Overweening Doctors Within a Comatose Health Care System.

Nigerians woke up about six days ago to the news that doctors(under the NMA) had embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike to compel the government to accede to their demands. According to the NMA, negotiations with the government within the last two weeks(preceding the strike),after it had suspended its earlier warning strike yielded nothing tangible.Hence the need to down tools once again.

The NMA(just like other unions) embarking on strike and presenting demands to the government is not new, it is one of those things we have gotten use to; life might not be complete if we do not witness these things regularly ! However what makes the present strike by the NMA somewhat different is the claim by the union that the strike is in the interest of all Nigerians and the future of the nations health sector, but a closer look at the 24 demands presented by the NMA to the government makes it obvious to the discerning that the NMA is only in an ego battle with other health workers. 90% of the 24 points are centered on relevance,position and money etc.

I was speaking to a group of medical doctors over the weekend who struggled to convince me on why the nation needed a Surgeon-General and I asked what will be the use of such when we have a minister of health,who is almost if not in all cases a medical doctor? They reasoned that in the case of recurrence of what happened during late President Yar’Adua tenure,the surgeon general will be the one to ascertain if the president is fit to remain in office, since he is not a politician. I reminded them that almost all of our ministers of health weren’t card carrying members of political parties before their appointments. A surgeon general appointed by the president won’t be different, “he who pays the piper calls the tune.”.

The NMA is also demanding that only medical doctors be recognized and addressed as consultants – I do not understand the basis for such a demand. Wikipedia defines a consultant as a “professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area.”, by that definition,  a carpenter,fisherman etc can all be addressed as consultants. Why then do the doctors believe it should be their exclusive preserve in the hospital environment to be addressed as consultants? Are pharmacists,nurses,lab scientists etc not all professionals, trained to carry out duties a doctor can NEVER do. If they also give professional advices,aren’t they qualified then to be addressed as consultants?

The NMA is also asking for the withdrawal of CBN circular on importation of medical equipment, which to me is laughable. What is wrong in a medical lab scientist ascertaining the state of a medical equipment before it is allowed into the country? For goodness sake, they are consultants in that field. A doctor knows nothing about medical equipments and should allow those who are trained to handle such equipments carry out their duties.

NMA has also asked that the position of CMD(Chief Medical Director) be reserved for only doctors , I can’t also understand why such a request should be granted, after-all the position is an administrative position and can be handled by any other medical personnel. The CMD does not conduct surgery in his office, therefore anyone can occupy the office. It is on record that some CMD’S in the past and even presently have been very poor in the day to day management of some government hospitals resulting in avoidable internal strikes. That one is a medical doctor does not mean the fellow will be a good manager of men and resources;why then should doctors alone be allowed to permanently occupy the position of CMD?

NMA is also seeking re-integration into the IPPIS and yet can’t provid an answer as to why they opted out in the first instance. Was it not still a way of trying to show that they are superior to others and shouldn’t be involved in whatever other unions are doing?

This statement by NMA president Dr Kayode Obembe “We had a meeting with the Federal Government. We tabled our minimal demands; the government did not agree with NMA, but there is no end point. Some were referred to the court. There was no end point. While this was going on, the government was issuing out circulars FAVOURING other health workers.”, is a pointer that the NMA is out to fight and suppress other health unions and this strike is one of the ways they have chosen to start their battle. The doctors are as ‘free as air’ to embark on strikes whenever their emotions permit them to(after all most of the best private clinics in Nigeria are owned by senior doctors working for the government,who will still be making money from the poor Nigerians they claim to be fighting for),but embarking on a strike to tell the government what others should get alongside.What they want is both unacceptable and childish.

The NMA should quit acting as pseudo-intellectuals and realize that they can’t boss over other professionals. Everyone is a KING in his/her area of specialization.

A Nation’s Elusive Unity

“One nation bound in freedom,peace and unity.”

The words of the last line of the first stanza of our national anthem; sadly I do no think ours is a nation where freedom abounds,neither are we living(or have ever lived) in peace and unity – at best we have only tolerated one another, each group of persons waiting for the perfect time to attack the other group,most times over issues that are both myopic and unreasonable.

