Man at the heart of Sheffield United takeover bid launches new hospital
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The facility, located in a district of Lagos called Lekki, is designed to be the first of a number of clinics located across the west African country aimed at improving its inhabitants' access to healthcare.
Mmobuosi, who saw a number of local dignitaries and celebrities attend its inauguration ceremony, handed over nearly £9m during his negotiations with United which later stalled when the period of exclusivity he was granted by current owner Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud expired. Despite the maelstrom surrounding areas of his business empire following a series of allegations by a group of short selling researchers - accusations which he denies - Mmobuosi is now pressing ahead with his Equity Specialist Clinics and Diagnostic Services project, with further installations being planned.
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Hide AdDr Louis Chukwuka Osode, its chief medical director, described some of the coverage surrounding Mmobuosi as “unfortunate” but insisted it should not be allowed to distract from the entrepreneur’s motivations and aims.
“We need to build a clientele and there has been unfortunate press about our founder,” he told The Star. “We don’t want this to be obscured by bad press. We need to understand the facts. We are still new and testing the waters. We need to be more objective.”
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Equity is not Mmobuosi’s first venture into his homeland’s healthcare sector, having previously used his eponymously named foundation to launch a free prostate cancer screening service.
“Dozy said ‘We must not turn our back on people for money,” Dr Osode continued, explaining Mmobuosi’s motivations. “He has told me ‘Treat them first’ and then we worry about the cost. That is very unique and unusual here.
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Hide Ad“He is the force that has put this together. His passion is driving everyone, from the medical experts to the cleaners. You can feel the energy.”
Mmobuosi became a recognisable figure to English football supporters when he was revealed as being behind a £115m bid for United soon after Christmas. Despite failing to gain the necessary approvals from the English Football League, whose jurisdiction Paul Heckingbottom’s team were under before being promoted from the Championship, he vowed to press ahead with his attempt to gain control even after it became apparent that Prince Abdullah had exercised his right to meet with other potential buyers.
Those close to Mmobuosi hope Equity, which Dr Osode says is a “one stop shop” with “high end equipment” capable of performing all but the most “specialist tests”, will act as testimony to his character; noting that it was first conceptualised around three years ago.
“There are challenges here (in Nigeria) with healthcare,” Dr Osode said. “There is a brain drain and so one of the things Dozy said is that we must pay people properly so they are not inclined to leave. Another is infrastructure, where in some areas work is being done without proper light and power. It is important we have a good system and here, all of the equipment is in place.”