12/08/2026
ISLAND HISTORIES: Eko Hospital, Ikoyi, Lagos State, Nigeria
1. Eko Hospital is a private multi-specialty hospital group based in Lagos State, Nigeria, with its main facility in Ikeja and additional sites in Surulere and Ikoyi.
2. It was formally established in 1982 as the successor to Mercy Specialist Clinic, which had begun operations in 1977 in a rented flat in Surulere.
3. The name Eko derives from the first letters of the surnames of its three founding doctors: Eneli, Kuku, and Obiora.
4. The founders were Dr. Alex Eneli, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist; Dr. Sunny Kuku, a specialist in internal medicine; and Dr. Ameachi Obiora, a general surgeon.
5. The three doctors initially worked at Lagos University Teaching Hospital while running their private clinic part-time, but they resigned from government service after a decree restricted dual practice.
6. Eko Hospital became the first private hospital in Nigeria to be quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
7. The organisation was registered as a public limited company in 1991 under the name EKO Hospital Plc and was renamed Ekocorp Plc in 1994.
8. The main Ikeja facility is a 130-bed tertiary teaching hospital located at 31 Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way.
9. The Surulere annex functions as a 40-bed secondary healthcare facility.
10. A diagnostic centre and clinic operate in Ikoyi, bringing the group’s total bed capacity to approximately 170.
11. Eko Hospital was the first private tertiary hospital and the first private teaching hospital in Nigeria.
12. It is accredited for the training of resident doctors to consultant level in Family Medicine and also trains interns, house officers, and postgraduate students in various fields.
13. The hospital provides primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare services to local, regional, and national patients.
14. Facilities include a dialysis unit, audiometry unit, medical laboratory, blood bank, physiotherapy unit, and radiotherapy equipment.
15. An emergency department operates to handle acute cases around the clock.
16. EkoCorp Fertility Centre was established in December 2009 and offers in-vitro fertilisation and related treatments.
17. The hospital serves as a National Health Insurance Centre and maintains an extensive database linked to health maintenance organisations.
18. At one point it reported a shareholder base exceeding 8,000 people.
19. Diagnostic services available include CT scanning, angiography, pathology laboratory work, prostate screening, and comprehensive health screening.
20. The official website of the hospital group is ekohospitals. com.