STRUCTURE AND THE LAW

At the last constitutional amendment exercise, lawmakers failed to address the issue of defection from one political party to another. It is clear that our politicians do not fully appreciate how dearly their vicissitude and manipulation of the polity will cost. This is one ill that is not peculiar to any political party; they are all of the same cloth and all abuse our mandates.  The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Party (APC), as well as the remnant of other parties such as APGA and Labour Party, are guilty of this political prostitution, they all applaud whenever a strong politician switches allegiance. However, the ruling party has not taken the formal announcement of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, of his defection from the PDP to APC lightly.

Tambuwal has always been a double-edged sword and has fought vigorously for the independence of the House. This has not endeared him to his party. In this respect Tambuwal, the man, must be commended. He has tried to stand up for the truth and has gone against his party whenever he has felt that they are steering the polity off course. This quality is required and must be admired in the House of Representatives. He has spoken his mind and has on occasion criticized President Goodluck Jonathan. For instance, it was Tambuwal who made the “your-body-language-encourages-corruption” statement to the President.

President Jonathan and his party are now ready for a war that would consume Tambuwal’s political career and attempt to render him worthless to APC. His security detail has been withdrawn in a similar fashion to the fate of Governor Rotimi Amaechi and former Governor Murtala Nyako suffered when they defected. Meetings are being held to exploit loopholes in the 1999 Constitution to institute impeachment proceedings against Tambuwal the way the Emir of Kano was tactically removed from office as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. My two cents to Mr. President is that he should tread with caution.  The consequences can be grave in deciding how to tackle this matter if not handled with legitimacy and decorum. The Speaker is fully aware of his own strengths. He is aware of the fact that unseating him could lead to the PDP losing its fragile numerical strength in the House. What a mess all this uncertainty brings!

Section 50(1) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution states thus: “There shall be a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.” What party these principal officers should belong to is a matter for their determination. The PDP should not cry over spilled milk when, only weeks ago, they were the beneficiary of cross-carpeting in Governor Segun Mimiko. The people of Ondo State did not vote the PDP into power; they voted for the Labour Party. But the governor defected to the PDP without vacating his office as governor. Why the double standards?  A former APC executive, Tom Ikimi, recently decamped to the PDP to a rousing welcome, so was the case of former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff. What is different now?

    

Had we done the right thing by putting the matter of cross carpeting to bed ab initio in interpreting our constitution correctly, we would not be in this messy situation. Every politician here wants to take advantage of the lopsided advantage presented by this loophole, and now it is overheating the polity and threatening to disrupt civil order. My take on this issue of decamping has not changed: A defector who holds an elective seat is a thief if he/she defects and holds on to that seat. The people should not tolerate it because he/she has robbed the electorate. The courts should have been called upon a long time ago to clarify this. The last attempt by the High Court in Ekiti State to interpret a law, culminated in the court being overrun by thugs and the judge being beaten. And this is Nigeria in 2014!

As beneficiaries of our lax political system, our representatives in the legislative arm of government have refused to tackle the matter from the standpoints of morality, good governance and the law; something they swore to do. If Ondo people wanted a PDP candidate, they would have voted for the late Olusegun Agagu instead of Mimiko. If the Sokoto electorate wanted an APC rep, they wouldn’t have voted for Tambuwal. Ordinarily, mandates cannot be transferred unless an aggrieved party steps down and elections are held to replace him.

Institutionalizing weak institutions will blow up in our faces and will overheat the polity. The President would do well in protecting and tasking the Judiciary to clarify and put his house in order.

EBOLA AND SUCCESS

This is a spectacular success story. It shows that Ebola can be contained but we must be clear that we have only won a battle; the war will only end when West Africa is also declared free of Ebola.

It was with these words that the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, Rui Gama Vaz, declared Nigeria Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) free, after 42 days or two incubation periods of 21 days each. These days, with glad tidings few and far between, we cannot harp enough on the importance of this piece of cheering news. I have since read and watched various foreign media analyses on how we got this one right. However, we all seem to miss the divine intervention that was key to our success here. It must be now clear to the whole world that Nigeria is God’s own country. The divine so worked out for Nigeria that even our shortcomings became sources of strength in tackling Ebola. Hallelujah!