Over the years we’ve kept chasing shadows,changing slogans(as if it would solve our problems) most recently from Nigeria,Heart Beat of Africa to Good People,Great Nation and now Fascinating Nigeria, yet none of these phrases has changed our orientation nor contributed in anyway in defining our existence as a people. It is obvious that those who coin and project these slogans know that something is fundamentally wrong but deceive themselves that mere words can seal the fixed gulf which separates the North,South-West,South-East,South-South and Middle Belt in our minds or solve any of our numerous problems.

Right from the amalgamation, it was clear that the Northern and Southern protectorates have nothing in common and would have been better off as separate entities, albeit the British for reasons best know to them went ahead to bring together different ethnic groups without their consent under one name, (possibly to favour a few interest) a mistake which till date makes it quite difficult to find Nigerians who are more interested in what is for the greater good of the nation than their ethnic groups. We are a people constantly striving with one another. Our nation has always moved towards two societies: Ethnic/Tribal and National,both having separate and totally unequal loyalties. How we have managed to sustain this facade of unity thus far remains a mystery, when one considers countries like Somalia,Iraq and CAR that are in a state of total anarchy simply because citizens loyalties lie more with religious and ethnic sentiments rather than national concerns.
For the 100 years Nigeria has crawled on, it has never been more obvious than it is now that the ‘marriage’ had a faulty foundation and its terms have to be renegotiated if we are to remain as a nation living in peace and unity. Otherwise, someday soon the entire house will collapse.

At the ongoing national conference,when most issues are raised or recommendations submitted, it becomes obvious that almost all the delegates are there to selfishly project the ideologies of their various ethnic/religious groups, non is willing to shift ground, leading to the throwing out of recommendations that ordinarily would have gone a long way to changing the economic situation of our country and its citizens. It is the North vs the South and most recently the Middle Belt and South-South vs the North. At the inauguration of the conference, the president stated that the ‘unity’ of Nigeria should not be discussed,I still wonder what the rationale for that pronouncement was, maybe Mr President is not aware that ‘this house is standing on one weak side of its foundation’. The truth remains that there is no unity amongst Nigerians and peace is either found in the dictionary or only read in books here. We can either sit and talk about the encumberances to our national unity and why it is so elusive or keep deceiving ourselves claiming ‘one Nigeria’.

The UN and African charter in articles 1,3-21(UN charter) and Articles 20,21(African charter) deals with issues pertaining to control of natural resources of a people and secession. At the moment,the South West is asking for regional autonomy,same for the south east and middle belt while the south-south is asking for total control of her resources as practiced by other oil producing countries,(even the Efik minorities “have concluded plans to pull out of Nigeria due to undue interference,marginalisation,secret ceding of Bakassi Pennisular and attempts to cede more Efik territories…”.) If the above is not a pointer that the so called national unity can no longer be faked, I wonder what else will be.

Before it a too late(if it already isn’t) the 492 ‘wise men/women’ had better leave trivial issues and concentrate on the core matters that threaten our national unity. The foundation was faulty, that we have patched the unity to this day despite the many obstacles(including the civil war) is commendable but its obvious now that we have run out of luck,the foundation is giving way and something urgent must be done. The days of sweeping things under the carpet,just for peace to reign seems to be over. True peace can only be achieved and unity sustained when there is justice,fairness,equity and equal rights. No region wants to play the fool anymore – we have come a long way BUT to move further we must do something urgent about the unity that has eluded us since 1914.

The labours of our heroes past should not be in vain BUT if we decide that it should,then so be it. The choice is ours.

The Fading Power of Incumbency.

“Politics is dynamic.” ~ Godswill Akpabio


Unfolding events in the political sphere in Nigeria are clear attestations to the dynamism of politics. Everyday we are confronted with watershed moments filled with lessons that will certainly be valuable to students of political history in the future.


