By Callistus Agwaza in Jalingo
Former Defence Minister, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) inaugurated an ultra-modern mortuary he constructed for the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Jalingo, Taraba state.
The state-of-the-art facility, equipped with some of the best preservation technologies available, is aimed at addressing long-standing challenges faced by the hospital.
Speaking while inaugurating on Thursday, Danjuma decried poor maintenance culture among Nigerians.
“We don’t have a maintenance culture in this country. You have to maintain this facility to serve the society better,” he said.
He urged the hospital management to ensure the equipment remains in optimal condition for years to come.
The elder statesman explained that his motivation to build the mortuary stemmed from a personal experience.
He recounted a situation where the body of his personal lawyer’s mother was poorly preserved at the hospital.
“At the point of evacuation for the burial, the corpse was not in good shape. When I heard the story, I directed my white engineer to come up with a proposal using the best equipment in the world,” he said.
He noted that though the project was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, he expressed gratitude for its completion, stressing that it would improve service delivery at the hospital.
Speaking earlier, the Chief Medical Director of FMC Jalingo, Dr. Aisha Adamu, expressed deep appreciation for the generous donation.
She commended Danjuma’s continuous humanitarian efforts, particularly his support to the healthcare sector.
“This facility is a game-changer for us, and we pledge to make the best use of it,” she said, promising that the hospital management would prioritize its upkeep.
