2015: AȘỌ ẸBÍ POLITICS CONTINUA

It is amazing that I only got to watch the very popular 1993 jingle of the Social Democratic Party for the first time last week while “facebooking”. Someone had posted a link to the “MKO-Kingibe-Progress” hit which I only got to hear from schoolmates 21years ago and my curiosity got the better of me; I just had to finally put a video to the soundtrack I knew fairly well.

 

I must have written close to seven secondary school entry examinations in 1992 mainly for state and federal government owned schools inclusive of those administered by the military; the military held sway at that time so it was in a way a sensible backup plan for some desperate parents to potentially have a child in the military eventually just in case. My parents both attended boarding schools and were determined for all their children and wards to have similar experiences. Despite the number of examinations entered for, the goal was to do well enough at the federal common entrance examination in order to gain admission on merit into one of two choices made at the point of registration. Having the third highest score amongst candidates from my primary school was disappointing enough (24marks less than my older sister had 3 years before); this was soon followed by an extensive letter of admission into the Federal Government College Azare, Bauchi state. I remember my mother expressing her complete displeasure and assuring me that there was no way I would be off by myself to an unknown land. She already had a daughter in Akure causing her enough concern not to talk of transporting another child across the river Benue. She must have wondered to herself how those responsible for the admission process translated Lagos and Odogbolu to Azare; more disturbing to her was the fact that she could not do anything to alter what had been done. It was soon clear to all and sundry that the mismatch process affected a good number of candidates and it was widespread. Someone close enough to my parents informed them that the Federal University at Akure was starting a secondary school and in a flash my cousin, Tolu and I were rushed to take part in the entrance examination. To cut the long story very short, we were successful and moved into my aunt’s house in the Isolo area of Akure hopeful that the boarding facility promised by the school authorities would be established in only a short time.

 

The house we lived in for about nine months was still partly completed and one important facility missing was a television set. We spent a large chunk of our time after school outdoors tending to goats and chicken reared by my aunt. We ensured the animals were fed and regularly had to walk some distance, cutlass in hand to get fresh grass for the goats to eat in addition to fodder. We ate cocoa yam and water yam with palm oil some mornings; local rice and bush meat were common and we drank water from the “cleanest” well in the area. This was a modest life that thought me about hard work and contentment. The smell of harvested cocoa we spread out to dry and observing goats in the compound was enough entertainment for young boys like ourselves. I remember opening the gate to the house for a politician who had come to see my aunt’s husband late one day. The man appeared very tall to me and he did not come alone. It was later I was told he was a leading Ondo politician; Olu Falae. As the presidential elections of 1993 approached, it was difficult for my cousin and I to join our classmates in singing the popular jingle that was meant to herald the emergence of a new democracy that would deal the final death blow to the military. We did not know the words nor did we have a television to cure our ignorance.

 

The simple symbols and colors of both political contraptions in 1992/1993 could have been a source of genuine concern about the sincerity of the Babangida dictatorship. How difficult was it really to look at the Nigerian flag and coat of arms to extract two colors and two animals? There was arguably no ideology involved in the formation and membership of the SDP and NRC. Individuals only had to choose between wearing predominantly green or white colored “aso ebi” which perhaps corresponded to whichever side their allies or tribal and religious sentiments gravitated. It did not take long for the pseudo-foundation of “Hope 93” to evaporate and a brief cameo by a certain Ernest was truncated by his support cast. A Yoruba was deemed disenfranchised and duped of his rightful seat as head of government and his kinsmen scratched and barked at the new order led by the constantly goggled imperious General who many cried the cap fitted at one point in time. It was not surprising that the Yoruba exiles and pro-democracy campaigners voiced their desire for a Yoruba president when the opportunity came again in 1998 after the sudden demise of Sani. Chief M.K.O Abiola had died under very mysterious circumstances in the presence of American envoys on July 7, 1998; there had to be compensation for the ethnic group the man belonged to. Exhausted Generals set out for a final heist and together with the remnants of the political class from the first republic and more recent opportunists; they started the machinery for a transition to civilian rule. They soon degenerated to the structures they were used to and the parties formed were actually not different from those that existed before the civil war. It was all about ethnicity, religion, selfish interests and “padi-padi” all over again.

 

Our pulpits have been deliberately or otherwise used to showcase and promote ineptitude since 1998. It is normal to present political candidates before congregants as long as such individuals lay claim to a personal salvation myth and have the ability to utilize the right vocabulary. Many of our pulpits have been silenced ever since; consciences riddled with guilt and hands soiled with blood and gold. Those who speak either speak lies upon lies or the outright truth. Sadly, these very few truthful ones are tagged overzealous and jealous because of their reluctance to participate in the outward show of solidarity with people of supposed common faith. This is the same even with other religions, the volume of currency in circulation is choking those who ought to discern right from wrong and lead by example. A few minutes to address susceptible congregants followed by verbal onslaughts to force open heaven’s gates in demand for blessings and divine resources are all a politician needs to win and win again. What is the use of a debate when one could arrange a phoney interview or claim to be of the same stock as past globally acclaimed Nation builders and legends?

 

The textile industry appears to be thriving in Nigeria, I may be wrong. Clothes business is definitely serious business especially when it comes to Nigerians. From women programs in churches, to funerals, birthday parties and of course weddings; the idea especially with the more celebratory events is to outdo one another and identify with the celebrant(s). Family members and friends would usually have different outfits and whatever level of commitment exhibited could directly affect the kind of treatment given with respect to food, drinks and souvenirs. This culture is also practiced in our political space where one simply needs to show up in the colors of any party or be seen wielding their emblem to get a seat at the dining table. It is mostly all about interests and self-preservation. Anyone hungry enough at any given time to partake in a state or federal baked pastry only needs to wear the toga of the incumbent to get a share even if it is at the expense of losing all integrity (i.e. if present at all) and starving thereafter. The Alliance for Democracy joined forces with the All People’s Party in 1999 to defeat Obasanjo’s People’s Democratic Party. They failed and had to settle for the southwest states claimed largely on the reputation of the late and former premier of Western Nigeria: Obafemi Awolowo. The same AD then played the ethnic card for the 2003 polls. I still wonder what Obasanjo promised the Abraham Adesanya led party to cause them to suddenly start singing the praises of the man they never believed represented the interest of the Yoruba race. The AD were completely obliterated; well nearly annihilated except for the highly lucrative Lagos state which has since served as the springboard for the now chief defender of the Yoruba race to launch an audacious bid to recover lost territory.

 

Many have ascribed political genius to the incumbent President Jonathan for reclaiming an erstwhile PDP state and the recent impeachment of the former Navy commander turned governor. I believe he is simply utilizing the play book authored by the former president; General Olusegun Obasanjo. This tactic involves utilizing the state resources both human and monetary to entice, intimidate, blackmail or manipulate perceived rivals to alter their fashion sense all in a bid to secure a second term despite clear evidence of non-performance and incompetence. There are reports that the legislators and governors are giving their full support to someone they would not even employ to head their respective personal businesses. They must be doing this because of what they have already benefitted or what they may be planning to do if their candidate gets reelected. I have a feeling that the disgruntled ones amongst them may have struck temporary compromises that could be followed by chair pulling, frustration or actually unseating “Mr. Desperado” when they sense the moment is right; I may be very wrong. The fact that one gets other people to wear clothes made from his/ her selected material or color does not always translate to expression of goodwill.

I watched a news report on Channels TV about the Wives of Army officers who engaged some of their former members recently turned widows. The leadership of the association made up of wives of the top brass of the army were dressed in matching elegant outfits, green and red in color such that the widows were not equally clad in. I wondered to myself how those who were to receive packs of soap, foodstuff and some provisions would have felt in the midst of top class women whose husbands were never going to die again in the service of Nigeria. I thought the entire event did not showcase any form of unity or solidarity with the plight of those who had lost their bread winners most likely following the commands of the husbands of the elite women who had come before them. Would the soldier who are still alive witness this treatment of the widows of their departed colleagues and not sell out for better deals even from terrorists? It is the same practice at the local government, state and federal levels; elected officers who ought to be in the service of the people are seen parading like royalty with their  pathetic subjects scrambling around to do their bidding even if it means trampling on helpless citizens. Government establishments are not also left out in this delusion of grandeur and even supposed pious religious leaders have their stooges readied in their quivers. This frantic hustle for stardom and supremacy is what the citizens get to observe daily till it becomes their ultimate desire; morals, values and ethics soon became obsolete and trashed.