Aside the electoral tsunami orchestrated by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo which swept across the south-west in 2003; it seemed almost impossible for an incumbent governor to lose elections in Nigeria,rare cases (like that of Chinwoke Mbadinuju and Mohammed Alabi Lawal) also abound,were as incumbent governors they wronged the powers at the centre and those powers were determined to remove them by hook or crook. A sitting governor was almost always assured of victory in the next election and campaigning were oftentimes seen as a mere formality.


After the announcement of governorship election results in 2011,a lot changed – due to so many factors but chief among them(to me) being political awareness/enlightenment of Nigerians. At least three incumbent governors had lost their seats,even when it seemed victory was assured – feelers from those states showed that either the governors had performed abysmally in the last four years,initiated projects that did not have any direct impact on the people or out rightly were ‘sleeping on duty’. It is even said that the only achievement of one of such governors was the planting of grasses round the state capital and the showing of same on international cable stations. Well the governors were gone and the new ones settled into their new offices.


Then came the Ekiti election scheduled for 21/06/2014; with the soaring reputation of the incumbent governor Kayode Fayemi and the hype surrounding his performance(in the almost four years of his tenure) on various social media platforms, one would believe the election was only going to be a mere formality. JKF associates online made it seem like the man had so performed that Ekiti people would not only be willing to keep him in office for another four years but would also want to amend the constitution and give him a third term – if it were possible. After a select team of bloggers/writers/journalist visited the state,all we were told were tales of how the man is loved by his people for transforming a hitherto backward state and how his political opponents were no match for him.


Alas came the election day;after all was said and done,the results announced came as a shock to many people who followed the elections without any particular interest and almost all of the governors political associates. The incumbent was not only defeated, it was surprising that he couldn’t win a single local government area including his. Firstly,one wonders what happened to all the folk tales told before election day. Secondly in the three years plus of Fayemi’s administration whose interest was he serving,that no single local government area could stand up for him when it mattered most. Thirdly,all the projects he has embarked on,are they located in neighbouring states whose citizens were not permitted to vote in Ekiti state? In the end what the result showed is that either the man had been ‘sleeping on duty’ or that his people see his projects as meaningless to them; whatever the case,one thing is certain JKF had lost touch with the people at the grassroot(who are the majority that go out to vote on election day) resulting in his ‘trashing’ at the polls.


As the 2015 election approaches,what happened in Ekiti state should serve as a lesson to other political office holders – that when you lose touch with the electorates,the resultant effect is always devastating. This might be the beginning of the end to the incumbency factor during elections; performance therefore will become the only guarantee for electoral victory. This remains the only way the dividends of democracy will trickle down to the common man and not just the elites who have access to the resources. Every politician should readjust,the times are changing and things are not the same as before.


Ekiti people have set a precedence by WHOLLY rejecting what they believe is not good enough for them and I only hope the incoming government will bring them all the good things they yearn for. Nigerians are wiser now and surely won’t settle for less than they deserve.

Prince Tonye Princewill – The Game Changer .

“
I picture a society that offers enormous opportunities and presents a platform for all of us to shine.” ~ PTP

I had not been to Rivers State in a long while,things seemed a little strange as I arrived that hot afternoon in december. The atmosphere was tensed,people were scared of what would happen next; Governor Odili had been arm twisted by General Obasanjo to nominate another candidate to replace Rotimi Ameachi who won the PDP primaries(leading to the infamous K leg theory). The activities of the militants was at its peak,Port Harcourt had little or no night life,no one wanted to be caught in a cross fire, save for those who knew they could take the heat.

A few things caught my attention but one of them stood out; a gaint billboard at D-line with the picture of a handsome and elegantly dressed man,the concept looked great but I was not bothered with who the man was especially when I sighted the ACN logo on the billboard. At Garrison, I saw another of such bill boards, this one had a message on it “I grew up in a state where we had dreams and believed all of them could come true. Join me let’s take Rivers State to a level our children will be proud of.”; at this point I asked my accomplice “who is this man?”, she answered “that is Tonye Princewill,if I had the power that man will be sworn in next year, he is not only calm and cool but very articulate but we know how elections are in Nigeria…”. I saw other campaign materials of the ‘Digital Politician’(as he is called),followed his campaign judiciously and was convinced he was the man Rivers State needed in 2007; but I doubted his ability to defeat the federal and state might(that would do anything to win) in that election despite his popularity – the rest is history.

