Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime, on Monday night confessed to have had cancer.

The governor said he stayed abroad for too long in order to remove cancerous tumours from his neck and nose before they could spread.

Chime, who spoke to journalists in Enugu, said that he was not sick initially when he departed the country on September 19, 2012 but that his health altered as a result of the agony and trauma he went through in the course of removing the cancerous tumours in London.

Chime was away from the country for upward of 140 days thus generating a controversy over how long a governor could leave his state with many, including a Save Enugu Group asking for a transfer of power to his deputy.

In narrating how he stayed out of the country from September 19, 2012 to February 7, 2013, the governor said, “In August last year, I was privileged to be one of those nominated by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to go to Germany to study their federalism, I was to represent the South-East zone; I had to use the opportunity of the trip to pass through London to do my medicals since it was the only opportunity I had to do that. After my medical, I was certified fit by the doctors, but I noticed that I had a little growth beneath my jaw. Ordinarily, nobody could see it but I felt it seriously and asked the doctors to do further investigation on it.

“I was later referred to a GP who after examining me said there was nothing wrong with me. I still asked for further investigation. I even made arrangement with them to help me set appointment for closer investigation. I left for Germany and had to still return to London to keep the appointment for proper screening of the growth. It was after the screening that it was discovered that the growth in question was cancerous. It was also discovered that the main tumour was behind my nose; it was simply called cancer of the nose.”

Chime said he indeed planned for a long trip and duly informed the Enugu State House of Assembly and made arrangement for the smooth running of the state.

He said, “Cancer is such a thing that when you hear it, the person involved will even declare himself dead instantly. I was subjected to further scanning at the nose and neck and was told that it was curable, not manageable. When I asked how to go about it, I was told it had to be as early as possible before it spreads to other areas.

“Accordingly, I arranged for it to be done. I had to cancel further trips and agreed to be back to London in two weeks. Within the period, I came back to Nigeria and made arrangement for transmission. I wrote a letter to the Speaker, informing him of my decision to proceed on leave and sought his cooperation to work with my Deputy who will act as Governor.

“We even held two executive council meetings within the period where I informed members of my exco that I was proceeding on a long vacation. I left for Abuja the next day and attended the Governors’ Forum meeting and the next day I left for London, settled in and saw the oncologist the next day.

The governor said the news of his rumoured death sometime last year indeed amused him. “When I read in the papers that I had died in India, it was a source of entertainment. Each time we wanted to laugh, we looked for Nigeria papers online,” he said.

He however took exception to alleged attempts to liken his case with that of the late President Umaru Yar’adua who died of heart disease in 2010.

Chime said his case was “never an emergency and it can never be likened to that of Yar’Adua.”

“While Yar’Adua travelled out sick. I travelled out a healthy man and let me also tell you that the attacks started about two weeks after I left” he added.

Meanwhile, he said he had informed the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly that he had resumed his duties though he declared that he was not in perfect health yet.

“I was officially discharged, that’s why I had to return. I’m still in the process of recovery and as such you don’t expect me to start running tomorrow but I’m free to resume duties to ensure that activities are running on full speed,” the governor said.

chiover: Okakwara gi nma na owughi aids ka ha gworo gi

Evil Brain: I just lost all respect for this guy. Anybody can fall ill, but to disappear from work for 5 months without bothering to give the people you work for any explanation is totally irresponsible. The money he's been using to get the best treatment abroad belongs to the people of Enugu state most of whom would have no hope of decent treatment even for much less serious illneses no thanks to people like Chime.

How hard would it have been to release a statement explaining what was happening 5 months ago? "People of Enugu, I have cancer. Please pray for me" or "People of Enugu, I have to travel abroad to treat a serious illness. I'll be back as soon as I can". If you're going to be absent from work, you have to inform your employers, end of story. There is no excuse for what he did.

And just look at the kind of callous statements he's been making since he came out of hiding, disgraceful! In a sane society, this guy would be removed from office for abandoning his duty. In a sane society, he could never hope to win an election ever again. But I'm willing to bet that some people will soon start promoting him as a potential "Ibo president".

Nigeria is like a battered housewife. We keep going back to our abusers, we keep defending them. And as long as we continue, we'll keep getting pounded.

Evil Brain: I just lost all respect for this guy. Anybody can fall ill, but to disappear from work for 5 months without bothering to give the people you work for any explanation is totally irresponsible. The money he's been using to get the best treatment abroad belongs to the people of Enugu state most of whom would have no hope of decent treatment even for much less serious illneses no thanks to people like Chime.

How hard would it have been to release a statement explaining what was happening 5 months ago? "People of Enugu, I have cancer. Please pray for me" or "People of Enugu, I have to travel abroad to treat a serious illness. I'll be back as soon as I can". If you're going to be absent from work, you have to inform your employers, end of story. There is no excuse for what he did.

And just look at the kind of callous statements he's been making since he came out of hiding, disgraceful! In a sane society, this guy would be removed from office for abandoning his duty. In a sane society, he could never hope to win an election ever again. But I'm willing to bet that some people will soon start promoting him as a potential "Ibo president".

Nigeria is like a battered housewife. We keep going back to our abusers, we keep defending them. And as long as we continue, we'll keep getting pounded.

OYINBOGOJU: And thus Enugu state has got a liability to spend the state funds on.

Very soon they will make appropriate budget for Governors cure.

How do you expect the state to grow?

Evil Brain: I just lost all respect for this guy. Anybody can fall ill, but to disappear from work for 5 months without bothering to give the people you work for any explanation is totally irresponsible. The money he's been using to get the best treatment abroad belongs to the people of Enugu state most of whom would have no hope of decent treatment even for much less serious illneses no thanks to people like Chime.

How hard would it have been to release a statement explaining what was happening 5 months ago? "People of Enugu, I have cancer. Please pray for me" or "People of Enugu, I have to travel abroad to treat a serious illness. I'll be back as soon as I can". If you're going to be absent from work, you have to inform your employers, end of story. There is no excuse for what he did.

And just look at the kind of callous statements he's been making since he came out of hiding, disgraceful! In a sane society, this guy would be removed from office for abandoning his duty. In a sane society, he could never hope to win an election ever again. But I'm willing to bet that some people will soon start promoting him as a potential "Ibo president".

Nigeria is like a battered housewife. We keep going back to our abusers, we keep defending them. And as long as we continue, we'll keep getting pounded.

$hady¤J:

THIS! This is spot on! Anybody that disagrees with this comment is just a hypocritical fool.. Nice one Evil brain..
Fallling sick aint a crime, but a sitting governor owes it to his people to inform them at all times.. For christ sakes' he's their 'servant'.. Abi? And the tone of the governor's responses are a little pompous and arrogant.. If you can read nigerian papers abroad and clearly see that ur people were in limbo about ur whereabout or puported death, then wouldn't d informing them and dispelling d rumour have been the sensible thing to do? Instead of turning it to 'entertainment or amusement'..
Until the day nigerian politicians understand that governance is equals to service to d people and not a pocket enriching career, things like this will continue to happen

gbollykore: our leaders are funny, we fail to build international hospitals despite available funds, yet when anything happens they fly out to the west, these countries also invested in their system, are we cursed as a nation? are our leaders cursed? if you hear the amount of money this guy will personally have, am sure he can single handedly build a world class hospital are they not ahamed? anyway i wish him quick recovery

Michaeljones36: Why didn't he tell anybody

What a weirdo, laughing at newspapers when your people are left without a leader and don't even know if you are alive.