Our penchant for fright as a people is well perceived. Maybe this could be traced to years of demoralising military dictatorship and civilian recklessness. Our day-to-day life is ruled by fear so when the index case of Ebola was announced, we had more than enough reasons to panic. We knew how inadequate our health facilities were and how ill-equipped the few in existence were. We understand the situation of our land and sea borders; how porous and susceptible to external infiltration we are. In fact, we know how possible it is for aircraft to depart or enter our airports, and how due process can always be sacrificed when some naira notes exchange hands. Above all, doctors in the public health sector were on strike! Facing the menacing Ebola virus seemed insurmountable by our standards.

Right from the moment Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer set foot on our soil, God’s providence started fighting Ebola on our behalf. That this first case was recorded in Lagos (and not elsewhere else) was highly significant to its containment. And what if the man wasn’t admitted at Dr Ohiri’s First Consultants Hospital, Obalende, in Lagos, where one of his hero doctors, the late Ameyo Adadevoh, was on hand? Dr Adadevoh was harassed, pressured, intimidated and even threatened with a lawsuit to release Sawyer, but the hospital stood their ground and quarantined the diplomat. Those of us who know Obalende would understand the danger had they succumbed to intimidation and released Sawyer.  The late Dr Adadevoh was a great-grandchild of one of Nigeria’s early nationalists, Herbert Macaulay. May her soul rest in peace. Also, the majority of the 8 fatalities recorded during the outbreak were health workers. They were national heroes by the strictest definition of the word. Bravo to the private sector.

Above all, we saw how government should work during the outbreak. There was synergy, sincerity, accountability and a high sense of responsibility to the people. The Lagos State government and the Federal Ministry of Health worked collaboratively with development partners. There were joint press conferences and a single information clearinghouse. We didn’t have to hear from Professor Onyebuchi and then wait for Governor Fashola’s version.  Response and tracking mechanisms were near impeccable, as shown when the virus was transported to Rivers State. Once there, similar concerted effort, commitment and hard work were put into containing the situation. For once, we did not have to devise conspiracy theories and finger pointing. No political gimmicks played out, despite the fact that cases were recorded in Lagos and Rivers – APC-controlled states. Perhaps, this is an instructive factor in the victory over Ebola.

While we celebrate victory over Ebola, we should hearken to the counsel of Rui Gama Vaz that, “Nigeria’s geographical position and extensive borders makes the country vulnerable to additional imported cases of Ebola Virus Disease.” We must therefore share our success story with our ravaged West African brothers by teaching and comparing notes with them on how to tackle the disease. Also, there are still challenges in our health sector. This victory should not be used to mask those challenges. 

However, by far our biggest lesson in containing the Ebola virus is that we’ve been given a first hand template of how things should work. If we intend to grow as a nation, Ebola has offered us a model. We cannot solve our problems divided, embittered and intolerant. We cannot solve our problems without carrying the people along and without being accountable to them. The way to solve our problems is the way we cheer the Super Eagles when they do us proud and how we criticize them when we are let down. No APC, no PDP; no Christian, no Muslim; no North, no South; no Yoruba, no Ibo, no Hausa; just Nigeria. That is the way to go.

THE ALL-ABOUT-ME-NO-MATTER-WHAT SYNDROME

The Adamawa State power tussle, where the immediate-past acting governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has returned to his previous post as the speaker of the house is a classic case. Fintiri’s four-month reign as the chief executive of the state highlighted the confusion that has been created in Adamawa by the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP’s) quest for power. From the onset, it was clear that an opportunistic Fintiri capitalized on the resolve of Abuja to dethrone former governor Murtala Nyako for waging war against Mr President. Fintiri offered to be used by the PDP, knowing full well that if he succeeded in booting out Nyako and his deputy, Bala Ngilari, he would be well positioned as acting governor to deploy machinery towards his election as a substantive governor.  The PDP and Fintiri struck a symbiotic accord founded on illegality. The speaker’s civilian coup was bankrolled by the PDP; the idea: to wrestle the state from the hands of the opposition All Progressives Party (APC) even though they are not popular there.

