieve the traffic around the market.”
This he said won’t be difficult to do if the correct atmosphere is created to get investors.
Who is Dr. Chris Ede?
He grew up in the village. Went to school at the Community School Obeagu Ugbawka, not far from the railway station then, when rail was still operational.
After his Common Entrance as it was done in those days, Ede was posted to Boys Secondary School Ozoubulu in the old Anambra State.
After his secondary school he traveled to Kano as a little boy looking for job. He started work with the Northern Nigeria Flower Mills as an Accounts Clark with a salary of N250, in 1982.
In the course of those years he became involved in trade union. He eventually travelled to Bulgaria late 1982 on a10-month-Course where he studied Philosophy and Politcial Economy.
On his return, Dr. Ede worked as State Organizing Secretary for the Civil Service Technical Workers Union in Kano.
During that period he still had the urge and desire to further his education. Fortunately, he got a scholarship to study medicine in the then Soviet Union.
The Enugu guber hopeful, studied at the People’s Friendship University of Russia which was then named after Patrice Lumumba and graduated in 1991 just about the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
He was in Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. As it is in life every situation has some opportunities in it. Russia was stepping into market economy and he catched in on the opportunities and opened some businesses as well as trying some efforts in commercial ventures.
He had a company in the area of electricals, lighting fixtures, crystal chandeliers, most of which were in high demand. He was importing his goods from Austria, from Italy and others.
He continued until 2006 when he had a project to build a 60 Megawatts Power Station by the Bayelsa State Government.
After that project, he decided to fully return to Nigeria and set up the hospital. And since then has been both on and off in Russia, in New York. He has also been participating in a whole lot of politcial activities especially in the area of politcial activism.
MAXIVISION Eye Hospital, Lagos
An eye specialist Hospital, among the leading eye care centres in Africa. It has made its mark in the industry.
Patients who have had their sights restored even at some very difficult circumstance and have testified the wonderful records of the hospital.
The hospital has also engaged in some outreach progrmames doing free eye screening in various parts of the country.
In Enugu State it came and did free eye screening in the three Senatorial zones; at Agbani, Nsukka and Udi.
It has also done same in three Federal Universities, University of Ibadan, in Lagos, in Akwa Ibom as part of our corporate social responsibility and also as a way of giving back to the society.
The federal universities are UNN and Othman Danfodio University, Sokoto.
Similar progrmames were also carried out in various places in Lagos-Ikeja, Ikorodu and the lsat one at the palace of the Oba of Lagos.
There have also had progrmames with the International Women Federation for Peace. They brought in widows and the hospital offered treatment free of charge.
It has also in conjunction with some other corporate organizations engaged in some free eye Servics. Both for their staff and some localities that we jointly carry out with them.
A man who values human capital development Dr. Ede has also been focused on training young people in various fields.
He has trained 21 persons in various Russian Institutions, various professions some of them up to PhD levels, some up to masters level.
He rehabilitated one of the major roads that leads to his village, Akpaa. “The last time I saw that road graded was as a little boy in primary school.
“So when I came back one of the yeras, in 2011 precisely I tried to go through that road it was not possible. I had to go back, go through another circuitous routes. From that day I took a decision and started doing that road. It took me four months to complete the work and as if it was God that sent me, after doing that road, the only other road connecting the two Communities, the bridge collapsed.
“So when the bridge collapsed it was the road I just finished that became the only link both in and out for the two Communities there was no other. And I thank God that He made it possible for me to do it at that particular time.”
Ede has also tried his best in helping some other categories in the social strata, the widows, orphans, currently he just cleared a place he is preparing for a Health Centre for the village.
He has also embarked on a rural electrification progrmame in a deliberate effort to bring electricity to his Community. All poles for the project have already been erected. NDI ENUGU, BETTER DAYS ARE HERE WITH DR EDE CHRIS.
Ozor Eke Joel Chinedu
Ozor Okedinchi wrote from Enugu