 

Anyone who regularly operates in cyberspace especially on the more socially interactive platforms and Nigerian themed forums would observe that there is already a reprisal of the Nigerian civil war albeit virtual. Nigerians particularly the youthful are torn across ethnic, tribal, religious and political divides. The hypocrisy of all who support the present status quo and who live in denial of our precarious situation is as apparent as daylight. The question I ask is what exactly has bred and still reinforces such animosity despite the attempts to reconcile and overcome our differences. I do not quite have all the answers but I am certain the first answer is that there is yet no consensus on the legitimacy and viability of a Nigerian state. The traces of self-destructive prejudices and bitterness thought to have been wiped out or at worst suppressed over time have been transmitted as dominant or recessive traits to the offspring of Nigeria; those meant to be the future and hope for failed generations in our past. The past have taken the God given resources of the land to corrupt the future; they have denied their progeny of the needed nourishment and shut them out in the dark while they thrived in their insatiable lust and greed. The regular expression of ignorance and senseless rage in this virtual realm numbs the mind most times. I remember my first sojourn to the federal capital city in 2007, I looked with disdain at Abuja and thought to myself how much of a poor photocopy it was of what Lagos was meant to be; Lagos had in fact lost all glory particularly with the many decades of neglect and pollution. It would take more decades for total recovery I presumed. One needs to view the moral and intellectual decay exhibited by our youth and others on social media platforms from a similar perspective. How long would it take to completely salvage this chaos and correct the deliberate, calculated distortion of a potentially unstoppable generation? How is it going to be possible to redeem a Nigerian youth who recklessly berated and described Oby Ezenkwesili on facebook as a “g**damn bigotous f**l” because she suggested that the incumbent government used state funds to hire a foreign public relations firm to launder its image? This is someone that attended a federal college and is a graduate, possibly with a higher degree at that. Anyone who thinks we do not have issues should better arise to the reality that we do have very serious ones in fact.

 

Some of us had the privilege of attending federal government colleges that were established to heal the wounds of the civil war and forge everlasting bonds across differing tribes, tongues, genders and deities. We had color coded houses meant to give identity and allow for healthy competition and teamwork. We did sports, club interactions and had many other things in common. The millionaire’s son became best friends with the orphan; the Igbo, Tiv, Fulani, Egba and Benin boys all ate from the same bowl and played soccer on the same team. We did not care where our prefects came from; it was mainly about duty, responsibility and competence. At the end of the day into adulthood, the fair-skinned Yoruba girl said yes to the once skinny Igbo boy she knew when they were young. I do not believe we need to be homogenous to coexist, we need to understand our differences and quit wondering why others are dissimilar and expecting them to change for our convenience. We should instead harness our positive qualities and amalgamate them into policies and structures that would benefit maximally even the least amongst us.  We can only be as strong as our weakest link; if we think any region is deficient in anything that is where significant attention ought to be directed.

 

Valentine’s Day of 2015 is approaching fast and many title contenders are actively stocking their war chests for the anticipated battle of wits and baboons. Placing a state under siege and having money, Oryza sativa and kerosene flowing about cannot be deemed as free and fair. It is understandable that many have already resigned to another four years of pain and embarrassment under the incumbent who has his foot on the state’s resources while a few others are now more than ever before convinced that it is now the right time to bail from the sinking Nigeria ship. I choose however to have hope yet again for another push. Hope that the ruling party would implode and have more competent people challenge for the party’s ticket. Hope that money or the promise of it would not determine our choices in 2015. Hope that the opposition would not trade again for secret favors. Hope that the issues that divide us are once again relegated to the background, even if what happened in 1993 was an illusion. Hope that I could witness presidential debates that would have a Raji Fasola take on a Goodluck Jonathan (my fantasy pairing). I must be dreaming and need to be drenched in ice-cold water from Antarctica. The incumbent have already placed their enforcers strategically to reclaim lost territory and consolidate Aso rock; we wait to see what transformation a former FRSC corp marshal will bring to aviation. The ”Frankenstein” opposition on the other hand are cowered in a corner and desperate to reprise whatever they did in 2007 to hold on and reclaim lost ground probably at the expense of providing a credible alternative to the abnormal situation that exists now. The incumbent readily point out the lack of ideology and manifesto with regards to the opposition as if it covers up for their own lack and proven case of cluelessness over the past 15years. They are presently giving the president kudos for giving the Lagos-Ibadan expressway a new look considering the fact that the road has been abandoned for many years. Was the road abandoned at any time by the opposition? More important than these Siamese twins, I hope the people will do the needful and at least sound it loud and clear that they are in control to the clique that has held us hostage and in shackles for these many years. The people should be mindful of food packs, credit alerts and souvenirs that would only spell doom for generations unborn.

 

There should be no room for any mistaken identity towards 2015 and regrets subsequently. No stories like “I voted for the man and not the party”; there is nobody without shoes anymore and the fellow who preaches that “common stealing is not corruption” cannot be regarded as humble or driven by love any longer. If individuals on corruption charges, previously convicted or of questionable character can receive state pardons or aspire for public office; Shekau could just about get away with the Premiership of Northeastern Nigeria if only he could dress up in the colors of any of our political parties and stroll into their conventions with his mammoth supporters and arm-twist or better still detonate his way to victory as long as someone’s 2015 dream becomes reality.

Nigeria, it is well with you.

 

 

Jide Akeju
24/July/2014.

THE THINGS THAT WE DO

Growing up in a 3-bedroom flat with four siblings and quite a number of uncles and cousins present at various times can be termed as eventful and a much needed dress rehearsal for facing head-on the harsh realities of life in the future. My banker father and Nurse Mother did their absolute best to ensure that every child in their home got a good enough basic education at primary level. They squeezed through thick and thin to ensure that they met the financial requirements to send ten children to perhaps one of the best private schools in Surulere at the time over a twelve years period. I was very much aware of their sacrifices and strived hard to excel, a task not made easier by having an older sister who seemed to glide through classes effortlessly all the way to secondary school. A visit to the accident and emergency room as a 5year old to the hospital where my mother gave over 30 years of service to have a close to 7cm laceration on my right foot sutured must have contributed to forging in my mind, a desire to help others medically. That scar now appears like the mirror image of the “NIKE” symbol, I should be modeling for the sportswear manufacturing giant now.

Medical school in Nigeria can best be described as an anticlimax for the many successful and not quite successful entrants. If one took a quick survey of the new medical intakes waiting to register at the University of Ibadan a few years ago, one would have realized that a good number of these individuals possessed quite excellent O’Level results and could easily have strolled into any department in any university across the land. Some were most likely local or state champions at their respective secondary schools, ignorant of the meaning of failure and already used to competition and academic excellence. The many lectures (mostly boring), numerous texts to read and memorize; ward rounds truncated by insults and fainting spells, theatre time to observe surgeries and practical sessions inclusive of non-palatable cadaver dissections, autopsies and field trips all combined to further deflate the psyche of the average medical student. A diet made up of biscuits, soft drinks and plenty chewing gum over many sleepless nights and restless days marked our normal routine. The reward was just a piece of paper that read: “The following students have satisfied the examiners…” followed by digits that represented the candidates. On rare occasions, a few students had their numbers asterisked indicative of distinctions while some others would have references in one or more courses. The mixed emotions of rejoicing, disappointment or outright failure despite significant hard work were sometimes very difficult to deal with plunging a few into depression and varying degrees of mental instability. These individuals would have perhaps excelled elsewhere but ended up being weighed down by the huge burden of letting self and family down. Our teachers insisted there was no room for error especially where human life was involved. We needed to be thorough, rapidly executing examination for instant and spontaneous diagnosis even before the results of requested investigations arrived.  The absence or relative absence of a robust reward system for outstanding students coupled with the rat race for placements following graduation contributes in no small measure to discouraging even the excellent ones amongst us.

The uncertainty that follows graduation only serves to throw the young doctor into overdrive, unto a quest for survival and fulfilment. It used to be the mainly the United Kingdom and North America; Australasia, Scandinavia and the Caribbean have now become new havens for the many doctors who have closed the chapters of their Nigerian origins. The doctors who are left in Nigeria are either happy enough to stay at home, too patriotic, older or hustling in preparedness for whatever exit door opens up to them. The distribution of doctors and specialists across the nation is skewed heavily towards the more developed regions and states where teaching hospitals exist. The population and greater awareness of health also allows for more and in a few cases, sophisticated private practices to thrive. The less developed states are left to make do with their few indigenous doctors and the few sojourners that come their way. Some states from time to time depend on volunteers on board Non-governmental organizations, unaccredited imports from North Africa and Asia with the few NYSC doctors that choose to stay. The remnants are either with the Armed forces or the paramilitary agencies.

