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Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, was over the moon last Friday. I guess she expected Nigerians to give her a thunderous applause as well. Her extreme joy stemmed from the commissioning of the Presidential Wing of the State House Medical Centre. The outgoing First Lady said she initiated this N21 billion project in 2017 when her husband spent three months abroad for medical treatment. Mrs. Buhari was happy that though her family would no longer use the facility, the incoming President and his family would enjoy it.
“Yes, this one is for the health and wellness of the First Family. They don’t need to go abroad now. They only need to maybe fly in experts to help our people. There would be no need for any leader to spend months and months abroad all because of health care,” Mrs. Buhari enthused.
I pity the First Lady and her husband! In eight years, they were not able to build a standard medical centre in the Presidential Villa for their use. They preferred London hospitals. The President even returned from London a few days ago. He had gone to witness the coronation of King Charles III but stayed back for about a week to treat toothache. Now that the outgoing President and his wife have a few days to leave the Villa, they commissioned a Very Important Person (VIP) clinic for the incoming President and his family “to enjoy”. Will this guarantee that the incoming First Family will use the clinic and stop wasting scarce resources abroad for treatment? Will it halt the exodus of our medical personnel to foreign countries? Will it actually solve the problems the First Lady discovered in the Villa clinic in October 2017?
Recall that she slammed the management of the Villa clinic then for not providing even a syringe and other consumables for patients. Besides, the X-ray machine was not working at the time, forcing Mrs. Buhari to go to a private hospital owned by foreigners for treatment. The President’s daughter, Zahra Buhari, had similarly complained about the state of the Villa clinic then, lamenting that the clinic did not have even Paracetamol tablets despite providing it with a budget of N3 billion for drugs.
It is regrettable that the First Lady appeared to have concerned herself with providing only a VIP clinic for the First Family. I didn’t hear that she initiated the commissioning of a world-class medical centre for other Nigerians who do not have access to the Villa. In any case, where will she even go next time there is need to visit the hospital since they will be out of power in a few days time? For the eight years her husband has been in power, the nation has spent millions of dollars for the First Family’s medical tourism abroad. Saturday Punch reported recently that Buhari, his wife and son spent over 250 days abroad for medical treatment for these eight years.
As they clink glasses and drink champagne over the Villa clinic, members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) are currently on a five-day warning strike. They issued a 14-day ultimatum over two weeks ago for government to look into their demands and avert a strike. Government could not meet their demands.
What are these demands? The doctors want a 200 per cent increase in their gross salary considering the high cost of living in the country now. They want the government to pay salary arrears owed to doctors in 2014, 2015 and 2016. They want immediate infrastructural development in our hospitals, 15 per cent budgetary allocation to health, among others. I don’t think this is too much to ask for.
We have the money to do it. Our problem remains gross mismanagement of public funds. Look at what is happening in the states, for instance. The outgoing state governors have cornered eye-popping severance package for themselves. About 17 of these governors are said to be entitled to humongous pensions, luxury cars, mansions and some other perks. This is despite the severe economic downturn in the country and their huge debt profile. Some of them also owe months of salary and pension arrears to workers.
The ‘President-elect’, Bola Tinubu, was the one who pioneered this profligacy. On leaving office in 2007, he signed the Lagos life pension bill for ex-governors into law. That entitled him to six cars every three years, a house in Lagos worth N750m and another in Abuja worth N1billion, some domestic staff, access to medical attention and so on. Many other states have followed suit. Only Imo, Kwara and Zamfara later abolished the law. In 2021, the Lagos state government reduced the package by 50 per cent. I don’t think it did this in the interest of the masses. It was apparently because of the ambition of Tinubu to become President.
Nigeria is bleeding economically. People are dying of hunger and starvation. Yet, we keep servicing the avarice of a few people in the corridors of power. Rather than look for ways to cut cost to beef up our income, our leaders deem it better to borrow and waste the funds on fruitless ventures. While many Nigerians have expressed concern over the huge debt this government is leaving behind for its successor, the Muhammadu Buhari administration still found it expedient to ask for another $800 million loan. The amount of money spent to service these debts is a story for another day. In January this year alone, the Federal Government spent $112.35m to service external debt. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), this was 146.17 per cent higher than the $45.64m spent in December 2022.
It is worrisome, to say the least, that the legacies this outgoing government is bequeathing to Nigeria are huge debts, high insecurity, acute corruption comatose education and health care systems as well as chronic hunger and poverty.
When will Nigerians wake up to take back their country? We had an election where we had an opportunity to change our negative narratives. But, the same cabal that has held us to ransom hijacked the process and thwarted the wishes of the people. For how long shall we continue to live in this agony?
