By Igoche Silas Uloko
The piece below is not original to Intervention. It is only published in deference to the sender but also in deference to the mystique of Dr Edwin Idoko Obe. Those who didn’t experience the Idoma Native Authority of old may have difficulty appreciating the Obe name. But, as well elaborated upon in the piece, he had something of a magic wand in anchoring medical science to folk psychology. His first attack in declaring whatever ailment a folk came up with as nothing threatening had a magical way of stabilising the patient even before the prescriptions followed. The key angles to Dr. Obe’s iconicity have been laid bare in the piece below even though it is not a substitute for a full-length biographical outing on the pace-setter’s pace-setter called Dr. Obe of “inechi oole Obe” fame in those days and even today.
A walk into Salem Hospital in Otukpo on any given day, and you may witness a scene both ordinary and deeply moving: a worried patient, possibly overwhelmed by a troubling symptom or a frightening diagnosis, meets a calm, fatherly figure in a white coat. He listens, reassures, and then almost with a chuckle utters a soft, familiar phrase, “Eene wi`kpoe’re ne” an Idoma phrase which means, “this is a minor ailment”. It was an utterance which when uttered Dr. Edwin Idoko Obe, felt like medicine in itself.
Legacies never die!
Take the case of young Ada, a schoolgirl who once arrived at the hospital pale and anxious with her mother weeping beside her. As Dr. Obe examined her, she trembled, fearing the worst. But he looked into her eyes and smiled, saying, ‘Ikpoi’ere ne, this is a minor sickness, my dear.’ That gentle reassurance, more than the prescribed medication, seemed to bring the first wave of healing. Ada’s mother later said, “It was like the fear just melted away.”
Then there was Papa Ochayi, a retired farmer who came to the hospital short of breath, convinced it was the end. Dr. Obe, as usual, calmly assessed him, then leaned in with a wink: “Ah, my brother, ikpoi’ere ne. You will still dance at your granddaughter’s wedding.” And true to his word, Papa Ochayi lived to do exactly that.
This simple phrase was Dr. Obe’s trademark, not just in language but in philosophy. His ability to turn fear into faith was part of what made him more than just a physician. He was a healer in the most complete sense, one who treated the body, yes, but also soothed the heart and inspired the spirit.
The First from Benue: A Trailblazer in Medicine
Born on April 3, 1937, in Owukpa, Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State, Edwin Idoko Obe was destined to be a pioneer. He blazed an indelible path through history as the first Idoma—and indeed the first from all of Benue to qualify as a medical doctor. From humble beginnings in Otukpo, his educational journey took him through Methodist Central School to Government College, Keffi, and then on to the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria.
By 1958, he had secured admission into the prestigious University College, Ibadan, where he earned his MBBS (Lond). That wasn’t just a personal achievement, it was a moment of pride for an entire region that had never seen one of its own rise to such academic and professional heights. But Dr. Obe never let prestige becloud his purpose. His education was a means to serve, not separate. When he returned to Otukpo, it wasn’t to rest on his laurels it was to build a lifeline.
Salem Hospital: Hope During War and Peace
During the civil war, when many government hospitals in Otukpo, Makurdi, and Idah were commandeered by the military, Dr. Obe saw a vacuum in medical care for civilians. So he filled the vacuum with Salem Hospital, the first private hospital of its kind in Nigeria’s North Central zone. With 120 beds, Salem became more than a medical center, it was a sanctuary. The establishment of the hospital was driven by need, but its evolution was powered by compassion. Today, it still operates and even includes an IVF center for couples seeking the joy of parenthood. Through war and peace, sickness and health, Salem has stood just like its founder as a symbol of faith, hope, and healing.
Man of the People: Humanitarian to the Core
Still standing
Dr. Obe’s legacy extends far beyond medicine. He was a builder not only of hospitals but of infrastructure and lives. In Owukpa, he constructed roads and a bridge at Okpudu with his personal funds. He established a secondary school with modern science labs and donated it to his community. He also built a Methodist Church for his people and a residence for the Methodist Bishop of Otukpo.
But perhaps his most touching acts were quieter: treating clergy for free at his hospital for over 15 years, offering pro bono care to all secondary school students in Idoma land from 1974 to 1981, and constantly wiping away medical bills for the less privileged. Between 1975 and 1982 alone, he paid school fees for dozens of indigent students many of whom have grown into professionals who still speak of him with reverence. One patient once remarked, “He treated me for free and gave me transport fare back home. Who does that?” The answer, of course, is Dr. Edwin Idoko Obe.
A Renaissance Man: Leadership, Sports, and Politics
Even in the realm of leadership, Dr. Obe stood tall. At Government College Keffi, he was a House Prefect and introduced the Nigerian Red Cross Society. He was an athlete who represented Northern Nigeria in boxing and athletics and later established two sports teams – Obe Babes Football Club and Salem Trotters Basketball Club.
His sense of civic duty also led him into politics, where he ran for the Benue Central Senatorial seat in 1979 and as Deputy Gubernatorial candidate in 1983. He chaired various commissions and boards, including the Nigerian Medical Association in Benue and the Benue State Civil Service Commission.
A Living Legacy
As the sun begins to set on a life lived so fully, Dr. Obe’s story remains alive not only in the bricks and mortar of his constructions, not only in the records and accolades but in every life he touched. From the frightened child reassured by “ikpo’ere lingo to the elderly woman whose surgery he paid for, to the pastors who walked into his hospital knowing they wouldn’t pay a dime, his legacy breathes in every act of healing and every soul restored.
It is rare to find a man so steeped in excellence, yet so rooted in humility. Rarer still to find one who could have chosen wealth or fame but chose service instead.
“Ikpoi’ere,” he would say. But if you ask us, Chief (Dr.) Edwin Idoko Obe was anything but small. He was the Odejor of Aroga and Owukpa, was given the “Osonyeta 1 of Idoma land by HRM Oh’Idoma 11, Ajene Okpabi.
The author wrote this in celebration of Dr Obe’s legacy and to mark the official inauguration of Dr. Obe Charity Foundation