It is almost 8 years (since that election took place) filled with so many political realignment that has seen the Kalabari prince join the PDP,support President Jonathan and his friend Rotimi Ameachi in the 2011 elections and also choosing to remain in the PDP even when Ameachi and his long time ally Atiku Abubakar opted for the APC. Within this period Tonye Princewill has from his character,speech and mannerism shown that he is a GOOD man, although it is often said “in Nigeria good men seldom win elections” – a notion I hope the Rivers people are now ready to change. After eight years of a seeming ‘democratic dictatorship’ and anarchy what Rivers State needs is a fine gentleman that can deliver the goods.

Prince Tonye Princewill has shown through his activities that he is not only ready to serve the people of Rivers state as their Governor but also has good reasons to aspire to that office. As a successful businessman with interests in oil and gas,information technology,aviation services and environmental waste management, who has worked in several companies both in Nigeria and the UK, thus proving to be a good manager of men and resources. In a country where people only think of how to take whatever belongs to state and are seldom interested in helping the less privileged, Tonye Princewill continues to demonstrate that a man doesn’t need to acquire all the wealth in the world to live a good life, but that what matters is how many lives one is able to impact within his/her stay here and most importantly what one will be remembered for when he leaves the world to face his maker. Through the Princewill Trust, the ‘Digital Politician’ reached out to victims of various flood ravished areas, donating relief materials worth millions of naira to the victims. As a strong advocate of youth empowerment and human capital development he has through Princewill Trust and many other mediums ensured that the lives of youths,widows and orphans are touched(within his resources), no matter how little.

In 2012 alone Prince Tonye Princewill led a 40 man delegation of Nigerian youths to both Ghana and Dubai to acquire knowledge on governance, leadership,self development and entrepreneurship under the aegis of the Change Nigeria Group. PTP is a strong advocate for open government and effective public service delivery,never shying from interactions with youths on any platform. He realizes that without the co-operation of the most active members of Nigeria population,we can’t move forward as a nation.

PTP believes the words of Bill Clinton that “Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in” and to him, the major way to ensure that democracy thrives is ensuring that the interest of the people is always put ahead of the personal interest of the leaders and that citizens involvement is preached and practiced at every stage of governance. Through the PPA(Princewill Political Associates) PTP has conducted several social development surveys using mobile phone trackers and voice notes across communities,the result showed that management of oil spillage in Rivers State is a catalyst for youth restiveness. A situation he is prepared to change given the opportunity to lead his people.

Rivers State recently has been ridden with the shame of a crisis its people never asked for and the people must realize that the time has come for them to support Prince Tonye Princewill as he steps out to ensure that the future of Rivers State will be better that the past and present. His believe in the future is so strong that he launched a 20 million naira scholarship for the less privileged of Rivers State origin. PTP is prepared to salvage his people from misgovernance and next years election is the opportunity Rivers people have to take a decision that will to a large extent affect the destinies of future generations.

With PTP, Rivers people can be assured of a bravura performance in office. The time is now to correct the mistakes of the past.

Rivers State: Anarchy Base Of The Nation.

Rivers State: Treasure Base of the Nation; a state supposed to be practicing democracy has gradually shown by the actions/inaction of its elected,appointed officials and (some) citizens that democracy has a different meaning in the state. In Rivers State anything goes, whether supported by the constitution or not inasmuch as it makes some persons feel superior to others. ‘Everyone’ is an authority in law, no one waits for interpretations of laws from the court(when necessary) anymore: simply use state/federal might to implement whatever personal interpretation of the law. Courts are bombed and nothing happens.