The deputy governor, a PDP stalwart, was coerced and bullied into resignation, despite his constitutional right to assume the office of governor in the absence of Nyako. The initial strategy was an impeachment joint ticket, but what was his crime? He is a PDP member and did not defect like his principal. Other PDP members should beware. He was forced to resign under duress and was booted out, until the court reinstated Ngilari as the governor as due process was not followed.  In Ekiti State, the courts have not been allowed to wade into the controversy, with an High Court Judge being beaten and now the courts being sealed by the military until the governor-elect is sworn in by which time the immunity clause would have taken effect and the law supposedly can do nothing. As social commentators and citizens we shouldn’t belittle the desperation of these people, as they are doing untold damage to the stability that rules and regulations and respect bring to the land.  

Our President (and I do not use the word “our” lightly) should understand that he is the leader of the country, the chief executive officer of the entire nation, not the poster child of his party. The president is definitely not just the leader of the PDP. These illegalities perpetrated under President Jonathan’s watch only lend credence to those who said his body language encourages corruption. Quite frankly, he did not create corruption; he inherited it. But whether he is putting enough into tackling it is another matter entirely. In a democracy, a strong opposition is key, because it brings balance and debate to our polity – essential ingredients for a healthy democracy.

Unfortunately, a similar crisis is happening in Rivers state, though they are being met with strong resistance. Both sides are perpetrating the abuse of power and lives have been lost. Edo State is brewing. Legislators are under constant attacks from “unknown” sources. Even the state Assembly is not immune from attack, with thugs shooting and damaging private and government property, all in the name of intimidation and impeachment.

In Ondo, the governor has returned to the PDP – the same party which but for the Judiciary, had stolen his mandate. Now, members of the state House of Assembly who have refused to decamp are being persecuted.  In Ekiti, I repeat, the Judiciary – the third arm of government – has been shut down and militarized so that the anointed Governor Fayose could escape prosecution for his lawlessness. Courts and Justice will only resume after his inauguration. What message are we teaching our youth? If the sanctity of the Judiciary cannot be protected, how can citizens look up to it to protect their rights? The NJC has let us down by not protecting and upholding the institutions from where they derive their legitimacy. We now see that politicians are bent on dismantling the legal instrument that brought them to power.  What will we be left with but a downward spiral to anarchy that nobody here will escape?

  

I feel ashamed to be a Nigerian when our leaders display such immaturity, violence and greed. I suppose it is a reflection of who we are, so it is no wonder the rest of the world looks down on us. What a disappointment to the black race! Our leader the President should appreciate that this is all happening under his watch. He should be mindful that at best he would be with us for another 4 years. Will this be worth it? Is this the legacy that he wants to leave behind? William Shakespeare said “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.” We should all mark these words.

THE RULE OF LAW

For obvious reasons, events in Ekiti State cannot escape the socio-political radar. How often do we get to hear about an assault on a judge at a state High Court premises by thugs loyal to a governor-elect? Even those who are playing politics with the matter accept that Fayose’s supporters assaulted the judge in his presence. People like Senate President David Mark should understand that the Judiciary, our courts of law and judges are an institution – an arm of government, which interprets our laws and dispenses justice. Yet, when the Chief Judge of Ekiti submitted a petition to the National Judicial Council accusing Fayose and the police of complicity in the attack on and harassment of judges and court workers, all Mark could say, in spite of the unacceptable violent conduct, is that nobody could stop Fayose’s inauguration. Coming from the Number Three Citizen of the country who should be distancing himself from such behaviour, that is frightening.

Let us assume that the law does not know the person in question, with a case still pending with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); should we forget that by supervising the beating of a judge he has broken the law?  Judges are principal officers of government mandated by the constitution to defend the laws of the land in conjunction with the law enforcement agencies, such as the Police. But when a judge is battered in the presence of the police, we truly have something to fear. Like many other Nigerians, I wonder why it is taking an eternity for the National Judicial Council to respond adequately to the petition it received on the matter.

For its own self-preservation and for the preservation of the rule of law, the NJC should treat the matter at hand with the expediency it deserves. I understand that judges are members of the bench not the bar, yet the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has a role to play in mounting pressure too. If this could happen to a judge, it is a strong signal to the body of benchers about how much the dispensation of justice can be subjugated by politicians. This is not an option for us. The NBA and the NJC should unite in rejecting this now and protect our democracy regardless of political affiliation. The judiciary must be apolitical. We are talking about the bedrock of our coexistence here, in that no society can survive without a set of principles, rules and regulations, as well as interpreters and enforcers of such regulations. 

