By Ndudirim Silvia Iloka
and Tosin Adeniran
Jasmine Suites, CBD, Abuja-FCT, had the quiet seriousness that often comes with political conversations that are not ceremonial. On Thursday, 16th April, select members of the League of Anambra Journalists, Abuja (LAJA) gathered there for an interactive session that quickly settled into deeper questions about representation and what it means for Orumba North and South Federal Constituency.
Dr. Odiraa Nwankwor joined the conversation remotely through Google Meet. Distance did not soften the tone of his submissions. He spoke steadily, and the journalists responded with questions that stayed fixed on one thing, what evidence sits behind the claim of readiness for public office.
Nwankwor, an Associate Professor whose medical practice is rooted in Paediatrics in addition to Intensive Care Unit specialization, drew from both fields in explaining his approach. He described Paediatrics as the part of his career that focused on prevention and the steady development of child health. ICU work, on the other hand, placed him in situations where decisions had to be made quickly and with precision.
He said those two experiences now shape how he sees responsibility. One teaches patience, the other teaches urgency. He placed both side by side as the foundation of how he interprets leadership.
Healthcare became the central point of his submission. He spoke about primary health centres that exist in many communities but do not function as they should. For him, the problem is not only infrastructure but how poorly systems are coordinated once services are needed.
He returned to ICU experience when speaking about emergency care. In that environment, delay can change everything. He said community health systems should be organized in a way that reduces waiting time and improves how patients are moved from one level of care to another.
Nwankwor spoke early intervention as areas that determine whether children survive and grow without avoidable complications.
He used the medium to also referenced medical outreaches he has participated in across different locations over time. He described them as part of an ongoing effort to take medical support beyond hospital walls into communities where access is limited.
On education, he spoke about a scholarship scheme he started within his kindred. He said it was later extended beyond his immediate circle when the need arose. In his view, education remains one of the strongest ways to change life outcomes in a lasting way.
Agriculture also came into the discussion.
He said his decision to step into the Green Chamber is driven by the belief that legislative office offers a wider structure for impact than individual interventions can provide. He also said he is ready to purchase his expression of interest form and take part in the APGA primary.
The journalists did not let the conversation drift into general statements. They kept returning to the same concern, how his in-depth background and now foray into governance and politics would mean when tested against the expectations of Orumba North and South Federal Constituency.
