The Making Of A Trailblazer: How Ogbeifun-oviasu’s Initiated-ENAW Dialysis Center Is Giving Lifeline Across Edo

by MIKE OSAROGIAGBON

During a visit to the facility on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, Alltimepost.com examined its management, equipment, professional personnel, patient-care system, achievements, challenges and expansion plans. The visit also provided an opportunity to understand the motive behind ENAW’s investment in renal healthcare and the legacy of its outgoing president, Engr (Mrs.) Bose Ogbeifun-Oviasu after two terms in office from 2022 to 2026.

For a patient whose kidneys have failed, a dialysis machine is more than a piece of medical equipment. It can be the thin line between life and death.

Every time blood is passed through the machine to remove waste and excess fluid that failing kidneys can no longer adequately clear, the patient is buying another chance to live.

But in Nigeria, that chance has often come at a huge price.

Dialysis is expensive, equipment is not always readily available, power supply is a persistent concern, consumables can be costly or scarce, and the number of facilities capable of providing the service remains inadequate.

Against this backdrop, Engr (Mrs.) Bose Ogbeifun-Oviasu, the outgoing President of the Edo National Association Worldwide (ENAW), founded in 1992 with the motto “Unity is Strength,” made renal healthcare one of the signature interventions of her administration.

As part of her pet projects, she ensured that ENAW established the Dialysis and Diagnostic Centre at 1 Aideyan Avenue, off Vegetable Market Road, GRA, Benin City, Edo State capital, bringing specialized renal care closer to patients who might otherwise face long journeys in search of treatment.

The foundation was commissioned on January 7, 2026, and the center has since become a striking example of how organized community and diaspora support can translate into life-saving healthcare infrastructure.

During a visit to the facility on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, Alltimepost.com examined its management, equipment, professional personnel, patient-care system, achievements, challenges and expansion plans.

The visit also provided an opportunity to understand the motive behind ENAW’s investment in renal healthcare and the legacy of its outgoing president, Engr (Mrs.) Bose Ogbeifun-Oviasu after two terms in office from 2022 to 2026.

At the main entrance of the building, reflective boards bearing the bold title “ENAW HALL OF FAME DONORS” were displayed against the wall.

A guided tour of the facility revealed 11 dialysis machines strategically positioned beside state-of-the-art beds and dialysis chairs in the main ward and rooms, while one machine reportedly undergoing repairs had been isolated.

Five patients were sighted receiving treatment. Some people believed to be patients and relatives were also seen in the waiting room, while another patient was wheeled from a car into the facility.

The machines were said to be capable of supporting morning and evening sessions when patient demand requires it.

On an average day, Dialysis Technologist Engr. Iyiosa Fred Enosabata said the facility attends to about 14 to 15 patients.

Though the patients did not give consent to be interviewed or photographed, a woman who identified herself as the mother of one of the patients, expressed gratitude for the facility, saying, “This center is God-sent. It has restored our hope, Oga! I cannot explain it better than that. Thank you, sir!”

It was also observed that behind the impressive equipment is a more compelling story, people whose lives depend on the center remaining functional.

According to figures released by Ogbeifun-Oviasu as the curtain of her two-term tenure draws to a close (from 2022 to 2026), 2,500 patients have undergone dialysis in 3,696 sessions at the Benin center, while 3,134 patients have received clinical laboratory services.

The numbers become even more significant when viewed against the recurring nature of dialysis. For many patients, treatment is not a single appointment but a continuing medical necessity.

Engr. Enosabata disclosed that between January and July 2026 alone, the center attended to no fewer than 1,333 patients and recorded approximately 1,758 to 1,800 dialysis sessions.

Yet, even with 12 machines, the center cannot take its capacity for granted. He said machines can develop faults, sometimes requiring two or three days of technical intervention before returning to service.

It is a reminder that building a dialysis center is only the beginning. Keeping sophisticated equipment functional requires technicians, spare parts, maintenance and sustained funding.

Then comes electricity, a dialysis machine cannot operate on hope. ENAW therefore installed a large industrial solar system to reduce dependence on the national grid, while a 100KVA generating plant remains on standby as backup in the premises.

It was further observed that the center also made provision for water reserves because dialysis depends heavily on reliable water supply.

The human infrastructure is equally important. Engr. Enosabata said the center has a doctor on ground and about eight to 10 nurses, while a nephrologist oversees renal treatment.