If we need to fight to uphold the sanctity of the Judiciary the way the Nigerian Labour Congress and the people should stand up over the attempted abuse of workers’ rights, we should. NUPENG/PENGASSAN would shut down the country by refusing to lift petroleum products over grievances with the government. Nothing should be too much to ensure that the rule of law is protected at all times.

The first arms-for-cash saga had already dealt our reputation a heavy blow in the international community. Now we have another $5.7 million confiscated by the South African authorities. At this point, we don’t know what to call this: Illegal arms dealing or money laundering…or both. The American government has already denied the allegation that we sought the black market because they refused to sell to us. Our National Assembly has confirmed that they knew nothing of this until it boomeranged.  They have also been denied the right to debate the matter; it having been dubbed a security issue. Very convenient!

Furthermore, the lack of noise from Louis Edet House – our police headquarters – is deafening, apart from the congratulatory messages to our acting inspector general of Police, who received a national honour for a job well done, no doubt!

We cannot continue to allow our politicians to weaken our institutions and run roughshod over our rules and regulations. Nobody is above the law. Democracy is not about demi-gods and emperors; it is necessarily people-centred and must be driven by strong institutions. Democracy presents choices and alternative opinions.  A healthy opposition is one of the hallmarks of a healthy democratic society, together with the judiciary, law enforcement agencies and the media. All these are made up of our peers.  Without these institutions, we cannot protect the system from dictatorship.  We should be careful, lest we spiral back to that dictatorship and abuse of power that led us to clamour for democracy in the first place. The ruling party must be mature enough to protect the separation of powers and the opposition, as they are part of our construct. We all have a lawyer o! Let him or her know that we expect them to rise and say no and that we will stand by them. Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.            

WHITHER NIGERIA?

I try my best to look at the brighter side of things each time I think, speak or write about Nigeria. I consider it a service to my country not to be a doomsday provocateur. But these days maintaining one’s sanity and positivity is becoming increasingly challenging. I have posited time and again that we have focused too much on electoral politics and that it weakens the same institutions we elect our leaders to superintend. Can there be democracy without the rule of law? Can the rule of law be upheld without a strong, independent judiciary and police force? If something urgent isn’t done to savage the situation, all plausible indices show that our dear country, Nigeria, is nose-diving into the abyss.

The big lie that we are is taking the shine off our potential for greatness; we have become a source of comedy to the international community. We are the laughingstock of the world, yet we seem clueless about it. It is only in Nigeria that a registered private jet would take off from the Presidential Wing of an international airport stacked with $9.3 million cash (a society preaching cashless economy) and land in another sovereign country in total disrespect for all known international protocols on money laundering. And when the authorities in South Africa arrested the two Nigerians and one Israeli in possession of the confiscated sum of money, a real Pandora’s Box was blown open: the three men were meant to procure weapons with the money on behalf of the Nigerian government! It turns out that the South African government didn’t license the company they intended to do business with! The whole thing stinks. Who are these people? Who are the arms intended for? Are these some of the arms we find with terrorists and cannot explain how they have arrived in our land?

If we were a sane society, we should be asking the airport authorities, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria and security agencies how they managed to miss what the South African authorities intercepted. We would have seen some high-level resignations and arrests. We should be getting answers on how the Nigerian government had to “borrow” a private jet belonging to a man of God to procure arms when there are 10-12 jets in the Presidential Fleet. Yet, we cannot ask questions or raise concern because we don’t have institutions strong enough to provide answers. Our legislators have stood down a debate on the matter, as they see no need.

  

While we were breaking all protocols and conventions known to man and flouting the local laws of a fellow African country, back home, a church building has collapsed, killing around 115 people on religious tourism. Of that number, 85 people were from – guess where – South Africa! An apparent case of negligence and violation of set regulations was twisted into a cock-and-bull story of terrorism and perhaps a witch-hunt. No protection for the believers; no information for us.  Even if our government is insensitive to the criminal and/or diplomatic implications of its actions in the $9.3 million scam and its inaction in the issue of the collapsed sanctuary, shouldn’t it at least be mindful of the wellbeing of its Diaspora citizens? The South African media has commenced a sneer campaign on Nigeria and Nigerians. We should be mindful that our own silence makes us complicit in it. 