My first year after medical school saw me launch up North to the capital city Abuja. I remember sleeping on a couch in a living room area for three months due to limited rooms available and preferential treatment given to well-connected individuals. We regularly had a sitting male senator at the time visiting a particular room in the house where we stayed. He came with the number plates of his vehicles covered always and by the time we were done with our internship, we noticed a brand new “Kia Cerato” left behind in the parking area. Abuja was plagued by all sorts of vices ranging from underage drivers, teenage junkies, reckless drivers and suicides. Saving lives and patching up the traumatized was guaranteed. I worked so hard that I weighed a mere 56kg with my trousers loose around my waist, a marked drop from the 64kg that I recorded in my second year at the university. It was due to a combination of unhealthy late eating and outright work overload. I still remember vividly most of the cases of trauma and assault I had to deal with many times late into the night; nights not even followed by rest. I was so engrossed in my work one night at about 2am when the current senate president David Mark alongside his long time army buddy, Tunde Ogbeha passed behind me to see a Caucasian expatriate who had been involved in the car accident which the patient I was attending to was also involved in. He was the driver of the ill-fated vehicle on the way to the airport, no one even bothered to come to his side to give him a word of support and encouragement. No case tore at my heart like that of a very young man in his early 20s who had a huge tumour growing from the right side of his head and which was in fact bigger than his head, he had to support his head with his hand. I was the first to see the lad who had no money on him. My consultant had not seen such a case in his many years of practice and was immediately compelled to count some money from his own pocket to enable the patient take an immediate CT scan. We eventually got a lady correspondent with the AIT to cover the story in order to raise funds for his management and after just a few minutes with him, she could not control her emotions and just began to shed tears. The monies eventually came in and when blood for the marathon surgery planned was required, my immediate boss who is normally steel eyed and devoid of emotions was the first to roll up his sleeve to eke out a pint, a gesture that was soon emulated by myself and a few other doctors involved. I do not want to recount the many other situations that eventually landed me on the physiotherapist’s table. I had been only able to sleep on hard ground and feared that I would live the rest of my life with a debilitating back pain.

My journey to Plateau state thereafter got me to spend almost a year at the General Hospital Langtang for the compulsory national service. I observed that the hospital like many others in the towns that made up the old Benue-Plateau state was commissioned by Joseph Gomwalk during the reign of General Yakubu Gowon in the early 1970s. They deemed it fit at the time to build accommodation for the workers in the staff quarters fully equipped with furniture, gas cookers and refrigerators, the one room that housed the dental clinic I was to run had what was left of a formerly functional chair, a compressor and a dental x-ray machine. This sight reminded me of the Jos railway terminus. The main building had intact wooden and glass structures installed at inception and the commemorative plaque had the name of the then commissioner of transport Tafawa Balewa as the individual who opened the terminus in 1954. The railway system has however waned since then. My clinic lacked sufficient instruments and there was only resource for cold sterilization of used instruments. We always had to improvise and the only few occasions we had electrical power was when the HIV clinic generator was operated to facilitate the management of the many affected patients who came from far and wide. I had to help a frail woman with Ludwig’s angina with the limited tools at my disposal. Not acting or waiting for an ideal situation would only have assured her of an early grave. It was difficult to do the things I did there, there just had to be done. There was a 3month shut out of all Plateau owned hospitals while I was there as a result of issues that could easily have been resolved. Sadly, the people had to bear the suffering. I had the opportunity to go on two volunteer missions to Bali, Taraba state and Benin City. The General hospital in Bali was constructed under the reign of General Babaginda but had by and large become a desolate land. At that period, there was not even a single doctor resident in that town even though the hospital was constructed to have a substantial kitchen and laundry service. The hospital had more or less degenerated to the status of a hostel for sick people. At Benin, we were stationed at the hospital built by and named after the late wife of the then president Obasanjo. We realized that there were two dental rooms that had never been utilized since the large hospital was commissioned. We requested for access but were denied so we had to make do with improvisation to render help to those in need. Two weeks of travelling by road and volunteering opened my eyes to the vast opportunities inherent in our land and people. Unfortunately, these lofty ideas do not register in the minds of our leaders and policy makers. It will only concern them if they have something to directly benefit financially or personally.

I have not had to be involved in so much surgery since returning to Lagos but I will not forget operating into the night  till about 4am with my team to retrieve a bullet from a young man’s broken jaw and patching him up. We were back at an academic seminar before 8am in the morning and this is just what the daily routine of some doctors is like and they do not grumble but get on with it. These doctors may hardly find time for a convenient relationship with their spouses and/ or children. They may never be available to pick up their children from school as they go about trying to help the children of other people who may never say a word of gratitude. We are ever weary of transporting infection to our spouses and children and all we get for all the risk taking is a miserly 5000 naira or some figure slightly higher. Those who call us when we are busy may assume that we are avoiding them; relationships could easily get strained during these periods. Marketers come to sell their products and packages to us assuming that we only need to snap our fingers to conjure up money. When we tell them we have not been paid or do not have enough, they find it hard to believe.

Sports people negotiate huge contracts and oil rig workers get paid all sorts of allowances because they take huge risks and their employers understand these facts. Should it now be difficult for those who are key players in providing befitting healthcare for Nigerians to make basic demands for better working conditions and reasonable remunerations? Is it too much to request for relevant training for certain specialties overseas so that our people would no longer need to storm India and other medical tourism sites for treatment? Is it too much to request for decorum in the administration of the health sector instead of some people promoting selfish agendas rather than demanding for measures that would guarantee quality leadership? Is it not necessary for Nigerians to arise and make concrete demands for their own welfare and for their children? 

The things that we do and must yet do; it goes beyond just watching medical themed series like Grey’s Anatomy and wishing what we see on those sets to miraculously appear. It will require revamping the training and retraining programs at all universities and teaching hospitals; it would require policies that would encourage Nigerian scholars, halt the brain drain and improve the distribution of practitioners and facilities across the nation. The biggest problems of doctors are doctors; we do not require an alliance of joint health workers to add to the menace of those that derive pleasure in sabotaging us. Nigeria worked before and can yet work if only we can retrace our steps and at least believe in the Nigerian state again.

God raise for us selfless leaders from amongst us. Amen.

Jide Akeju

10/07/2014

UNDERCOVER CRIMINALITY?

It has been over one week since I was caught up in the mega "go-slow" along the Ikorodu road on a Friday morning. I had navigated through GRA Ikeja and decided to join Ikorodu road at Maryland en route Surulere.  It is not really surprising to witness snail paced traffic on Lagos roads usually caused by frequently broken down vehicles, usually avoidable accidents, illegal "stop and search" patrols, bad weather and the many crater ridden and gully eroded roads that hardly or never get maintained. The cause of this early morning gridlock was however something different. My first sighting of smoke was when I got to the Anthony area of the road. It was then I realised it was not a wise move to have ignored my initial plan of utilizing the Agege motor road instead. I knew something beyond the normal was happening and had my phone readied  to become an i-reporter. It was only a matter of time for my quick shots of burning BRT buses, stranded commuters with armed and whip wielding soldiers to start trending on Twitter. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I got more retweets and interactions in two hours of mad traffic than I ever had since I opened a Twitter account. Eyewitness accounts and pictures on social media clearly identified the perpetrators of the chaotic scenes that Friday morning so it was rather nauseating to read the press release from the army that put all the blame on "area boys". Have the army become so cowardly to admit that a few erratic men and women in camouflage took laws into their hands to avenge the death of a colleague? Have they become so classless to apologize for the misdeeds of their kind? What indeed is all the masking and cover-up about? Why blame area boys who perhaps have more dignified jobs these days directing traffic or collecting levies from cycle and motor operators? Why have they chosen to deliberately feed the public wrong information and apparently shield criminals in their fold?

I was at the legal department of the hospital where I work last week solely to apply for a new identity card. I had to wait to see the official concerned and could not help but overhear the conversation of two male and a female official in that office. They talked extensively about the deliberate attempts by junior doctors who they helped to gain accommodation in the hospital to deceive them and cause any trouble capable of costing them their jobs. It was later in their discussion that they mentioned that there were other non doctors who also indulged in the pranks. I resisted the urge to engage in their talk until a nurse came in to visit one of the men. She soon realised that I was a doctor and suddenly started to accuse me of trying to reduce the amount paid to nurses and other health workers (not doctors) as hazard allowance. I was shocked and demanded to know the source of such information. I tried though unsuccessfully to convince her that the peddlers of such information were liars and were only trying to cause commotion that would benefit only the peddlers in the long run.

