Benue State of Nigeria is mourning the sudden passing away of Mrs Oyije Maureen Adulugba-Nyinebi. She was a 57 year retiree from the Maxillofacial Surgery Department of the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, having joined the service very young. The service took her through the Dental Department of the General Hospital, Agbor in Delta State; Dento- Ophthalmic Complex of the General Hospital, Makurdi before landing at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi.
Mrs Adulugba-Nyinebi attended the Federal Government Girls’ College, Kazaure, now in Jigawa State, the defunct School of Basic Studies, Ugbokolo in Benue State; the Federal School of Dental Technology and Therapy, Enugu and the Benue State University, Makurdi where she obtained a Masters Degree in Public Administration.
Although she was neither a politician nor a high state official, she enjoys the rating of the unelected kindest woman in the world. Her death is attracting attention too being Idoma by birth but Tiv by marriage. But it is kind heartedness that marks her out. Chief D. A. Adulugba, her late father and District Head of Edumoga in Okpokwu LGA is understood to joke a lot over her ambition to be a Medical Doctor on that ground. He would say he could not imagine what sort of doctor Maureen would be. “If Maureen my daughter is a doctor”, the late Chief would say, “and they bring some accident victims for emergency attention, I see this doctor first going to cry in sympathy with the wounded persons before thinking of her role as a doctor”. And everyone around would join in laughing out the joke. Eventually, she did not read Medicine but the father got the daughter very well: very kind hearted.
Her first and only husband, Gabriel Nyinebi from Adi in Buruku LGA of Benue State passed on about a decade ago and she never re-married. They are survived by two children, a banker and an academic.
It is not clear what she died of but it might not be unconnected with environment related impact because, until her death, she was medically clean. The Air Force Base medical facility in particular and the Teaching Hospital, all in Makurdi, reportedly gave her the best of attention.
