An Old Schoolmate, a Hospital Bed, and Why I Thought of Governor Ododo »

By Hamza Yakubu

At the early hours of today, an old schoolmate reached out to me on Facebook after many years of lost communication.

For context, I attended AAAMCO, a college in the heart of Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State, fondly referred to as the Great Lion of the North. We had students from different parts of Northern Nigeria, many of whom returned to their respective states after graduation. While we remained connected with some, life happened, and we lost touch with others.

This particular friend was one of them.

So, there was excitement when we reconnected. But beneath that excitement was an urgent cry for help.

His mother, a pensioner, was on a sickbed in the hospital. At the same time, his wife, who was due for delivery, developed complications and had to undergo an emergency Caesarean section. The financial burden was enormous.

He shared the necessary details with me, and I offered the little support I could. Later in the evening, he reached out again with good news: the surgery had been successful, and both his wife and baby were doing well.

I was happy.

But as our conversation continued, I asked about his mother.

He explained her condition and the financial burden her treatment had placed on him. For a moment, I paused. Here was a civil servant, whose mother was also a pensioner, yet healthcare had become such a difficult financial battle.

I asked him about their State Health Insurance Scheme.

His response was disheartening.

And immediately, my mind travelled back home—to Kogi State.

I remembered a friend, a federal civil servant, whose wife works with the Kogi State Government. When they welcomed a child at a hospital in Lokoja about a year ago, he initially planned to use his NHIS benefits. But upon comparing the available options, he discovered that his wife’s Kogi State Health Insurance benefits offered a better delivery package for their needs.

He stepped aside and allowed her to use her KGSHIA card.

That may sound like an ordinary story. But when you think deeply about it, it is not.

Because somewhere today, someone is battling sickness while calculating how much to borrow. Somewhere, a pregnant woman is worried about whether her family can afford the hospital. Somewhere, an elderly pensioner is wondering how to pay for treatment.

And that is when I realised something: health insurance is not merely a government policy. Sometimes, it is the difference between hope and despair.

Under the leadership of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, the Kogi State Health Insurance Scheme is increasingly becoming more than a policy—it is becoming hope delivered.

Building on the existing foundation, the administration has continued to expand access to healthcare across the state, bringing the scheme closer to ordinary people—the student, the pregnant woman, the pensioner, the civil servant, the farmer, the trader and the driver.

Today, hundreds of thousands of Kogi residents are enrolled. But beyond the numbers are human beings and families who can sleep a little better knowing that when sickness comes, they do not have to face it alone.

Perhaps, one of the most thoughtful steps is Governor Ododo’s decision to encourage and mandate senior government appointees to extend the reach of the scheme by registering members of families and communities.

We may see this as normal today, but we should pause to understand what it means.

Somewhere, it could mean a mother receiving care without her family selling everything they own. It could mean a pensioner accessing treatment with dignity. It could mean a family avoiding the kind of midnight financial emergency my old schoolmate found himself facing today.

These things may not always make the loudest headlines, but they matter.

So, beyond politics and our different opinions, let us also pay attention to the opportunities available to us. Ask questions about the Kogi State Health Insurance Scheme. Find out how to enroll. Help someone in your family, community, or ward understand how they can benefit.

Because sometimes, the best thing we can do with a good policy is not just applaud it.

It is to ensure that the people who need it most can access it.

My conversation with my old schoolmate today reminded me that sickness does not ask whether we are prepared before it comes. And in those moments, access to healthcare can mean everything.

That is why good governance must ultimately be measured not only by the things we can see, but by the lives quietly made safer, healthier, and more hopeful.

And for every effort being made to give the people of Kogi State that assurance, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo deserves our appreciation.

Because the true beauty of leadership is not in the noise around power.

It is in the number of lives that become better because power was used to serve the people.

Thank you, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.