Nigerians in South Africa are being targeted afresh for attacks because back home the recklessness continues and even if there were a probe, it would amount to nothing, as our rule of law continues to be trampled upon with impunity.

We may never know what brought down that Synagogue building. Nigeria is a country of absurdities and we seem OK with it.

So long as ethnicity, religion and venality are thrown in the mix of our extractive socio-political system, core institutions responsible for checks and balances will continue to be defeated. If we cannot speak the truth or protect our laws for fear of being labeled, then greater injustices will continue to ravage us. The power play unfolding in Taraba State is a microcosm of the corruption of our government and the weakness of our institutions. There are two governors in Taraba and no government. A parasitic cabal has retained an evidently incapacitated governor, thereby preventing the constitutional process that would have paved way for the transition of power to his deputy. The biggest losers in this distasteful opera are the people of Taraba whose state has been floating for the better part of two years.

Meanwhile our President is silent, but represented us at the United Nations Security Council meeting and gave an address on terrorism and how to prevent it.

Heaven help us! 

COMMUNICATION AND UNDERSTANDING

I read that Washington Post editorial about the insensitive parody of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign by some supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan before I actually saw the posters. The one erected close to the ECOWAS Commission at Asokoro, Abuja, gave me an understanding that we all do not think in the same way and see things from very different perspectives.  The green-and-white #BringBackGoodluck2015 wasn’t only a poorly conceived, insensitive and myopic idea; it was an embarrassment to Nigeria and Nigerians.

  

Had the little minds that conceived such a distasteful association to the person of President Jonathan known what the BBOG hash tag stands for, if they understood what is at stake, they would not try to use it for political gain. Resorting to the adaptation of a symbol of pain, struggle and hope for political gains is a moral crime. For a tool devised to constantly remind the government that for five months those young girls have been held captive in the hands of terrorists to be so mocked leaves me with no words. It is an irony, a paradox and an indictment all at the same time. As claimed by the Presidency, it is possible that the group which perpetrated the evil act (yes, it is an evil act!) acted alone without the consent of Jonathan or any of his advisers. But, why did it take an editorial in a foreign newspaper for the action to be reversed? Were the cries in the social media prior to that Washington Post commentary not loud and clear enough?

We here are the constituency. If we know what we are doing as a people, our government, our leaders will listen to us first before being influenced by the views of outside bodies. While it is quite easy for the Presidency to claim its innocence of any complicity in the campaign faux pas, how does it explain the former Borno State governor escorting the President to Chad, after an Australian hostage negotiator, Stephen Davis, accused him of sponsoring Boko Haram and the Department of State Security released a statement saying Sheriff was under investigation. Although they came out to vehemently deny the allegation, Sheriff should not be seen to be hobnobbing with the President. It is not my duty to either defend or prosecute Sheriff, but his 2011 advertorial, wherein he tendered unreserved apology to Boko Haram for unknown reasons, is a traceable public document.  No court of competent jurisdiction has pronounced Sheriff guilty but with such an allegation dangling over his head I am not so sure that he is the best choice of ambassador! Our leaders should not only do the right thing, they should be seen to do it. 

On the bright side of things, the Defence Headquarters and all Nigerians should be proud of the fact that we still have amongst us, brave and determined men and women who are ready and willing to pay the ultimate price for the good of Nigeria. Injured Lt. Col. Adeboye Obasanjo, son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is one of them. Many wives have been made widows and many children made orphans since the insurgency started. We haven’t appreciated our soldiers enough. They are doing a sterling job even in very difficult circumstances and risk their lives every day to rid our land of terrorists. With the power his father wields, Adeboye could have chosen not to be deployed to the frontline but he has chosen to do so and we thank him and all others who are fighting the fight for securing our futures. 

