At last, it has been confirmed that Port Harcourt-born international singer, Burna Boy (real name Damini Ogulu), shared millions of naira to bail out patients at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) last week.
News broke on social media with viral video of the super singer sharing money endlessly, an amount put between N10m and N60m.
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Social media reports said he paid a surprise visit to the UPTH which has been in the news of recent for not-too-good reasons with outcry by many patients complaining of lacks. The UPTH authorities have however, debunked the media reports featuring lack of attention and extortions by some nurses.
What was termed a surprise visit by Burna Boy is believed to have brought some light to a dark mood.
The singer was said to have made an unannounced trip to UPTH, where he reportedly generously paid all the patients’ medical bills. A report said “Videos captured at the scene show Burna Boy exiting the hospital, surrounded by ecstatic fans. The footage shows the euphoric atmosphere while fans praised the singer.”
To confirm the story, the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) applauded the Grammy award winning musician for his generosity in paying for all patients’ medical bills at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).
The statement signed by the chairman, Stanley Job Stanley, and secretary, Ike Wigodo, said the union was happy with the musician for his kind gestures for saving lives.
Burna Boy studied communications at a point in his studies and can qualify as a journalist if he wanted. The NUJ thus advised that the management of UPTH to take up the task to meet the required standard of a teaching hospital.
The NUJ stated: “As Journalists, we must at all times set a gender for the development of institutes and the nation and to protect and advance the socio-economic interests of the society and such other objectives as are lawful and are consistent with the spirit and practice of journalists.”
The NUJ went ahead to commend the Guardian Correspondent to have adhered to the code of Ethics of Nigerian Journalists as approved by the Nigerian Press Organisation. Without the trending reports, this wouldn’t have happened”, the NUJ stated.
Background of the help:
Burna Boy (Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu) was born on July 2, 1991, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. His mother Bose Ogulu worked as a language translator, and his father Samuel Ogulu managed a welding company. His maternal grandfather, Benson Idonije, once managed Fela Kuti. His mother later became his manager. Ogulu grew up in Southern Nigeria and began making his own beats.
He studied media technology at the University of Sussex from 2008 to 2009, and also studied media communications and culture at Oxford Brookes University from 2009 to 2010. Burna Boy returned to Port Harcourt and took up a year-long internship at Rhythm 93.7 FM. He launched his music career after returning to Lagos.
UPTH needs help:
The authorities of the UPTH had always appealed for support from well to do individuals saying it was overwhelmed by cases of indigent patients and accident victims always brought in by the police and Road Safety Corps.
Patients narrate ugly experiences of shortages of items with swarming mosquitoes and uncaring caregivers.
Many say what Burna Boy did was a face-saving act of generosity but the UPTH authorities have not reacted to media inquiries to appreciate or denounce the action of the singer.
Many believe it’s the fact that the singer was born in PH and is in touch with the city that he knew where the support is best needed. They believe that.