Rivers State is now the anarchy base of the nation, setting the pace (albeit negatively) in so many areas, a clear indication that democracy in the state(and nation) is very far from ‘its destination’.
Rivers State is the state where five persons attempted to impeach the speaker of the state house of assembly(Edo State has since learned from them). The first state where a Governors ADC abandoned the job of protecting his boss to fight on the floor of the state house of assembly. The first state where the state house of assembly holds sittings within the government house(maybe with the governor in attendance, to supervise). 

The first state to have its budget presented,considered,passed and signed into law within three hours. The ‘pace setter’ state where there’s been an attempt by the Governor to appoint a judge of the state customary court as the chief judge(against the recommendation of the NJC). Recently the HOA committee on Judiciary held a public hearing,submitted its report,had the report considered by the rest of the house and voted as an amendment of the state high court law of 2001 in less than three hours. 

No one knows what will happen next, with various sponsored protests holding each day. Presently, only one arm of the government is functioning, the other two exist only on ‘paper’. This is the Rivers state brand of democracy,gradually it may be exported to other states; one wonders if after 15 years of democracy,this is how we intend to move our nation forward. Rivers State has become a lawless society where emotions/sentiments take precedence over the constitution. The Governor being a major beneficiary of the law/judicial system ought to know better and ensure that the rule of law is respected but sadly the reverse is the case – he has become an expert in amending laws that don’t favour him and assenting to same at night. The rule of might overriding the rule of law.

I hope things change soon for the sake of the ‘ordinary’ citizens who are affected by this state of commotion. Till then,we look forward to a new scene each day and the continuous ridiculing of democracy, while a few persons go around feeling above the law ensuring that anarchy continues to reign in a state that ‘once was’ the Treasure Base of the Nation – after-all they are beneficiaries of the present situation.

Governor Akpabio’s Insensitive Pension Bill .

Godswill Obot Akpabio(the third democratically elected governor of Akwa Ibom State), a name previously unheard until his appointment as a commissioner by Obong Victor Attah; he played the ‘right’ cards thus defeating the preferred candidate of his boss at the PDP primaries in 2006 by sheer providence,confirming what the bible says that “power belongs to God” – the rest is history.


Arguably Chief Akpabio,controversial as he is,is one of the best performing governors in Nigeria,his most visible area of performance being provision of infrastructures(roads,schools,hospitals etc),although not every part of the state has benefited from his uncommon transformation.
The ‘uncommon transformer’ and his supporters believe he has done a lot, but one area I know Akpabio has failed is Human Capital Development,which to me transcends giving money to people or buying cars for persons who have no means of maintaining such cars afterwards. One of his empowerment programs AME NYIN ended up a waste of time for those who participated and a channel to divert funds for the organizers. Even the taxis brought in at the beginning of his administration have long ago disappeared from the streets(as they only served as compensation to a privilege few).


His 2010 campaign promise of at least one cottage industry in each local government area has so far ended up as campaign talk. In Akwa Ibom State today, some youths look forward to becoming a ‘PA to a PA to the Governors PA’,those who have succeeded in this quest walk around town with a false sense of fulfillment. Everybody is a political stake-holder. The state civil service which ordinarily should be the hope of the ‘ordinary’ citizens is either for the highest bidders or god sons to a few big men.


The unemployment level in the state is the major reason I was shocked beyond words when I read (http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/akpabio-seeks-new-pension-law-for-self-others/179381/) that the governor was making such outrageous demands for himself,former governors and their deputies. Even more annoying is the mere thought that state resources will be used to take care of the spouses of the governors and deputies in event of their death. Arguably,in Nigeria, nobody who occupies a political office goes home poor, in some cases their account balances triple over night, with houses and properties scattered in various cities of their choice; how then will a governor be asking the state for a 5-bedroom maisonnette in either the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, or Akwa Ibom State and also free medical service for the Governor and spouse at a sum not exceeding N100 million per annum for the governor,after ‘just’ eight years in office? What do civil servants get after 35 years of service? How can the governor of a state yet to embark on the harmonization of pensions be making such demands? Some primary school teachers who recently retired are yet to receive their gratuities,but Akpabio sits in his inner chambers to imagine this level of cruelty on the Akwa Ibom people. I wonder if the sponsors of this bill have considered the impact it will have on the state budget when eventually six governors/deputies have served their tenures. Have they imagined a situation where each governor uses two deputies within eight years. A time will come when workers salaries won’t be paid so that Akpabio can feel better.


