Where’s Our Health Minister, Ali Pate?
I am sure if I ask Nigerians who is Ali Pate, many will not know him. He is the Minister of Health, the one superintending a system that has provided Nigerians with only 43,000 hospitals, 192,700 beds, less than 20 aestheticians nationwide and a doctor to patient ratio that is too shameful to mention.
I have read that about 50,000 Nigerians lose their lives to medical negligence monthly. At this pace, one out of every 100,000 Nigerian families will have a victim.
I have been a victim with the loss of my dear wife, Mena Joseph Edgar. Last week, our dear Chimamanda screamed after the loss of her dear son.
In the wake of this tragedy, I wrote an article titled: ‘Chimamanda, I Will Not Cry For You.’ People, as usual, started abusing me. I have come to the conclusion very early that like Prof. Soyinka, I do not write for all. Those that understand me, will, and those that do not, I blame the educational system that has thrown half-baked illiterates on us.
My not crying for Chimamanda at this horrendous occurrence is because I refuse to be pulled into her singular sorrow but rather, decided to rise above it all and look at the collective sorrow of Nigerians who stand a 40% chance of coming out alive once they walk into a Nigerian medical facility.
Everybody is complaining – the medical personnel, Nigerians, everybody. The whole sector at all levels is a complete disaster and we have a health minister and state health commissioners who are sitting in air-conditioned offices and looking at starting a gubernatorial campaign, like I have heard of our minister, instead of rolling their sleeves and seeking solutions to the medical crisis.
The health sector is dead and sadly, we do not have a responsive government that will lead a surgical mission to resuscitate it.
When something like Chimamanda’s tragic story happens, we wail and cry and then move to the next issue, leaving the main matter for Angel Gabriel to come down and solve. We are just not a serious people, because if we are, this Ali person should by now be held accountable.
As for this Chimamanda matter, I plead with Nigerians to allow due process to run its full course. A legal and administrative inquiry is on course, an internal audit by the hospital has been triggered, so we should all just calm down with the emotional tirade everywhere and wait for the conclusion of the process.
Let us even ask for a coroner report sef so that we can at least get some clarity before we start asking for the heads of whoever.
If we are not careful with our health system, no family will achieve the Passover – that thing that the Israelites did in Egypt that made death pass over their doors – every family will feel the pain of the desolation that is our health system. Mark my words, we will all cry.
Pix: Pate.jpg
Tunji Alausa: A Surprising Turn
This is the Minister of Education. Before now, I used to just see his pictures on top of reports pertaining to his ministry and sector. I wasn’t moved by him. Then Dakuku Peterside nominated him for the Maddtimes Power list of Most Powerful Nigerians. In writing his profile for the book, I called Dakuku again and said, “Oga, abeg why you nominate this person?” He went into a passionate defence. “Edgar, this is the most reformed-minded minister ever,” he said.
You don’t mean it? I said. And he went on to start talking about the man’s novel skill acquisition initiative – TVET that plans to train at least five million Nigerians in five years.
He continued, “100,000 have commenced and he pays the students, pays those who are training them using their workshops and businesses. Edgar, you can imagine the impact of these on entrepreneurship, job creation and the rest.”
He also talked about the school management scheme which throws school maintenance back at the schools, and also Minister Alausa’s push towards cascading all these initiatives down to the states.
By the time Dakuku finished with me, I rushed to go and check out the man’s profile and saw that he won Best Physician in the US twice and that he is a brilliant nephrologist. Why he did not succeed at the Health Ministry where he was first posted beats me.
Now there is small k-leg in this matter. As I dropped his profile on the WhatsApp group, someone mentioned that this is the next Governor of Lagos State and I screamed “lai, lai.”
We all know my candidate o, where is this one coming from to come and scatter things? Before I could say Jack Robinson, another person re-echoed it. I have gone into prayers because we all know my man and this Baba should just remain where he is because there is so much work to be done in the education sector. Nigeria needs him more there than in Lagos. Ejo, na beg ooo.
Michael Nzewi: A Trillion Naira Broker
Michael is the Group Managing Director of Cardinal Stone, the frontline investment banking outfit that is moving mountains. I have just seen reports that this firm has crossed the N2 trillion mark in brokerage deals, making them top the ratings. Mad, abi? They are now officially the Funke Akindele of the market. I am sure you have also heard that Funke too has crossed the N2 billion mark, making her the biggest selling movie person in West Africa.
Funnily enough, I have never met Michael even though I would love to meet with him. It is Mohammed Garuba who I really know and have been dealing with.