Why would leaders of an association made up of dissimilar unions indulge in spreading error to their members in order to convince them to detest doctors? They say doctors are fighting for their salaries and allowances to be reduced; they tell the public that doctors are selfish and are only interested in monetary gain. They continue to insist that members on a particular grade level in the civil service should become directors which is being resisted by doctors. They claim doctors own private practices and divert patients from government hospitals to maximize income. This mega union is in the first place not homogenous and consist of workers who have varied educational qualifications. How can a pharmacist or physiotherapist convince a hospital worker who has nothing but a senior secondary school certificate to join in a struggle for directorship? Who would eventually get to the grade necessary to qualify for such appointments? The secondary school certificate holder? They included this demands with others such as improved hazard allowance and uniform allowances to shut down a hospital in Lagos for over one month in January of 2014. What is the proportion of pharmacist in a teaching hospital for example? If their association stood alone and decided to embark on a strike action for improved hazard cover (I really do not know how much hazards they face in reality), they are assured that such action would have little or no effect as patients would be readily referred to procure their medications from external sources. This is actually part of the normal practice at most hospitals due to the fact that most in-hospital pharmacies do not quite have a complete spectrum of drugs available at any given moment. Their action would only be effective when they can utilize their foot soldiers to cripple the entire hospital. When new patients or those on appointments arrive, they would meet locked clinics and no records office to open a card for them. These patients leave the hospital assuming that the hospital is shut because doctors are on strike or perhaps because of a deliberate attempt to use the tag of a doctors' strike as cover for their "inconsiderate" action.

It must really be easy and lucrative to run private hospitals in Nigeria with the monthly demands of diesel powered generators and huge taxes. Some doctors have private practices; so do some pharmacists, laboratory scientists and physiotherapists even if they may just consult at the homes of bed ridden or arthritic patients. Some nurses too could have private practices from the comfort of their homes; they only need to acquire a few instruments and charge neighbours a small amount for routine procedures that may not require a visit to an emergency room. It also would not cost much for such to run retail chemist shops. This is like a case of having a beam in one's eye while trying to blow out the dust from another's. This practice is similar to what is practiced in our national political space. The likes of General Buhari are labeled as terrorists and Islamic fundamentalists by "christian" supporters of the present obviously corrupt incumbent. Some citizens follow this trend and have vowed never to vote for the man who they fear is relentless in his goal to transform Nigeria to an Islamic nation; a feat he did not even comprehend when he had supreme power as a military dictator. That is sadly the state of the nation we live in now.

It is not strange that some private hospitals may be better equipped than the state owned institutions. These practices still find it very difficult to meet global standards, the state of our public institutions will not even qualify to be graded with such highly standardized parameters. Why should a demand for upregulation of standards be deemed excessive, selfish and inconsiderate? The chambers of federal legislators and that of the federal executive council get huge budgetary allocation for maintenance and installation of new touch screen gadgets to facilitate voting in the case of the legislators. The low-key news about the commencement of a nationwide strike by judiciary workers was just on the news. In another story during the same broadcast, the Anambra state governor was captured presenting brand new salon cars to judges and senior judicial workers in the state to improve the delivery of "justice" in the state. He also promised to improve on their accommodation and general welfare inclusive of providing new generators. I just wonder if the governor would respond in similar manner if the health workers in the state's employment agitate for better working conditions.

The various governments in Nigeria have perfected the "divide and rule" tactic in dealing with perceived trouble makers. They yield ground to one side at the expense of the other even though both sides claim to have the best interests of the patients at heart. The present NMA strike if called off following any agreements and understanding with the centre will most likely be followed by a counter-strike by the JOHESU to press home their own demands. At the end of this vicious cycle, the health sector would have achieved next to nothing and the centre would have more funds at their disposal to effectively steal which technically is not corruption.

It is really sad when other health workers continue to obsess about hospital consultants who occupy top appointments such as medical director and other top positions. They desire such offices and the perceived benefits that come with them; stereotyping and generalizing all doctors in the process. They never tell the stories of consultants who have to perform surgeries under harsh conditions, doctors who have to tell a patient that his surgery was cancelled or aborted because of power outage or lack of oxygen. They never tell the story of the doctor tossed under the bus by his employers when sued for supposed negligence even though she had a tough choice to make in deciding which case needed more urgent attention. The story of the house officer who spent close to a week waiting in an emergency room for an "emergency" appendectomy due to lack of space or that doctor that spent his entire savings to manage a fractured limb acquired while on duty. It is difficult to forget the sight of watching a colleague go through the psychological trauma and discomfort of taking medications following an accidental needle prick whilst treating a potentially immunocompromised patient or the thought of those doctors who died on the road to or from distant examination centres. They perhaps do not pay attention when doctors rally themselves to raise money for their patients or when they offer their services for free during volunteer missions. They obviously do not regard the doctor who has just lost a spouse but is at work the next day because the patients have appointments; they did not hear that my father passed away on a Saturday and I was back at work on Monday morning after a nearly 12hours journey to see my family.

I do not blame them because they do not know. The doctors do not dwell in the past but simply get on with their jobs. The house officer will use the light from his phone to get a blood sample even if it is at the risk of him pricking himself, the pathologist will continue his autopsy even if agitated relatives of the deceased are outside and threaten to storm his room. A good number of medical directors are very much politicized and have made a harsh of their primary duties which has justifiably attracted resistance and defiance. It is still not an excuse to be unreasonable and distracted from the ultimate prize; a world class health sector. If the university of Lagos had an electron microscope in 1976, why should we in 2014 be begging for routine light microscopes deemed surplus to requirement in many of our institutions? If General Obasanjo on the 17th of November 1976 said that university education would become tuition free across the nation and that tuition and boarding would be free for polytechnic and technical-secondary education; why should we even tolerate an arguably non existent technical school structure and closure of higher institutions for months under a civilian administration? If we had rail tracks and locomotives of near British standard at independence, why should anyone tell us in 2014 to join a train that would take several long hours to kano; a journey that he would take with one of several jets in his fleet?

We have either participated in or encouraged criminality that has now become our creed in Nigeria. It is worse when we disguise it and label others as disgruntled and unpatriotic when in fact we are feeding fat and destroying our conscience in the process.

We need to repent. Absolutely!

Jide akeju.

12/07/2014

GREEN EAGLES AND CHRISTMAS FOWLS.

The super eagles boycotted training the other day and demanded for their allowances both agreed and new demands. Nigerians over the moon that they had qualified for the second round of the world cup since 1998 raised their voices and lambasted the NFF for withholding the funds meant to pay the players who by the way had made fresh demands based on the fact that they made the second round. The Nigerian government also went out of their way to ensure the average players were appeased with the hope that the Brazilian jamboree would continue into the quarters.

Now to the small matter of a nationwide NMA strike which is into the second week now. The doctors who have been saving lives despite the absence of the much needed financial backing commanded by the super eagles have downed tools in demand for better provisions for the millions of super eagles fans who cannot readily jet out to India and the Americas for a quick blood work and liposuction on the one hand and clarification of the relationship between the quarter backs of the health practitioners and the other players (might sound supremacist but that's the truth). The media have sadly not put forward well informed journalists to really investigate all the pressing issues involved and some have volunteered their platforms to greedy stakeholders who readily misinform Nigerians on the real issues of the struggles. These people make purulent statements ranging from calling house officers "baby doctors" to questioning why doctors should even demand for "over sees" (like one of them spelt it in his publication) training instead of despising what we have at home. They do in fact have some valid points which become decimated in the midst of sheer ignorance that they exhibit.

I get to see fellow Nigerians on national TV from time to time begging for financial aid to get renal transplants in India or very critical brain surgeries overseas. Where are the experts and facilities that the JOHESU are misinforming Nigerians about? We see pregnant women who can afford to travel to foreign lands haul their fetus enhanced frames over oceans and mountains to deliver where they think their babies and themselves have a better chance, if not 100% chance of surviving. This in a way drains Nigerian trained and based doctors of credibility but it in fact does not tell the true story of the exploits of Nigerian doctors who endure so much hardship and inconvenience to still save lives and put smiles on the faces of impoverished Nigerians. This does not tell the story of Dr Frank who is ferried on a motor bike in the middle of the night across the desert of Yobe to perform a cesarean section to deliver a baby whose lungs may never inflate until Dr Kemi stays awake all night to manually ventilate due to the absence of basic ventilators and incubators that is basic in those countries where Nigerian mothers flee to. 

They tell Nigerians that the doctors are selfish but these people did not call Mikel selfish for his laboured display in Brazil and audacity to shame the country for a mere 15000 USD. No one is saying that there is no money issue involved but I do not think doctors should go on public forums to start discussing what medical officers, NYSC doctors, resident doctors and those who work in private hospitals earn. They only concentrate on what mega sums they assume hospital consultants earn and "enjoy" and never talk about the responsibilities of such appointments. There is this public assumption that doctors are earning bumper packages, if only the Nigerian people can take time out to ask doctors they know how much they indeed earn. They keep shouting that doctors working in government establishments own or also work in private practices where they divert patients to. There is no law that says doctors cannot own such practices, the truth is that only a small proportion of doctors actually do private practice. The shortfall in the number of available specialists requires a high demand placed on certain experts and the need for younger doctors to earn a decent living requires them to apportion their time to more than one or two practices that require necessary cover. Would a Neurosurgeon whose expertise is scarce be deemed selfish and greedy if he offered service to another centre that may not have one? This duplication of roles can only last a while as it takes its toll on the bodies of those concerned. A doctor's body is not firewood, there is a limit to the bending over that one can indulge in.