I urge every Akwa-Ibom citizen to resist this act of inhumanness in its entirety. It is time for the members of the state house of assembly to prove they are on the side of the people by throwing out the ridiculous pension bill sent to them by Akpabio and his ‘dream team’
The Governor and his team at this point in time should be preoccupied with how to leave office on a high and not this ‘drain pipe’ of a pension bill to further impoverish Akwa-Ibom people.
History has shown and will continue to show how/where insensitive leaders end up. Governors will come and go but the people of Akwa-Ibom will remain,therefore the resources meant  for everybody shouldn’t be used to further fill already over fed throats. Governor Akpabio should remember that “ there is a holy God who orders all things and who watches over the affairs of men” – and is an incorruptible Judge.



The writer is on twitter @enenimubon

Our Delta, Our Pride.

Our Delta, Our Pride.
Given to us by nature
Our great mother freely,
That we her children
May live serenely
With ourselves and
With brothers Peacefully
.
Given to create wealth
For us truly.
If we explore her potentials freely
But Carefully.

To us nature gives you wholly.
From her we receive happily.
Not to bring tears to our
Mothers willing
Nor cause pain to others gladly.

We long to protect you,
With all we have in us mightily
From your preys that bring us all
But good daily.

Polluting our gift
Without recourse to our health Ceaselessly.
Unbearable pain they bring us
Daily.

We most times wish we’ll wake up
Never to see you eternally.
Our Delta
Our Blessing
Our Pride.

President Jonathan’s Many Enemies.

I was not a messiah but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstance. – Nelson Mandela

A large part of president Jonathan’s rise to power can be said to be circumstantial (except that in 2011 Nigerians ‘overwhelmingly’ voted for him). He has become a president constantly under fire for one ‘misdeed’ or the other. On social media, whatever he does is viewed from a negative perspective by a certain group of persons (who have made it their life ambitions to daily abuse and malign him). The opposition have taken it upon themselves to also attack (often times unnecessarily) the personality of the president (at times) diverting from the major/key issues that should be debated.


I wonder at times why a president will be so abused and called names that we wouldn’t call our kids no matter how badly they behave. From my interactions, a lot of reasons have been given by some persons for this seeming heartfelt animosity expressed towards the president. Some of the reasons include:
a)  His ‘inhumane’ act of subsidy removal on the first day of the year 2012. Some saw that action as an act of wickedness and insensitivity, resulting in their inability to forgive him afterward.
b) Others see him as either being corrupt or as a friend of the corrupt and is aiding corruption.
c) Some believe he has not done anything since coming into power and might still not achieve anything in the coming years.
d) Another group believes he is too weak to be a president of a country as complex as Nigeria.
Whichever category an individual belongs to he/she has a reason and would argue endlessly to back up such reasons.


The Enemies of the President I refer to here are more dangerous than any of the above groups. These are the enemies within. Those who dine with the president but their actions show there are actually his enemies. One of such persons is Princess Stella Oduah (Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation). At a time when the presidents image makers are finding it difficult to do their jobs, she choose to give to her boss enemies more nails with which to crucify him. In taking her reckless action, the minister should have thought of the consequences of her actions and the effect it would have on her boss. The hallmark of friendship is the ability to weigh our actions and how it will hurt or favour our friends, as exemplified by Jonathan towards David. With friend like the Minister, ones enemies would be relaxed, knowing she would give them something to talk about.


I believe it is time for the President to look within and weed out this enemies of his (and the Nigerian state) for the sake of posterity. It is not enough to fight those on the outside, while those on the inside continue to do more damage. Mr President should look carefully and act very fast before this friendly enemies do more harm to us as a nation.



Enenim Ubon is a Biochemist; Creative Writer; Researcher, with particular interest in socio-economic and socio-political issues. Also, a resource person in Peace, Conflict studies and Leadership. Engage @enenimubon on twitter.