The OMALIVINGSHOW TEAM SPOTLIGHT is on a young Nigerian medical doctor resident in the United Kingdom but is constantly striving to keep his ties back home vibrant and active through frequent visits, being part of a lot of projects back home in Nigeria, and being part of national discussions by way of contributing his opinions on social media etc. 

A member of our team had this interview with Dr. KENE CHARLES OJUKWU to get to know what inspires his love for Nigeria and what we are expecting from him. 

It is a nice interview and you will enjoy reading it. 

1. May we know you? Who is DR. KENE CHARLES OJUKWU? Beyond being a medical doctor, what are your values, drive and the things that make you the person you are?

Asides being a doctor which is publicly known and their values known, personally my life guard is “do unto others as you’d have them do unto you”. That’s the default setting with which I operate with anyone. 

My values remain being contented, yet being clear and straightforward with life dealings with others, and strategic with life, actualisation of my vision and goals which aligns with the purpose of God who placed them in me. 

My drive is in my strong belief of the company I have with the spirit God has placed in me, which drives and guards me in all the steps i have taken and yet to take in life. 

This drives me to set goals and visions and also conquer them all. 

2. We know you live and work in the UNITED KINGDOM… As a medical doctor in the UNITED KINGDOM, what innovations in their healthcare sector would you love to see in Nigeria?

In the nigerian healthcare system, I’d like to commend the efforts so far, if not for that we won’t be where we are today and we should not condemn the system by throwing away baby and bath bowl at the same time. Yes, we have a lot of room for improvement and that’s why the system helped us to be where we are today. 

I commend Nigerian health system for we have one of the best ease of accessing doctors, however the area that still defines our morbidity and mortality rate is defined with the unmet areas such as emergency care services that are prompt, and standardised with best practices to save a life that is dying, also to note the unmet area at the hinterland lands where they remain poorly served for their healthcare delivery, the primary health care system in Nigeria is comatose and cannot function with the current disdainful approach by the government systems. 

No country health system develops with primary health care not properly managed because this is the bedrock for other health system strata. 

A failed primary health care is a failed overall health system. My special interest is in the resuscitation of the primary health care to become standardised by world best practices being a place reliable for safe, available and affordable care with a comprehensive health insurance care model. 

3. Despite living in diaspora, you have maintained your ties back home in Nigeria… what is responsible for this? 

I cannot forget Nigeria. Anytime I am outside Nigeria, there is a burning passion to see the country work and I am a local man who likes clinging to the roots too. 

I have tried forgetting Nigeria but was very unsuccessful because that created a sense of loss of identity. 

Despite our shortcomings and setbacks, I still identify as a Nigerian. Nigeria is my home and I am commited  to finding ways to contribute my quota to make it look like the countries I have been to and feel they are better in some of their provisions 

4. From our research, you have strong interest in politics… do you have any political aspirations in future?

Ours is to propose and hand to God who disposes according to His will. 

As for aspirations I have no special cast in stone plan. I just want to see our system work and better governance and I want to be involved and counted as one of those who created a better governance system that touched the lives of the masses in unprecedented ways. 

5. Can you tell us about the CHARLES KENE OJUKWU FOUNDATION? Your focus, projects and how you assess the level of impact. 

The CKOi foundation is a privately funded foundation where we do a lot but silently and underground because I feel very uncomfortable making it a public knowledge. Currently, we have about 42 pupils under our scholarship scheme, they are about 10 students in the university including seminary, 12 in secondary school and the rest in primary school. 

We pay the tuition fees of each academic semester and the criteria to qualify for the next payment is the result of the preceding semester with good grades. 

Unfortunately , some students have not come forward to collect their school fees because they have  not been able to provide their results and we found out that some of them are not even serious with their studies, we don’t fund unserious people.

If you can’t show us the value of the past payment with a result of at least pass, the manager won’t sign a new cheque for you. 

That way we encourage the beneficiaries to make good use of their time in school to qualify for next semester fee. 

The way I set it up, I don’t actually know the beneficiaries asides the first contact of their appeal letter and circumstances that made them desire our scholarship.

I don’t know their names or faces off hand and they don’t have communication access to me they only work with the manager whom I only meet with when he needs to pick my brain for some form of approval. 

Other things we do include health outreaches, health bills support and celebration of memorable seasons like christmas with gifts to the downtrodden. 

We would graduate into community based public projects in due time but at the moment it’s privately funded from my purse I can only bite the much I can chew. 

6. When you are not working, what do you do for fun? 

I surf the internet 🛜 as a way to relax dishing out contents and readings from others too. As for fun I don’t really have any defined fun. 

7. Are there role models that helped shape you? 

I am not an adherent to role models, I mirror my mind and conscience as my role model and seek the guide of the spirit placed in my being by God. 

From time to time, I look at notable personalities of interest,  study their life, their mistakes and classic words of wisdom to help shape my strategies.

8. What is your advice to Nigerian youths particularly the young men.

For Nigerian youths, remember there must be process of life, ladders which you must not jump, take your time, don’t be hard on yourself you can try and fail but try again, being alive and healthy is a big win in life, then all other things shall come as far as you are  involved in a particular legal worthy process of yours, you will BECOME. 

Your maker who brought you to it in the first place has a way of seeing you through it, it may involve some detours and alterations of your map, but follow His light and leading, avoid interpersonal competition but engage on intrapersonal competition.

Dr. CHARLES KENE OJUKWU is a brilliant medical doctor, politician and humanitarian. 

He is a lover of GOD, Nigeria, humanity and a worthy role model to be followed by all who desire to grow. 

We enjoyed interviewing him and we are sure you enjoyed this interview. 

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