It is at times like these, when so many things around us are not going well and our spirits are dampened and we despair, that we are given a boost of oxygen and a pick me up, and understand that all is not lost and we are not alone and we must fight on.  Nigeria is what we make of it, whether a comedy of errors, a tragic reality or a success in the making. At present, we poison our country with too many toxins. We should be mindful that these toxins would still be causing damage long after we are gone. It is for these reasons, with so many challenges confronting us as a nation, that we should all take an interest in the upcoming elections. Poor communication causes confusion, misunderstanding, conflict and inevitably insecurity and loss of life; precisely what we are experiencing now. Some amongst us accord the 2015 elections and only what they can gain from it more priority than these crises threatening our existence.

Think what you can do for Nigeria and not what Nigeria can do for you. Please get involved now and let us all fight to have a voice that is always heard.

DOCTORS’ DEMANDS

Whatever sigh of relief we heave at the news of the suspension of the strike embarked upon by the Nigeria Medical Association (MNA) is bound to be ephemeral. It is heart-warming that our doctors in the public health sector have, out of the Ebola emergency, decided to put a human face to their agitation. They have reasoned, but should we celebrate? This is an association whose members render essential services impossible to quantify; they are life savers whose plights should not be ignored.

But here we are in a country where government’s response to doctors’ grievances is mass sack. Between being a bad joke and an uninformed propaganda, the federal government announced the sack of these same doctors. 16,000+ medical doctors in the public sector, already grossly inadequate for a population of over 170 million people, were pronounced sacked in a democracy? It had to be a joke. And throughout the duration of the strike, government maintained a hard-line position. The general public was misinformed in a bid to portray the striking doctors as selfish, arrogant and implacable. Their demands were treated as if they were all about better wages and entitlements.

I took time to study the 24-point demands of the NMA and what I found could be classified into two groups. The first group of demands falls in the category of outstanding agreements officially reached by the government with the doctors during previous negotiations. As usual, those agreements are yet to be honoured. It is not so difficult to find instances where government enters into an agreement with a trade union and adamantly refuses to redeem its pledge; it is the same with ASUU, ASUP, NUT, NLC, etc.

The other category of demands made by the NMA concerns rational technical issues the government should be ashamed of refusing in the first place. For instance, the association demands the Office of the Surgeon-General, a professional among its members who should be saddled with the responsibility of medical bureaucracy. It wants the chairmen, Medical Advisory Committees in teaching hospitals and federal medical centres to be assisted by deputies. They demand the establishment of a health trust to upgrade public hospitals. The doctors want the position of Chief Medical Director/Medical Director to be occupied by a medical doctor as against using it to return political favours. Most importantly, they demand that government expedites the passage of the National Health Bill (NHB) and extend Universal Health Coverage to 100 percent from its current 30 percent.

How on earth are these self-centred claims?                     

We shouldn’t forget that our public hospitals are poorly stocked. There are cases where patients are made to pay for gloves and syringes. I have personally witnessed where a patient had to pay for the sanitary materials used during the evacuation of her miscarried foetus.  Aren’t these basics that should be available in every hospital? Why should any well-meaning government shirk the implementation of minimum standards in its health sector? We forget that resident doctors are also human beings who have families and responsibilities. If we don’t take care of them, then we should stop bemoaning brain drain, because it is going to continue on an unprecedented scale.

No doctor wants to work in public hospitals where there are not facilities. They either set up their own private practice or move in their droves to countries where things are done right. A    substantial percentage of members of the Association of Black Doctors in America are Nigerians. By implication, brain drain is one of the challenges faced by our health sector, occasioned by collapsed infrastructure, poor remuneration and a deficient healthcare master plan. All the doctors are asking is for government to tackle the problems in the health sector that have made Nigeria a medical scavenger.

Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa said, at an interactive session with officials of the Nigerian High Commission in India, in 2011, that she was stunned by the revelation that Indian middlemen collaborate with fraudulent Nigerians to extort innocent Nigerians in search of medical treatments in Indian. Victims pay as much as three times the actual medical costs, no thanks to the scandalous opportunity a breakdown in our health sector has presented callous syndicates. Does this worry our leaders?

Isn’t it distressing that Nigerians seek medical attention in such odd places as Ghana, Egypt, the UAE and India, because our system cannot take care of itself? Those who cannot afford such “luxury” are faced with the choice of exorbitant private hospitals and their near-inefficient public counterparts at home. Yet, it is the constitutional right of every Nigerian to be catered for by the government, or what do we think is meant in Section 14 (2b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) by  “...the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”?