Why My Father Died of COVID-19 – General Ukpo’s Son; Mailafia, Too

By Gideon Njoku

The University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, UATH, has hinted that former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Obadiah Mailafia died of the  COVID-19 pandemic.

This was as a son of former Military Governor of Rivers State, Brigadier-General Anthony Ukpo revealed that his father, the General, died of COVID-19.

Ukpo, also, a former Minister for Information. died two weeks ago.

The young man, in an emotional but courageous video recording said his father’s death was unnecessary, as it was avoidable.

He lamented that his father fell victim to false conspiracy theories, like the 5G signal, surrounding the COVID-19 Vaccine,  propounded by Pastors, friends and family.

But for that, he bemoaned, his father, who he described  as  a brilliant giant of a man could have been alive today.

The younger Ukpo said watching his father battle  for a month with the disease, was the most painful experience he has had to endure.

His words:

“My dad died from COVID two weeks ago today. And  watching his month-long battle with the disease was the most painful thing I have ever had to endure.

“And the most upsetting thing about it is that it was totally unnecessary. It was the fake conspiracies and lies from the very beginning of the pandemic. Stuff about 5G signals and plandemics and   a lot of those conspiracies carried over once the Vaccine became available.

“If people are given bad information from trusted sources like your Pastor your friends and your  family, those people will make bad decision just based on false information,  and the consequences are immense.

“My dad was a beautiful brilliant giant of a man who should still  be here today.

“But he believed the people he trusted. Those people turned out to be bad teachers, and he paid the price for his life.”

In Mailafia’s case,  UATH said it tried everything to keep him alive, but at the time he was brought in at about 3.00pm on Saturday, his condition was already bad, and his oxygen saturation was 60 percent.

The Hospital, speaking through its Ag. Public Relations Officer, Michael Atiga, said contrary to the claims of shabby treatment made against its personnel, Mailafia was given a VIP treatment, as he was being expected, and kept at the VIP Isolation wing.

He vehemently denied that anybody asked him for a kobo before treatment, and that the question of money came after his death. He said that once told that the CBN would settle the bill, no other question was asked.

It is not known, yet, if Mailafia took the COVID-19 Vaccine or not before he contracted the disease.