Businessman calls Primate of all Nigeria to intervene over his disagreement with Management of Iyenu Mission hospital

demands N36 million to vacate premises.

By Eche.Nwaobasi, NNEWI

An Onitsha based businessman, Mr. Benjamin Ubakeze, has called on the Primate of All Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, to intervene in the disagreement between him and the Management of Iyienu Mission Hospital, now University on the Niger Teaching Hospital, Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area Anambra State over the running of a Rellaxation park in the hospital.

Iyienu Mission Hospital, now University on the Niger Teaching Hospital, is managed by the Diocese on the Niger, Anglican Communion, Anambra State.

Mr. Ubakeze, while addressing newsmen in presence of his wife Felicia, said that he developed the Relaxation park when less than 30 people were students and workers in the hospital alleging that when the place started booming with activities of students and workers, some people ganged up to eject him without considering what he and his wife spent developing the place.

He alleged that all efforts he has made for the Bishop to intervene in the matter were blocked by the people behind their attempted ejection from the place, saying that there is no peace maker in the Diocese on the Niger.

According to him, “The last Wednesday attempt by the Administrator of the hospital to drop without a constructed metal trading shop, popularly known as Container in front of my shop warranted this call on the Primate to intervene in this matter since there is no peace maker in the Diocese on the Niger.”

“The attempt to drop the constructed metal shop, popularly known as Container, was to maliciously block the entrance to our shop. Anybody is free to be allowed space to trade in the premises, but what we wont allow is blocking entrance I constructed our shop to be blocked because somebody wants to frustrate us out of the premises.

“We were permitted some years ago through letters and other necessary documents by the former Administrator of the the hospital, Rev. Cannon John Amizu, now retired, to develop a former dumping grounds by the contractor, who handled the Old Nkpor Awka Enugu road, to a Relaxation park.

“My wife and I sold our shops at Textile Market, Niger Bridge Head Onitsha and Oyeolisa Market Ogbunike, to raise money to clear the rubbles and develop the place to a Relaxation park, only to be served a quit notice by the new Administrator of the Hospital, who succeeded Rev. Canon Amizu, less than one year I finished the project with the shop i built to service the Relaxation park.

“Am an Evangelist in the Diocese on the Niger, Anglican Communion, I was the Evangelical Director, Prayer Team Leader, and Hospital Visitation Team Leader in the Chapel of Divine Compassion, the Anglican Church in the premises of the hospital, that was the main reason I was permitted to develop the Relaxation park, before the disagreement with the new Administrator of the hospital.

“My wife was an international business woman, we developed this park with over N50 million, to make it what it is today, but the new hospital administrator wanted to illegally eject us to put a new person, but we are asking the hospital management through the court to pay us just N36 million as we stated in the court. They dragged us to court when they tried without success to eject us from the back doors.

“The N36 million we ask them to pay us through the court is for the expenses that were documented, we made to develop the park. We believe we were serving and doing the work of God to develop the hospital, we never knew that one day they will come up with the idea of forceful ejection, without allowing us to recoup what we spent developing this place.

“We are still in the court, we even went to court on Tuesday, we were surprise on Wednesday, a Venerable in Diocese on the Niger, led a group of people with a constructed metal trading Container and ordered them to drop it at the entrance of our shop, that services the Relaxation park.

“All effort to know the reason for such action through questions I asked him were rebuffed, he didn’t answer any question i threw to him, he was only asking the boys he came with to drop the contained, but we prevented them, the boys wounded me and manhandled my wife.

“We told them that they should wait for court to decide on the matter. They should not use self help and take laws into their hands. The church should show good example by obeying the law and respecting the court they took us to.

“We did not buy this place they allocated the space to us and we developed and beautified it, built the shop according to their specification. We started paying rent from N18,000 to N60,000 for the space as part of the agreement. We have been paying them even as the matter is still in the court. We have paid for 2023. In few days now we will pay for 2024.

“If they want to throw us out they should refund us the money we spent, that is all we are demanding in the court they took us. We didn’t go to court, they dragged us to court, they should wait for the court to decide on the case instead of resorting to self help, the court has not told them to prevent us from trading in the premises or block entrance to our shop.

“We have been paying them since four years we are in the court over the matter. If they give us the N36 million, today we will leave the premises today. Is not our land, they allocated the space to us and we built everything you people are seeing here in the Relaxation park. They should wait for the court to decide on the matter instead of the self help measures they have been introducing in the matter.

“It is unfortunate that this disagreement has been lingering for over four years and nobody in the Diocese is talking about it because they are afraid to tell the Bishop the truth. That is why we are calling on the Primate of All Nigeria Anglican Communion to intervene in the matter.”

Contacted for comments, the priest who led the team that brought the constructed metal shop, said he is not competent to talk on the matter. He said that his name should not be mentioned because he is not competent to speak on the matter.