Why can’t our leaders emulate the simple lifestyle of many foreign leaders? For instance, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, reportedly rides a bike to work as often as possible. The social media was agog a few days ago with a photo of the former President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, using a public transport. Recall that the man went back to teaching after his tenure as the President in 2014. Not only that, he reportedly takes bus to work like most other workers. I wonder why Africa, nay Nigerian leaders choose to be too greedy, too selfish and too ambitious!
Let them know that whoever has pinned someone to the ground will remain on the ground with him. Until Nigerian leaders release their citizens from the bondage of poverty, hunger, insecurity, dilapidating schools and hospitals, they cannot sleep with their two eyes closed.
Re: Buhari’s toothache and Tinubu’s tongue pain
Casmir, thanks for your beautiful write-up. I totally agree with you on the status of Nigeria and their leaders. I equally want to point out that the sickness is very chronic and has defied all sorts of treatment, medical, psychological and economical. It also manifests in form of chronic impunity galvanized by arrogance and selfishness. Nigeria seems to be the only country where their leaders shamelessly hop from one country to another on medical tourism without bringing in the world class facilities in her domain to benefit the less privileged. Nigeria is also a country where the leaders arrogantly appropriate taxpayers’ resources to themselves and their cronies. It’s regrettable that Buhari’s 8 years will be ending with embarking on medical tourism to effect the treatment of toothache despite his 8 years as the President of Nigeria. During all these years, Buhari and his APC apparatus couldn’t set up a single world class Hospital even if it’s located in his Daura community. It’s also regrettable that the INEC selected President-elect is following the same footsteps of his ally.
-Pharm. Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922
Is it not a tidier and neater arrangement for a specific time-line to be set for all pre and post election matters to be concluded before a winner is sworn into office? The abnormal situation whereby a presumed winner assumes office and is later removed by the court does not augur well for our political system. Now, one whose election is heatedly challenged is already seen acting as a president, commissioning projects and meeting foreign investors even as the matter is already subjudice. Is his ‘anticipated’ victory at the court a done deal? What gives Tinubu such confidence that the presidency is already in his pocket? Or, are we to believe that the courts, particularly the Apex Court, would in its now familiar parlance rule that the very heavy issues raised by the opposition “lack merit and are hereby dismissed?’’
-Edet Essien Esq. Cal South, +234 810 809 5633
Dear Casy, apart from his obvious very poor health status, Tinubu escaped to London so as to evade appearance before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal proceedings. By the time he’s sworn in as president, he would claim immunity to appear before any court. For the brief time that he would preside over the affairs of Nigeria before he’s sent packing by the Supreme Court, I do hope that Nigerians won’t be saddled with a president whose health condition may even be worse than that of outgoing President Buhari.
–Ifeanyi, Owerri, +234 806 156 2735
Dear Casy, note that in an arranged political (s) election, instead of election system, with Nigeria as a case-study, cash develops macho-strength and when she speaks, conscience becomes dumb, supposed action becomes inaction or numb! Political goons loom large, at the instance of their masters, even, under the protection of those whose statutory duty, is to do otherwise. Outcomes become predetermined or fixed to the detriment of the poor, helpless voting public as replicated in the 2023 poll. In PMB’s parlance, it is called ‘hard work’. To underscore the above notion, in Nigeria, there exists an entity called Cash Strength Club of Nigeria (CSCON). Her membership turns one into an octopus with poetic license to do, overdo and undo with garlands! Tinubu, allegedly, being a staunch member, deployed the membership strength of the said club maximally as replicated in him shunning all invitations for discussion on how to turn the wobbly economy around should he become president.
-Steve Okoye, Awka, 08036630731.
Casmir, it’s a pity that even ‘pity’ cannot pity pity (Nigeria) in a pity condition. Otherwise, why should Nigeria that is sinking and in an intensive care unit (ICU) be handed over to an ‘uncertified’ surgeon general (Tinubu). Who will take care of the other? Is it a sick Nigeria that will take care of Tinubu or vice versa? Post May 29 will provide the answer should the court fail to do the needful! ‘You can deceive some of the people sometimes, but, you cannot deceive all the people all the time’. In Nigeria, any ailing president-select sorry elect that goes into Aso Rock, has secured the biggest cash out. Undoubtedly, Nigeria has entered another ‘one chance bus’ after disembarking or alighting from that of PMB! PMB’s parting gift – Tinubu – leaves a sour taste in the mouth of the majority of Nigerians.
–Mike, Mushin, Lagos, +234 816 111 4572
Dear Casmir, for a health sector to exhibit dynamism, there ought to be high tech and high touch. This calls for University of Health and introduction of Health Engineering as a course. A special fund on easy loan for medical treatment began for citizens. National Assembly should legislate against leaders traveling for treatment that can be sought within the country.
– Cletus Frenchman Enugu, +234 909 538 5215