Nigerians keep ranting that the doctors' strike is killing Nigerians like Nigerians were not already dying in droves strike or no strike. A quick survey of autopsy cases would cause one's heart to bleed when you read of babies that could have been saved if only just one appropriate ventilator was available to aid their weak lungs. One would read of cases of people who died from gunshot wounds inflicted by robbers or police men, cases of young women that committed unsafe abortions because of the fear of not being able to provide for another child and the five year old who died from tetanus acquired from a broom stick pricking his hand and the ignorance of his parents to seek medical care early enough.

Nigerians seem to have mortgaged their existence for the pleasure of a world cup mediocre showing and have been manipulated to bark up the wrong tree when demanding for better health care. The doctors available in Nigeria are grossly insufficient, so are the nurses and other professionals. The policy drivers are only concerned about self preservation and glorification. They place their stooges over health establishments who although are doctors, spend their time intimidating and blackmailing younger colleagues and reinforcing despicable health care delivery to their fellow citizens; that is if they truly regard them as such. 

The elite corrupt organization FIFA has now in fact suspended Nigeria due to government interference. How I wish the  government interferes positively in health matters on a regular basis. Subsidizing sports, I mean super eagles football is more important to the government than the health and welfare of Nigerians; even the missing children. Like the chief medical director of a certain hospital said recently; "there is nowhere in the constitution where it states that the government shall be responsible for the health of Nigerian citizens, the closest thing to that is that the government shall be responsible for the welfare of her citizens". If welfare of Nigerians translates to funding the super eagles and ensuring Keshi retains his job with better pay, so be it.

God save the federal republic of Nigeria.

Jide akeju 

10/07/2014

ÈKÌTÌ PARAPÒ

I remember speaking with my cousins a few weeks back about soccer matters until we were distracted by the live broadcast of the campaign rally by the labour party gubernatorial candidate M. O. Bamidele. A local comedian had just performed to rally the people to support the man who many felt was disenfranchised and barred from contesting against the incumbent governor, Fayemi at the APC primaries. Bamidele soon took to the podium and immediately crashed to his knees after taking off his Awoesque cap, singing praises and choruses to God like a pro.

I do not claim to know much about or understand adequately the dynamics of Ekiti politics but it is clear to me that the people are very much active and participate greatly during elections. My cousin soon assured me that the PDP candidate would win overwhelmingly while the incumbent would fail woefully. He grew up in Ikere-Ekiti and is still very much in tune with the happenings in the state. I doubted his judgement because I felt the people would not want someone with corruption charges hovering over his head to return as governor. His conviction was based primarily on the failings of the incumbent and his queen rather than the appropriateness of the highly controversial grassroot champion, Fayose.

Governor Fayemi who is supposed to be equivalent to a highly rated professor with his numerous degrees and academic achievements was reported to have given a dreadful answer to a question directed to him during an interview about a university currently being established by his wife in Ghana. I also got informed about the many projects executed by his government some of which have his branding or that of his wife on it. They must have trusted that these clear evidences of infrastructural development would be sufficient to convince the people to gift them another four years to establish their empire. How wrong? The man acclaimed to have been a champion for the restoration of democracy during the struggles against a certain military regime went about with his wife endorsing their names on just about every painted structure made with blocks and cement.

Many are baffled that a seemingly rouge-like individual could topple an erudite scholar but they have forgotten that Goodluck Jonathan is the president of Nigeria. My cousins told me of a very funny conversation that ensued between a clearly upset caller to a TV station and governor Fayose during his first tenure as governor; the caller was said to have started out all guns blazing berating the governor for failing in his duties and responsibilities to his town. It was said that Fayose scolded the man on air and emphasized to him that it was improper and unacceptable for a citizen to address a sitting governor the way he did no matter the level of frustration. The governor thereafter proceeded to answer the questions of the caller. Fayose is said to be a very popular and down to earth guy unlike Fayemi who in a way appears to me as too sophisticated to be an Ekiti man. I have never heard him address any gathering of his people in the local dialect; I cannot tell if he actually does that or if he is even fluent at all in the language.

There is already a lot of talk about the many professors that have originated from Ekiti, a state that only came into existence after much struggle and petitions. I grew up with the knowledge that my father and his peers from our home town had been writing open letters to the governments of the day since the 70s for their home town to be adequately represented at the local government level. They soon carved out Emure-Ise-Orun local government and later Ise-Orun which is what exists now. My mother told me that my town's people in Orun-Ekiti are the primary land owners before migrants arrived and settled in Ise. The town is pretty much not developed with only a few posh houses that litter the terrain which belong to some patriotic indigent sons that have made a success of their lives. 
Most of the roads are not tarred except the main road that cuts through towards Emure. My first visit to my town was as a young boy in 1988. I remember crossing the road in front of my grandfather's house and walking past an ancient filing station to my grandmother's house. The next time I was home was in 2004 and I could actually reenact that trip because nothing had changed in 16 years. In 2004, my grandfather's mud house was more or less deserted. My father told me then that some settlers who had migrated from somewhere in the Niger delta were dwelling there and farming on the farm lands that belonged to the generation of my grandfather. Many houses were deserted or occupied by really old people whose widely educated children and grandchildren had moved out of Ekiti and beyond. My father's older brother and some of his family members still dwell there and my mother also has cousins one of whom is a very "successful" bone setter and traditional orthopedic consultant.

The situation was quite worse in the neighboring Ise-Ekiti which is just a line away. The distinction between both towns must only rest in the minds of those born there as there is no landmark that delineates them. Several houses were deserted and now occupied by numerous Hausa-Fulani migrants who had come to partake in the cultivation and transport of kolanuts and bitter kola out of the towns. This was in 2010 and I was quite intrigued to learn that such farm produces were abundant in the towns as well as other regular cash and food crops. The migrant workers I saw were just content to eat fresh pineapples and get on with their farm work. It may be safe to conclude that a good number of towns that make up the state may be populated by individuals who are not the primary owners of such lands. These people have gone about their business without much hassle and had children who can lay as much claim to be from Ekiti being able to speak the dialect. Those who are indigent may be serving as company for the aged or fronts to help guard and protect the interests of their more prosperous relatives in diaspora. I wonder if the quality of education at primary and secondary levels in the state is adequate enough to help the people with the necessary tools that could alter their lives for good. It goes beyond just building and painting class room blocks. If the governments of the day cannot do beyond what was operational in 1954 when my father was in primary school there, how do incumbents expect that votes would not be valued at a small bag of raw rice or a plate of cooked food? The highest bursary I ever got in medical school was 2000 naira for one year. It was always about the fact that there was a high number of Ekiti students in school and that there was no drop of crude oil coming from Ekiti; just rocks.

If so many medical students (and potential doctors that could serve the state)taught to change their states of origin by their parents from Ondo to Ekiti were deserving of just 2000 naira from their state, one wonders how much is budgeted for the education of the children at the basic level. I recently learnt of a transaction between some not too distant relatives of mine and the state government through an intermediary. Over 60 plots of land belonging to several families based on some really old laws were sold to the state government by a few without informed consent for just 2 million naira of which only 1 million had been paid. That is the kind of lucrative deals that many are perpetuating in my town, I would really like to know if other towns have such dilemma going on. What is the small matter of a gubernatorial election where the people stand to benefit instant supply of bags of foodstuff and some hard quid to perhaps embark on a jamboree to Lagos? Who are the people that voted? It definitely was not me, Ayenco or Medictoa. Many of the doctors working in Ekiti are not even from Ekiti, I am not sure if the state understands what they stand to gain from some who still choose to identify with a state that has given them next to nothing.

I remember meeting a former commissioner from Ekiti in Abuja in 2007. The man and a few other men had been involved in an accident on their way to the airport that led to the death of one of them. He was very restless and wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible since there was little wrong with him. He calmed down when I got talking with him. I told him I was also from Ekiti and I thereafter discharged him and his friends who had only scratches. He asked me if I was interested in following them back to their base in Abuja; for a moment I thought about what I could have benefited from attending to an injured commissioner from my state and what great things the future held if only I had such connections. I must have remembered the many billboards hailing governor Fayose that littered the roads all the way from Ekiti to Ibadan during a trip as students just about 2 years prior. I politely declined the offer explaining that it was already late and I watched on as the commissioner and his team strolled out to perhaps continue their lavish lives that night following their aborted journey. Fayose was subsequently in Obasanjo's black book and lost his throne in 2006; the PDP's Segun Oni was then ousted by the courts and the good commissioner had to go too.

Those who fought and clamored for the state are perhaps not even remembered for their valor. We are left with people fighting over regents and obas; we have politicians overturning vehicles and mysterious deaths. We have a people that perhaps have no hope for a better life, a people available for their masters chores. A people we think are like us, discerning right from wrong. Brothers and sisters we do not know especially by those of us born outside of home. Why are we surprised Fayemi failed? Obasanjo laid the foundation stone in 2003; the playbook just got upgraded with armed enforcers, malnourished horses, diseased dogs and credit alerts. The 400,000 plus votes from Ekiti cannot elect an incumbent president in isolation, they would need to up their game.