He noted that patients undergo registration, laboratory investigations and medical review before they are cleared for dialysis.

The center has also created treatment arrangements for patients with viral conditions, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, who previously had to travel hundreds of kilometers outside Benin City to access appropriate dialysis.

For such patients, the intervention means more than treatment. It means fewer cumbersome journeys and reduced transportation costs.

The financial question, however, remains unavoidable. Engr. Enosabata said subsequent dialysis costs about ₦43,000 per session for regular patients, while patients requiring isolation because of viral conditions pay about ₦48,000 per subsequent session. The center says these services are subsidized.

For a patient who must return repeatedly, however, even subsidized treatment can become a heavy financial burden.

This is where ENAW’s intervention moves beyond the provision of machines. It is an attempt to reduce the cost, distance and inconvenience associated with accessing renal care.

And the vision is spreading. At Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, ENAW has completed another dialysis center which is already operating.

According to Ogbeifun-Oviasu’s report, 47 patients have been treated in 66 dialysis sessions, while 60 patients have accessed laboratory services. The facility is awaiting official commissioning by the incoming administration.

At Ekpoma, Esan West local government area of Edo State, construction of the ENAW Dialysis and Healthcare Centre has been completed, with landscaping, installation of medical equipment and furnishing remaining before commissioning.

For Ogbeifun-Oviasu, the dialysis project is rooted in an experience that predates her presidency.

During the commissioning of the Benin center, she recalled her family’s ordeal when her sister battled kidney failure in 2004.

“This project holds deep personal significance for me. Several years ago, in 2004, my family faced a challenging journey when my beloved sister battled kidney failure.”

She said she witnessed first-hand the pain, exhaustion and endless travel associated with treatment.

“More importantly, I observed her courage, and it became clear to me that many others were fighting the same silent battle, often without the means or access to care.”

For her, therefore, the center was never intended to be merely another building.

“Today, we are not merely opening a building; we are opening doors to hope, healing, and human dignity.”

She dedicated the facility as a “beacon of hope, compassion, resilience, and service” to people who need renal care.

Records made available to Alltimepost.com indicated that the outgoing president’s healthcare legacy, however, extends beyond dialysis.

Under her administration, ENAW sponsored more than 600 secondary-school students across Edo State’s three senatorial districts for WAEC examinations, through an initiative of the women’s department, headed by Mrs. Meg Uzzi, who is also outgoing.

The association also adopted Primary Healthcare Centers at Orogho and Odighi communities.

At Orogho, Orhionwmon local government area of Edo State, ENAW collaborated with community indigenes to conduct a medical mission that attended to more than 1,200 patients and provided free cataract surgery to more than 40 patients.

The organization also installed and activated a 5G internet router at the Orogho PHC, enabling telehealth services and remote training for clinical staff.

At Odighi, Ovia North-East local government area of Edo State, ENAW supported the provision of water through the construction of an artisan well at the community’s primary healthcare center.

Another part of Ogbeifun-Oviasu’s legacy is succession planning. Her administration initiated and supported the inclusion of young adult children of ENAW members in the Young Adult Professionals (YAP), group, designed to prepare the next generation of leaders.

But perhaps the most difficult question facing the association now is sustainability.

Machines require maintenance. Solar systems and generators require servicing. Consumables remain expensive. Medical professionals must be retained, and patients must continue to receive affordable treatment.

Much of the support for the center, according to Engr. Enosabata, has come from ENAW members and donors, including members of the diaspora, rather than government intervention.

The challenge for the incoming administration will therefore be to protect and sustain what has been built, complete what remains unfinished and ensure that the machines keep running.

Because for ENAW, the ultimate measure of success is not the number of buildings commissioned or machines installed.

It is the patient who arrives needing dialysis and receives it.

It is the family spared the agony of travelling long distances.

It is the patient with a viral condition who can now receive specialized care closer to home.

It is the person whose blood pressure or blood sugar is detected early enough to prevent a future kidney crisis.

And, ultimately, it is the quiet reassurance that when a patient lies back in the dialysis chair and the machine comes alive, someone has made it possible for another battle for life to continue.

At ENAW, dialysis is not merely a medical procedure. It is a lifeline, and, for thousands of Edo patients, that lifeline is already within reach.