Mrs. Georgina Ahamefule, is an indigene of Imo
State who tested positive to HIV while working
as an auxiliary nurse at a certain Medical Centre
in Lagos. At first, due to her naivety, she found
the whole world crashing on her, no thanks to
her employer, Dr Molokwu, the Chief Medical
Director of the Medical Centre who terminated
her employment which began in 1989 and
advised her to go back to her village and die
since she had only a little time to live .
A lot happened to this woman, as she shares her
traumatic experiences during a tumultuous journey
to victory. The high point of her account is that her
fighting spirit is backed by God and the Social and
Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC).
She won a N7-million lawsuit against Dr
Molokwu. It was a landmark judgment for Dr.
Felix Morka, the executive Director of SERAC
who described the judge’s decision as
representing a major victory for Georgina and
all those living with the HIV virus in the country.
Back to Mrs. Georgina’s story:
While at the village, I ran into someone who
asked me to go to LUTH so that I would receive
help. I also obeyed.
It was while I visited LUTH that I ran into my god-
mother, Mrs Onyewuenyi who listened to my ordeal
and referred me to SERAC. When I visited SERAC,
they interviewed me and subsequently, contacted
my former employer so as to see if he will do any
form of settlement but he ignored SERAC, so, SERAC
took the matter to court on my behalf.
The first shocker I got was right in the court.
Unfortunately, the unfairness I suffered did not
stop at the hands of my employer and his
hospital. On July 14, 2000, SERAC filed the lawsuit
challenging the termination of my employment
as an auxiliary nurse by the Medical Centre and
its Chief Medical Director, based on my HIV-
positive status.
So, the shocker like I mentioned, happened in 2001.
Right there in the court, the then presiding judge in
the case, barred me from entering the courtroom
because of my HIV -positive status.
The judge further ruled that satisfactory expert
evidence must be presented in court to convince
her that the judge and others would not become
infected with the HIV virus as a result of my
mere physical presence in the courtroom. It was
a huge blow on my devastated life.
SERAC appealed that decision and the Court of
Appeal remitted the matter back to the High Court
for trial. Thank God I was allowed to testify in my
case without further restrictions in the court, in the
compound, and because I made public my status
which I am glad I did. Otherwise, I would have died
out of ignorance.
Some illiterate and ignorant neighbours avoided
me like plague. It would have been okay by me if
they did just that, but they went further to
humiliate me and pass silly comments when they
see me around and in short, they looked for one
excuse or the other to tell me the story of my
life. They fought my niece who came on holiday,
saying she had no mother which was why she can
put up with me in my state.
In all this, I am grateful to God for the wonderful
husband He gave me. My husband has since then
tested negative to the virus and you may be glad to
know that I also have a son who is also negative.
God has really used Dr Felix Morka and in fact,
workers at SERAC who have adopted me as a part
of their family, to bless me and give me reason to
live. Indeed, they gave me reason to live to see my
dream of being victorious come true.
I have been getting assistance from SERAC in
terms of feeding, transportation to Lagos each
time my case came up because I relocated with
my family to Obigbo in Rivers State; they also
helped for hospital bills.
On the issue of court case, there was another
shocker. As my case progressed, my employer
presented false affidavit showing that I had died
in my hometown. As you can see, I’m alive and
very healthy. So, we discovered that the affidavit
was filed in support of a motion seeking to
dismiss my lawsuit against my employer and his
hospital. The false declaration was one of my
employer’s and his lawyers’ strategies to
frustrate my determination to get justice in the
matter of the wrongful termination of my
employment and other violations.
On getting information about their wicked plan, Dr
Felix Morka called me and asked if I was okay to
travel to Lagos, I said yes and he asked me to take
the next flight to Lagos which I did. When I
appeared at the court, my employer and his cohorts
were shocked.
Well, to cut the long story short, on Thursday
September 27, 2012, Honorable Justice Y.O.
Idowu the judge at the Lagos State High Court
Idowu held that the termination of my
employment by the hospital where I worked on
the ground of my HIV-positive status is illegal,
unlawful and actuated by malice and extreme
bad faith.
So she gave an order for 5 Million Naira for general
damages for the wrongful termination of my
employment to be paid to me and 2 Million Naira as
compensation for unlawful conduct of HIV testing
without my informed consent and also for
negligence.
Right now, I feel on top of the world for my
victory and in fact that is an understatement
because I can’t explain exactly how I feel now.
This is a case that seemed impossible and in fact
if the matter was left for me or my family to
handle, it would have died a natural death
because I’m from a poor background.
I appreciate every effort made by Dr Felix Morka (of
SERAC) and his workers to see me through this
victory without collecting a kobo from me. God will
bless them. Now I will have enough to sponsor my
son who will be in the university next year. I can also
start a good business of my choice or better still, as
part of my own contribution, organize a small
group that will help other people living with HIV in
my community. (Culled from Vanguard)
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