God save our land.

Jide Akeju

22/06/2014

“BAD MARKET”

I would not be caught pants down watching the American legal drama “Fairly legal” by myself. The few episodes I have watched were with my wife who somehow finds them quite interesting, very different from the epics and thrillers that I find more appealing. Home alone and deciding to do some house chores with the TV on, I paid little attention to the episode of fairly legal that was airing until I heard a remark that startled me. This 8th episode of the 2nd season titled “Ripple of hope” was about the main character, Kate who had a chance encounter with a female prison inmate during mediation between aggrieved prisoners and the prison wardens. The prisoners had embarked on a hunger strike and were demanding for better welfare conditions particularly the inclusion of fruits and vegetables twice a week in their menu. Kate was quite surprised that a particular inmate who ought to be restless and agitated like the rest was rather reasonable and helped to douse the tension. The inmate’s story was about wrongful imprisonment and maintaining her confessions of innocence when a guilty plea could have earned her parole much earlier.  After discussing the option of taking up the case for a retrial with her colleague Ben, he warned her about the possibility of falling prey to the deceptions of a potentially hard core criminal. The character used the analogy of Nigerians defrauding foreigners by asking them to make deposits in anticipation of a future fortune or inheritance that would never come.

Quite a number of foreign produced series and movies have made reference to Nigeria particularly with respect to financial fraud, terrorism and religious conflict. I found it rather upsetting that one not highly rated in my books could use similar lines to ridicule my country when in fact they could have generated a fictitious African nation to drive home their point. This stigma has sadly become the best way to stereotype Nigerians by those who may regard themselves as far superior, but do we blame them?

Karl Maier in his book “this house has fallen” mentioned that Nigerians accounted for one out of every six Africans at a time when our population was speculated to be 110 million. I am uncertain if that ratio has been altered since then, I may be wrong. For a nation with such mammoth resources to be demeaned as crooks ought to trigger genuine soul searching by the individuals that bear the name of the country that we have brought more shame than honour to. I agree that most of us have never dreamt of typing that bogus mail in search of potential “magas”, nor have we stripped others of their hard earned resources. However, for every act of deliberate silence or negligence; we may as well be declared guilty of shaming the motherland.

How did we ever get to this point where we operate by abysmal moral values propelled by an insatiable desire for more, more of what only brings decay and death? We have in our minds a nation divided by stereotypes where one individual requires a super ability to anticipate the moves and intentions of another who differs in tribe, dialect, religion, education and in numerous other parameters. The Yoruba man needs to take his brain to the zone of the market controlled by his eastern brethren just as the Ife mother has to plead with and warn her sons to desist from encroaching into Modakeke land. The policeman on stop and search is ready to discharge his weapon at any “suspected criminal” that opts to engage him intellectually or dispute any fabricated charge while politicians remember their religious leanings whenever they hope to gain significantly by fomenting trouble.

How did a nation where the technology of television commenced before or just after present day world powers get to have incompetence and ineptitude as leaders? I am not sure there is any nation so blessed but plagued by those who see nothing wrong in giving excuses for failure due to their primitive sentiments. It is not enough that the ruling class constantly blame forces seen and unseen for their inability to do what is right; the president and his aides never fail to mention how Nigeria and Pakistan are similar but forget easily that there was a time when bombs never went off sporadically on our streets, shopping malls and bus parks. Why does he never look for a relatively blissful nation to model Nigeria after? They blame the opposition that is hardly any different from them for their headache and constipation. I asked a while back if the opposition were responsible for the numerous political gaffes and incredible utterances that have emanated from the president and his team. The APC must have written the script for the dramatization of grief captured at the hallowed chambers of the imperious first lady following the alleged kidnap of over 200 young women from their school in Chibok. We give ready excuses for our sluggish method of governance and attribute infancy and militarized abuse on the psyche of Nigerians as the root causes of our abnormal state. Should we not consider retracing our steps to the days before the uniformed men ever dreamt of establishing dynasties? Should that template however imperfect not be considered for review and upgrade instead of the present status quo of groping around in absurdity and uncertainty?

The debate is usually centered on where the source of our much needed change ought to come from. Should it be from the top or from the bottom? Government sympathizers are quick to quote the late American president John F. Kennedy who told Americans to ask what they could contribute to their country instead of what they could gain. They want Nigerians to volunteer services to a country that they owe no allegiance, a country they are convinced has not done anything significant for their careers and welfare but constant harassment and ridicule both home and abroad. The ruling elite indulge in gallivanting around the globe with state resources where they meet with Nigerians in diaspora from time to time and encourage them to return home and/ or invest their human and material resources to develop the nation of their birth. Those who return must truly have green blood flowing through their veins or must have been guaranteed seats at the table where the national cake is mutilated. Those that choose to ignore the invites are not any less patriotic. Common sense should dictate that it is not wisdom to leave the relative comfort and security of a nation that has welcomed and given them opportunities for the uncertainty of insecurity and corruption. A nation where the primitive act of stealing from the state treasury is just like a son taking meat from his mother’s pot of soup without permission. That should not in any case deserve more than a talking to and should not be confused as corruption of the mind. It is absolutely normal for governors to allocate incredible benefits to themselves and generations unborn after leaving office just before they relocate to the retirement senate chamber where meagre sums are allocated for their general upkeep.

We have a system where those who have gone ahead or privileged to have opportunities remove the ladder to prevent others from reaching the heights envisioned in their dreams but not before helping their children, kinsmen, lovers and conspirators get a head start. Our values have been so eroded that it is acceptable to speak with both angles of our mouths, words devoid of honor and integrity. Our political parties have no ideology while our religious bodies lack integrity; they roll side by side and share the limelight with the ruling class. Why would any intelligent mind who has hustled his/ her way to raise millions of naira for tuition to earn a degree and possibly a good paid employment in a foreign land return home and get shot in cold blood by armed robbers and policemen because of an international drivers’ license they may not be familiar with?  Why would anybody give his life for a country that does not acknowledge his existence nor remembers his sacrifice and if necessary, death? Many in the civil and public service see their offices as a means to advance up the predatory food chain. There seems to be a sense of insecurity and lack of faith even in the educational system. Those who ought to preserve and strengthen basic educational are busy scrambling to get their wards into schools at home and abroad that is more or less beyond the capacity of their pay grade. They only need to indulge in petty theft and little kickbacks here and there to fund and sustain these lofty aspirations. Appointments into government establishments are based largely on politicking and familiarity with the king makers. Competence is not a prime requirement but it could come in handy in the long run. Appointees soon find themselves only loyal to whoever they owe the opportunity to feast, maladministration ensues and anyone that is bold enough to challenge the way they run their empires are either invited to lunch or constantly blackmailed to shift ground.


Those that choose not to challenge what is wrong mostly do so because they are too timid and fearful of losing their livelihood or are simply holding out for their own opportunity to indulge without the similar distraction of naysayers. Those who benefited from opportunities to study on scholarships both at home and abroad have now taken quality basic formal education and technical training beyond the reach of the average young person. Those who gained admissions or employments on merit have now resorted to lower the standards to accommodate their children and wards at the expense of more deserving candidates; they pull their strings and work everything down to youth service postings and then go to church to give testimonies about his wonderful deeds. We have lecturers and professors that victimize students and in many cases set questions they could never have solved when they were students. Education is severely underfunded, scholarships are diverted to benefit only a few and now government and religious bodies established institutions are beyond the means of hardworking parents who are too ashamed to steal even a little. Some of us are still grateful that we had the privilege of attending Federal government colleges, the quality of education and values imbibed during those years of relating with teachers and fellow students have contributed in no small measure to what we have become now. I may not have gone to the University of Ibadan at a time when beddings were changed regularly or when free meals abounded at the various campus cafeterias, I still got to pay 90 naira for accommodation albeit for only my fresher year. Those who protested over a reduction in the quantity of free chicken served on their campuses now turn their noses up at young people who protest for their fundamental rights. The air we breathe in Nigeria must be capable of causing retrograde amnesia and irreversible hysteria whenever an undeserved portfolio drops freely into our laps.  That is the only logical explanation.

