By SKC Ogbonnia–
Let me begin by expressing gratitude to God that you are continuing to enjoy good health after a prolonged stay in a London hospital. You have demonstrated the new lease of life by being able to give a national broadcast upon your return. You have also been well enough to attend Executive Council meetings, the United Nations Assembly and, of course, the Independence parade.
However, clearly missing from these occasions is any statement on quality healthcare for other Nigerians. In short, I had prayed that you use the entire medical journey as an inspiration to make a dramatic change. My invocation was loudest on the fervent hope that you could tap from the experiences in Great Britain to create a healthcare policy that could equally benefit the lives of the ordinary citizens. Not long after you assumed power, I penned a very painful essay: “Every Nigerian blood is on the line.”
That essay, as you may recall, was aimed at the corrupt breed of senators plotting to frustrate your administration from the start. I plainly reminded them that provision of efficient public amenities or good governance was important to the rich as well as the poor. I drove home my point by drawing their attention to the various cases of highly placed politicians who had lost their immediate family members due to poor social amenities. But hope is not entirely lost.
Here are some salutary lessons that can point us towards the desired change. Remember the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Upon coming to power and naturally aware that his terminal illness would require foreign medical interventions, Yar’Adua promised to establish world-class hospitals in each state capital so that quality healthcare could be available to the masses. Though he did not live long after, that heartfelt promise still endures. But you, Muhammadu Buhari, have a golden opportunity to do better. History still has an opening to sympathize with your legacy, if only you can capitalize on your new lease of life to accomplish what untimely death could not allow Yar’Adua do. Frankly, establishing a world-class hospital in Nigeria must not be as elusive as fighting corruption. There are many avenues to fund such project, but none will be more fitting than through the billions being recovered from corrupt people by your government. Alternatively, there are well-vetted international groups that can help under the Public Private Partnership. These groups are comprised of foreign entities and Nigerian professionals truly committed to positive change in the lives of the ordinary people.
Mr. President, you can still be trusted to lead that change by doing the right thing. Of course, it could seem more convenient to ignore this letter. After all, you have a standby presidential jet, and London is only 6 hours away. Imagine a situation the health condition is so critical to require immediate attention. How about the case of a sick relation in Katsina or elsewhere in Nigeria, who may have to fly to Abuja to curry the necessary logistics before jetting out to a preferred foreign location? Your Excellency, the answer to the above questions is not difficult to discern, if only you can recall the following self-indicting eulogy: “He drove himself down to Yenagoa to board the chopper to Abuja. He got to Abuja that Saturday and was admitted in hospital.
The following Monday, his breathing changed. I said; let us make arrangement to get him out, to let him get treatment outside. So, an arrangement was being made. Unfortunately, the following day he had cardiac arrest and inflamed heart at the State House Clinic and gave up the ghost. Mr. President, in case you forget, that direct quote came from your predecessor, President Goodluck Jonathan, when his most beloved brother, Meni, suddenly died in 2012, in Abuja before he could travel for overseas treatment. Are you still there?
I wish that another Katsina man, Yusuf Bala Usman, is still here with us today. The eminent political historian had imagined this predicament where he regretted that many highly placed Nigerians are some of the most ignorant people, because they always ignore the objective fact that politics is all about the greater good. Mr. President, what I am saying in a nutshell is that every Nigerian life matters. Even as we remain overjoyed that you are now well, the Nigerian masses are not feeling well themselves. They cannot be well with mounting loss of innocent lives in the land either by state command or due to poor healthcare facilities. The test for true leadership is not measured by how well the leaders themselves feel but how well the followers feel. Ogbonnia writes from Houston.Texas via [email protected]