One other thing about Cardinal Stone is that, when Nicholas sacked me, Cardinal Stone was one of the firms that called me for an interview. I went there and met with the partners and they asked me many questions I could not answer. I just stood up and said, this one pass me and walked away, but with huge respect for what these young men were trying to do in the market.
Today, they have emerged with this huge achievement which I dare say is the icing on the cake, since they are also a very powerful force in the investment banking and corporate finance part of their business.
Well done guys, the sky is not your limit, na Mars una dey go. Kai.
Ifeanyi Ubah: A Legacy in Question
There is clip of a man dressed like a British Colonial soldier walking out in anger from a huge catholic church and saying that “today is the last day of me being a Christian”.
His anger was that the late Ifeanyi Ubah was not mentioned or recognised at the mass celebrated for the new cathedral. According to him the late Ubah did so much during the building of the church and they ignoring him was a pain too much for this young man. He was so bitter that his voice shook in pain.
Now let me tell you guys what I found out. The people wanted to build a new cathedral and started contributing. The late Ifeanyi Ubah asked them to stop that he will do it all alone. After spending like N80million, he ran into turbulence and could not complete the work. The project stalled for a bit. Then one other rich man, Ibeto or so took it up and spent another N200million and completed the work.
What I have heard is that his name was mentioned because of the controversies surrounding his relations with some big men in the town which cast a shadow on his image while alive and now his legacy after he has gone.
Funny enough, the young man was not patient enough to wait to hear Ifeanyi Ubah’s name being mentioned. He had stormed off, made his declaration just before the bishop mentioned Ubah’s name.
At least we now know that Ubah has left us with a “one man Army” who will adorn his colonial uniform and fight to the last drop to protect his legacy no matter how we see that legacy. Nice one.
Akon Eyakenyi: A Brief Notoriety
Nma Akon is the Deputy Governor of my state, Akwa Ibom. Usually, she is very silent and just goes about her business without looking for trouble. Anyway, that was how last week, one prankster decided to throw her out of her slumber.
All of a sudden, Nigerians were shocked to see a news report that Nma Akon had triggered a law banning single ladies from sleeping with married men. The law will put a fine of N10 million on the girls and N3 million on the men. This thing spread like wild fire and for five minutes Nma Akon was the most googled Nigerian.
Feminists, mischievous married men, single ladies, in fact, the whole community of adulterers and adulteresses went after her and if you know, that community has members running into millions with membership inside that House of Assembly that was expected to pass the law.
They said she pushed the law because her husband had a side chic and she wanted to get back at him. Thankfully, her people came out to deny the whole bill and put a blanket on the fire, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
If this were true, that bill would have kicked out Tinubu’s tax law as the most hated law in modern day Nigeria and Nma Akon would have toppled Wike as the most disliked politician of the century. Thankfully, this was not true and we all remain free to continue to indulge. Kai, that was scary.
Wola Joseph Condotti: Welcome To Power
Let me quickly send my congratulations to this very brilliant young lady. Wola has just been announced the acting Managing Director of Nigeria’s biggest distribution company, Eko Disco. The company had just achieved a wonderful change of ownership late last year which saw the coming in of new ownership and the very profitable exit of the Dere Otubu team.
To better position the entity, the new owners have made this appointment. Wola comes with tremendous experience being the GMD of the former holding company of the firm. Furthermore, I have heard that she was also very instrumental to the seamless change of baton which puts her effectively as a veritable bridge between the past and present.
Wola is married to the brilliant Hakeem who used to own the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” franchise. A power couple if you ask me. Well done, my sister.
Street Philanthropy: My Tears, My Prayers
I have been watching these videos on IG and have been crying throughout. Young boys will just walk up to a disenfranchised persona and drop wads of naira on their laps and change their lives just like that.
One of the ones that made me cry to the hilt was one of the boys who walked up to an Okada man.
The Okada man was sitting on the okada and thinking about his life. The boy walked up to him to ask what was the issue and he said he was just wondering what to do because the bike had died and he had no money to repair it. He also was still making installment payments on the bike. He now asked the okada man about his parents and that one said they were dead.
Then he said, “Look, I have no money to give you to buy a new bike, but take this.” He dropped a huge amount of money on the guy and the guy immediately went mad. Oh my God, I burst into tears, the joy in the recipient’s eyes, the joy of the bystanders, the miracle of the moment and I did not stop crying.
I have been watching these videos and have been crying all over the place. Nigerians are such lovely people. God bless this boy and his team. God really bless him and those who are funding this mission. Kai.
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