How really difficult is it to govern in Nigeria? A people so resilient and demanding only basic amenities to live their lives in satisfaction and loyalty. That is why young mothers would trade their votes for a branded bag of rice or a keg of vegetable oil. The reason why a young man will allocate his vote to anyone capable of buying his drinks at the football viewing center and the old and frail grandmother will convince her children to vote for the cunning politician who gives her 1000 naira on a monthly basis. The sky is so vast for every flying creature to glide without collision. The soils are so blessed; a particular region can feed the others with enough left to process and export. The people so gifted; they could dwarf others across the globe in arts, sports and sciences amongst other spheres. A nation of over 150 million people despite a hugely significant infant and mother fatality rates cannot in this present time produce a fleet of short distant sprinters capable of regularly dipping under 10 seconds for men and 11 seconds for women. The relatively tiny islands that make up the Caribbean are never in short supply of such from their processing plant that is not even financed by crude oil and natural gas reserves. The giant of Africa is so impoverished that she resorts to choosing the sports to participate in at major international competitions deceiving herself that medal hopefuls exist in only those sports. They eventually attend and usually return empty or well short of the lofty targets set by the administrators completely cut off from reality. Every individual that is appointed to supervise sports in the country assumes by default that sports equate football. What does being an infant democracy have to do with this sort of confusion? We pride ourselves as a major footballing force on the continent; one that is perpetually cap in hand before the government patrons for funding. South Africa is not necessarily blessed with as many footballing talents like Nigeria; they however have a well packaged and properly run league independent of state funds. I usually like watching the present South African minister of sport on TV, the man is everywhere sports is organized in his country. School sports, white sports, black sports, swimming, cycling; just name it. Our own administrators would not even listen to any request for funding shooting, sailing or kayaking, those sports do not command the side attraction of a jamboree like a trip to the beaches of Rio.

The people below have their issues as well; we are untrained to be timid and tolerant of mediocrity. How can one explain away the embarrassment of the pseudo-office of the first lady and the numerous nuclear weapons that are detonated by the occupant of that illegal office? How can individuals who have been through the perimeter of a school and earning O-level, Diploma, Bachelor and postgraduate degrees excuse the wife of the supposed highest citizen in the land for her numerous infantile grammatical blunders and thereafter blame it on the fact that English is not our mother tongue? On a trip from London to Lagos via Madrid in November 2012, it would have been beneficial if I could for once deny my citizenship. We arrived in Madrid in the afternoon and had to locate the boarding gate for the connecting flight to Lagos. The huge edifice of the Madrid Airport meant that we had to cover a significant distance to find our gate. We soon came across the gate for passengers going to Accra and I could not help but observe the tranquility of the passengers headed that way. A quick look ahead and it was clear where the flight going to Nigeria was set to board; we just had to head in the direction of commotion. My fellow Nigerians caused a scene to delay the boarding process of the plane in order to force on excess hand luggage they did not want checked in, they did not even give way for mothers carrying babies or the elderly to precede first into the plane. The conversations I was able to overhear during the flight ranged from beating the Spanish banking and loan system to becoming “baby mamas” for Caucasians in order to get a permanent stay. It was so disheartening to learn that fellow Nigerians have to resort to prostitution, deception and fraud to earn a good living. I wondered why such people even had to leave the relative comfort of their home nation in the first place. Some of the male passengers were soon seated on the edges of their seats chatting like they were on a chattered flight; they hounded the Iberia air hostesses who appeared used to them for more wine. The most hilarious part was when a female passenger stood up to open overhead compartment and retrieve a foil paper wrapped mass of fried chicken from her bag. Then I understood the reason for the commotion prior to boarding. One would assume that a people that have been downtrodden for so long ought to know what is best for them but this is not always the case with Nigerians. The ruling class always seems to have unhindered access to the reset button that controls the minds of helpless Nigerians. We could have in fact murdered our messiahs in the past without knowing.

General elections have been scheduled for February 2015 and there is no clarity of where we are headed. Important issues are not being headlined to determine where the electorate may be tilted. The incumbent repeatedly assure a “free and fair” election but they seem not to have a clue what that phrase means.  How is an election where one aspirant has access to state funds and machinery while the opponent(s) trek fair? How can an election where the incumbent does not turn up for a scheduled debate to showcase knowledge and competence be termed fair? The judiciary is another matter for another day; they are yet to prove their undivided loyalty to the survival of the Nigerian state. The same gullible followers may however still be hardworking and resourceful. They are still able to use whatever comes their way to earn a honest living.


Numerous privately owned businesses have sprung up with meagre resources; shoe makers, cloth designers, furniture makers, comedians, event managers etc. without the knowledge of the governments that ought to assist them. This is enough proof that if the enabling factors are available, it would be impossible to stop the average Nigerian. YouWin or whatever potentially laudable contraption by any government can only go so far in meeting the demands of Nigerian youths. Such programs in my opinion have only served as a channel to enrich a few government apologists and at the same time raise a battalion of misguided sycophants that would go online and offline to wage war on perceived enemies of their benefactors. Many would say “wait till you get there, you would do even worse”; I understand the likes of Reuben Abati appeared to have sold out just like many others including media outfits have in the past. What about those that never did? What about those that have been through hell or sacrificed for what they regard as just, right and fair? Do they have two heads or two livers? I believe strongly that a man is exactly what he thinks in his heart; it goes beyond what he says or writes. If one ruminates on self-preservation and luxury, such would yield and bear fruit when placed in a suitable and convenient environment provided room temperature remains constant.

Nigeria as it is can best be described as an unsellable bad product. No amount of rebranding like the now deceased Dora Akunyili tried in vain to do in 2009 can remedy our image. The “good people great nation” toga remains superficial. As long as the people that constitute the entity called Nigeria do not see the good and benefits inherent in others, the call to imbibe change would only be unpleasant sounds in their ears. There is no amount of tagging God as an alibi for our evil intentions and deeds that would miraculously give us a good name. We should not be deceived by any expressed or subtle endorsement given to corrupt politicians by religious leaders; what is wrong is wrong and God’s name should not be used in the same sentence with corruption. The green passport would for a long time appear like a curse and the land many of us call home would be constantly desecrated even on our TV screens until we arise to fight for the soul of our country. We have a reason to fight even if we do not think we can yet win in our lifetime, our children will overcome eventually.

Jide Akeju
12/06/2014

New Nigeria: A 54years Game of Thrones.

The plot of the critically acclaimed HBO series "Game of Thrones" is about an ancient world locked in merry-go-round battles between and amongst kingdoms tied by blood, deception, betrayal and thirst for vengeance all in a bid to claim an ultimate iron throne.

 

I have been reading a great deal and watching historical clips about Nigeria. My earliest encounter with Nigerian historical literature was a book titled "13 years of Military rule" a compilation by the defunct Daily Times of events from the first republic to the eventual handover by General Olusegun Obasanjo to Shehu Shagari with a focus on the 13 years the military held sway, 1966-1979. My father purchased this book for N1.50k in 1979 perhaps because of his enthusiasm of a better Nigeria. As a child, I only enjoyed looking through the pictures of past government participants and coup plotters. The book is more or less skewed towards documents that most likely emanated from government press releases and may not be as objective. However, it does give a good summary of the landmarks that have altered the course of events in this country and to some extent, derailed the Nigerian train from the track of genuine nationhood.

 

Towards the 2011 general elections, it was clear to me that the possible emergence of the PDP candidate would spell disaster for our great country. I thought this was clear to most Nigerians, to those who had persevered long enough and gotten tired of tolerating incompetence in leadership. I assumed the general North would be split if not won by the major opposition candidate while the PDP would lose overwhelmingly in the Southwest just like they always did. I also did not think the PDP could sweep the southeast of greater than 90% of the votes there. How wrong I was. It was clear the leaders of the southwest dominated party did some kind of dealings with the incumbent and withheld their indigenous machinery to ensure that the PDP did not have a credible showing in the southwest. The southeast and south-south overwhelmingly voted for their son with some states recording over 90% of total votes for the PDP despite documentation and recordings of obvious vote rigging. The Northern states and particularly the middle belt region with governors sympathetic and loyal to the ambitions of their party and its candidate witnessed a majority decision for Goodluck Jonathan, PhD.

 

The outcome of the elections baffled me greatly. I was completely at a loss as to how Nigerians allowed someone so clearly inept and unprepared to win by an incredibly overwhelming margin. I wondered if the southeastern people lacked progressive and rationally thinking people; worst still I pondered on how my fellow southwestern people watched on as GEJ garnered over a million votes in Lagos. Gutted with a feeling of being let down, I concluded that the Nigerian people were simply overrated, myopic and sentimental. Some wanted a first timer minority, some were awed by the PhD that may be devoid of a thesis while the worst group made up greatly of young minds like myself said they voted for the man and not the party. How outrageous? The people sold out, the media sold out and the opposition sold out. My grudge with Channels TV still persists.

 

Why did Nigerians do what they did? Some of the answers lie in the annals of our great country. The contraption and geographical expression named Nigeria by the British was done primarily to serve themselves. They plundered valuable resources; humans and goods, cash crops, minerals and art work that still adorn their museums till tomorrow. They did however bring formal education, religion, mirrors and gin. They, in some way made less apparent the multi-ethnic diversity by focusing on the dominant tribes that have since commandeered the political landscape with the numerous and smaller other tribes playing the minority second fiddle. This uneven topography and imbalanced political structure handed over to the young and inexperienced agitators in 1960 led to distrust and a lot of power play, scheming and betrayals. With this entrenched bitterness, the game for the throne of supremacy began.

 

Literature abound on how radical middle ranked soldiers, mostly in their late 20s eliminated critical players of the first republic, both military and civilian. The label that the first coup was tagged still lingers in the minds of a lot of Nigerians. This led to an insatiable hunger for vengeance among officers grouped as northerners who perceived that the Ironsi led supreme military council were reluctant to try the arrested coup plotters and administer justice. A large scale murder of Igbo nationals and other Easterners ensued in the North, aided and abated by the connivance or in some cases, the watchful neglect of the northern elite. These incidents went without justice and emboldened the disgruntled northern officers to embark on a mutiny murdering numerous Eastern officers in cold blood. These men, led by Murtala Mohammed who was in his late 20s set Nigeria on a downward slope with the main goal of terminating the existence of the infant nation. Appeals against secession caused the Northern caucus to change their minds but not without arm-wrestling the leadership of the nation for the most senior surviving soldier at the time.

 

Even if the Eastern officers wanted to retaliate, they were already vanquished and the vengeful northerners would have perhaps killed every single one of them in sight. These heinous crimes went unpunished and further crimes perpetuated during the civil war particularly in the sector commanded by the fiery Murtala have been by and large swept under the carpet while those who suffered have been assumed to have moved on. I have just concluded a book title "Oil, politics and Violence: Nigeria's military coup culture (1966-1976)" by Max Siollun. It chronicles an unbiased and detailed account of the unfortunate events that have bedeviled Nigeria and still plagues us now. The book has the potential to break our hearts and at the same time mend it, it gave me hope that this entity named Nigeria can still arise from the ashes only if we come to the junction of equity, justice and forgiveness. We need not forget the evils we have done one to another, we have to open the wounds that have been inflicted on our bodies and minds. Covering them up does not heal them, it only succeeds in eating us up on the inside and gets transferred as either a dominant or recessive trait from parent to offspring. This anomaly as it is, is indestructible.

 

The escalation of crude oil exploration and the subsequent expansion of the nation's monetary reserves reinforced corruption and only served to murder the agricultural sector that had contributed enormously to the economy of the regions established prior to independence. It improved the appetite of the now  politicized military junta and their civilian conspirators. There was free money they did not necessarily need to account for. Sadly, a culture of waste followed and the distribution of this new found wealth was skewed leading to the advent of armed revolts against the military led by Isaac Boro. It is shocking to know that a 50% derivation formula for oil producing communities once existed which plunged to 2% at a time. It is now set at 13%, clearly unfavorable to those concerned. Some people feel that "monkey dey work, baboon dey chop" is the modus operandi in Nigeria, hence the agitation.

 

Oil has become Nigeria's curse, our Achilles heel. The Northern brotherhood that conspired and murdered suddenly imploded. They suddenly realised they were indeed different, torn by tongue and God. Blood was "shared" and some innocent ones caught in the cross fire rendering many widowed and orphaned. A more deadly spanner was thrown into the wheel of the nation, deadlier than tribe, tongue or geography. It must have been in existence but became full blown with time. Religious affiliation became one of the tools of trade in the hands and systems of those who have perpetually held this country in bondage since independence.

 

The military men and their aides sunk their fangs deeper into the jugular of un-merited wealth and power. The cold war and continued patronage by world powers for the lucrative "bonny blite" crude perhaps plunged Nigeria further down the abyss, the wealthy got even wealthier while the poor wasted away into oblivion. Those who died amongst them are regarded as heroes having their names gracing establishments and monuments across the land. Those alive still occupy positions in government, possess personal oil wells and worse still continue to spread the venom that fuels bitterness and thoughts of revenge among the tribes that make up Nigeria. The jostle for the throne at the centre still persists till this day. Do they think the evil they have done is hidden? Or do they assume that the people particularly impoverished and almost annihilated are too busy scrapping for survival to remember?

 

Our political system still remains primitive, held hostage by sentiments and justified grief. In some cases, it is the fear of deja vu while in others, a direct or indirect effect of the landlords' protocol to create timid and voiceless Nigerians. The national cake is continuously plundered, many have sold their souls to partake in the crude oil hysteria losing their identities in the process. It has degenerated to a survival of the fittest, jungle style. Many have become too greedy, they would rather watch while others perish even their kin. A good number still harbour deep seated hatred for the Nigerian state. They would rather have a goat preside over the the affairs of the state as long as the goat is from their backyard instead of supporting any genuine effort to retrieve the reins of our national ship heading for the rocks. A vast populace are held back by religious sentiments and ethnic loyalty instead of promoting the common interest of Nigerians. Even their elite are not vocal enough to ensure their liberation and in some cases, this silence has rendered them as accomplices when their wards misbehave and take matters into their own hands.

 

Sixteen years ago and fresh from secondary school, I had written my last paper on the 4th of June, 1998 and was back at home unsure of what the future had in stock. June 8 was my birthday and I did not know what to expect. My father had temporarily moved to the new state Bayelsa to hustle for his family so that we could survive. Even if I wanted to celebrate, there was really nothing to rejoice about except for life. The day ended on a high however for most Nigerians when news filtered in that the dreaded tyrant Sani was no more. Moshood Abiola left soon after under mysterious circumstances as old and new alliances were established to chart a new course as another chance to rectify our wrong moves fell into our laps. My optimism was soon dashed when leadership was thrust yet again upon the shoulders of Obasanjo. It seemed to me that the soldiers wanted convenience and not necessarily the best option for Nigerians. It is 15 years since 1999 under a one party rule and I do not think the future and integrity of Nigeria has ever looked this dire. Those born in 1998 and 1999 are more or less out or almost out of secondary school today, Nigeria still will appear like a mirage to them.

 

Some people are advocating for a disintegration, some have faith in the ongoing conference while many others have rather opted to jump ship and sear the part of their brains that constantly reminds them of the country of birth. I looked at the map of Nigeria recently and for the first time realised how small in size the southeast is compared to other regions. It seems not to be even bigger than Oyo in my eyes. The Igbo territory is somewhat landlocked and the people are highly active that the land cannot contain and sustain them. If Biafra breaks away, which ports would they use to convey huge consignments from the globe? Who would they be doing business with? They would be needing visas to enter other regions of present day Nigeria, how tedious would that be? The south-south people do not appear versatile and responsible enough to manage the vast resources they have in their region. The effects of blood diamonds might just be child's play compared to what can occur. The core North is backward, truth be told. The people are resilient and generally hard working. Their leaders need to be confronted with the truth, their feigned ignorance and over-indulgence has contributed in no small measure to the proliferation of armed insurgents in the area. A fractured North would be landlocked as well and would sweat a great deal to break even. If the UAE can develop their region to outrageous extents, committed leaders in that northern sector would be able to replicate same. The middle belt is blessed with human resources and great soil. They are caught up between rival regions and have the dilemma of which to affiliate with. The southwest has a coast line and possess quite a good amount of intelligent people to steer a Yoruba ship. We may however be too cunning and restless for our own good. Perhaps a union with other regions helps to keep issues in the right perspective.

 

This contest for supremacy has been characterized by intrigues and conspiracy. Our history alone can make Nollywood surpass even the Americans. However, these lofty dreams are already aborted even before the morula can get embedded. We have sinned greatly and our offences against one another are indeed very grave. We have skeletons buried under our beds and in our closets. We kill a man and expect his widow to forgive and forget or die with their grudge. We loot the land and still earmark largess for our personal generations unborn. The authorities in Australia apologized to the indigenous aborigines for the savage afflictions they had to endure. In Nigeria, we prevent films that appear to tell part of the story from airing for fear of the unknown; we bury our heads deep in gravel expecting ourselves to live together like nothing ever happened and begrudge those with genuine sentiments poured out in books. It is clear some people derive pleasure from the eruptions in a certain region of the country. They surely deserve their fair share of violence but must we watch on and not realise we and our kin are afflicted in the chaos? Should we not consider forgiveness? Should we collaborate with incompetence and ineptitude because of the grudge and scars we still bear? Should our children continue these hot and cold wars and pass it on to theirs?

 

It is a very difficult remedy that I prescribe, it takes believing in one nation again. It takes genuine acknowledgement of wrong and guilt, a lot of declassification. It may require  active steps to erase traces of those indicted for war crimes and wickedness to fellow Nigerians. It would take restitution and compensation to those who were innocent but yet killed. It will take justice and reducing the powers at the centre. This game of thrones must stop and we can start by advocating for credibility and competence and rid ourselves of primitive ideologies and individuals with unverified PhDs.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

 

Jide akeju
4/06/14