Category: Opinion

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Opinion

Dear Presidents Museveni and Suluhu Hassan, By Vanessa N & Landry N

Suluhu Hassan
Suluhu Hassan

 

Dear Presidents Museveni and Suluhu Hassan, By Vanessa N & Landry N

As you were signing the long-awaited contract that will finally allow the construction of the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline – African longest crude oil pipeline – hundreds of young people, activists, environmentalists and ordinary citizens from all over the world, including representatives from East Africa, were gathered online (https://bit.ly/3uSv2wu) for workshops, panels and discussions focused on a just and sustainable recovery not only from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also from the climate crisis and other multiple socio-economic injustices facing our communities, particularly in southern countries.

The three agreements you signed with the French oil companies Total and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation pave the way for the construction of the pipeline that will run through a number of sensitive biodiversity areas and wetlands of designated international importance in your countries. You were delighted with this progress described as “the core of bigger developments (https://bit.ly/3e2Urgb)” and even invited neighboring countries to use the pipeline.

As East African citizens and climate activists, it is our duty to share with you and with the public our regrets and deepest concerns that these oil projects and the linked pipeline are going to have on our communities, our ecosystems, our climate as well as our future as a regional block with a common and shared destiny. You may have heard these concerns before but we thought they are worth raising again at this particular moment when the launching seems imminent.

A project with multiple dire social, economic and environmental impacts

Firstly, the construction of a 1,443 km long heated pipeline that crosses several villages and towns in both Uganda and Tanzania will have – and is already having – enormous consequences on local populations. Most of the communities affected by Total’s projects have clearly indicated that they are not actually free to use the land as they wish. Such restrictions on rural and farmers communities have dire effects on their livelihoods, and consequently, on their right to food, education and health. Put simply, this project is undermining the well-being of over 80,000 people (https://bit.ly/3gbuZb7) in both countries.

Secondly, the pipeline poses significant risks to critical water sources, wetlands and several rivers in both countries.  Approximately 460 km of the pipeline will be within the freshwater basin of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, which directly supports the livelihoods of more than 40 million people in the region. What would happen to such people in a likely scenario of oil spills? Are both countries well equipped to handle such disasters and to prevent pollution and ensure clean water access to such a large population?

Thirdly, the pipeline clearly threatens one of the most ecologically diverse and wildlife-rich regions of the world. This is a region home to a number of unique, iconic and endangered animals which have been attracting thousands of tourists. What would happen to the local tourism industry, a source of livelihood to thousands in both countries? Will all of them be employed by the oil projects? What are the mitigation measures in place to address the strong potential loss of jobs in the tourism sector and the related local socio-economic sectors?

Fourthly, allow us the opportunity to remind you that the project is estimated to generate over 34 million tons of carbon emissions each year. This is an unimaginable prospect as the scientific community, as well as world leaders have agreed that all new fossil fuels must be kept in  the ground if we are to reach the goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement you have adhered to in order to avoid further catastrophic climate change.

Though the East African region, and Africa at large bear the least responsibility for rising emissions, this shouldn’t serve as an excuse to add tons of extra millions tons of carbon emissions yearly. As the wiseman said, every adversity contains within it the seeds of opportunity and growth. Today’s climate challenge and associated crisis should be seen as a golden opportunity for Africa to develop in a way that is truly fair and sustainable and that prioritises the interests and well-being and future of its youthful population. Uganda, Tanzania and many other African nations are blessed with abundant sources of energy that are clean and green that can satisfy its current and future energy needs while creating thousands of jobs.

Do you know who you are dealing with?

As we conclude this letter, allow us to highlight a few facts about Total, the largest shareholder of the deals recently concluded. This is a multinational which has been behind some of gravest environmental degradation and several human rights violations in Africa (https://bit.ly/3a8M81i) and beyond. From Algeria to Cameroon, from Libya, Angola to Nigeria. Total is gradually withdrawing from Central and West Africa over the depletion of resources and now extending its operations in Eastern and Southern Africa. We don’t want to see our dear region transformed into another Niger Delta in the name of oil business.

In the specific case of EACOP, Total has failed to respond to the urgent needs of affected communities and repeated alerts from civil society and claimed to have plans to ‘avoid, minimise, mitigate or compensate potential risks or threats (https://bit.ly/2QqDggu) to the environment and people’ as part of its greenwashing communication that you should be aware of. The oil giant is facing a legal action in France based on the law on the duty of vigilance of multinationals, in order to force it to develop and effectively implement adequate measures capable of putting an end to the violations of human rights and prevent future violations as well as irreversible damage to the environment and climate.

Your Excellencies, building the world’s longest heated crude oil pipeline in the midst of a climate emergency is a terrible development that must be stopped. No responsible government or ethical financial institution or operator should venture into such deadly business at this stage. We sincerely hope you will reconsider this ill advised project which is likely to benefit only Total and CNOOCat the expense of local communities hardly hit by the effects of climate crisis and pandemic.

Yours sincerely.
Vanessa Nakate, Climate Activist, Founder of RiseUp Movement
Landry Ninteretse, 350Africa.org Regional Director

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Contributors Opinion

OPINION: Nigeria Has Come, By Kelechi Okoronkwo

 

OPINION: Nigeria Has Come, By Kelechi Okoronkwo
OPINION: Nigeria Has Come, By Kelechi Okoronkwo

OPINION: Nigeria Has Come, By Kelechi Okoronkwo

If Nigeria was a human, an Igbo man from Ohaozara, the most suitable name for it would have been Onyekwere; meaning ‘Nobody Believed’ or literally, ‘Who Believed?’ It is a name that announces triumph over certain conditions which people, including bearers themselves, doubted conquering. For instance, a couple named their son Onyekwerenamgamu, which means, who believed that I could have a child? They had lost hope of having a child. But as God would have it, a son came; so, they named him Onyekwere, shortened for Onyekwerenamgamu.

History tells us that what we know as Nigeria today has gone through the crucibles, some of which nobody believed it could survive.  Whether we look at Nigeria’s journey as a country from years 1914 or 2021, we would be punctuated at uncountable intervals by incidents which threatened the foundation and unity of Nigeria. But one factor that has remained constant and runs through the 107-year unbelievable experience is that Nigeria never disintegrated.

In the begining, the colonial masters had tough times reaching a decision in favour of Frederick Lord Lugard to amalgamate the Northern and Southern Protectorates of a British colony lying in the River Niger area in West Africa. Lugard, who hitherto was the Governor of the Northern Protectorate was appointed the Governor-General of the entire colony in 1912. Immediately, Lugard started looking at convenience, including financial and manpower, for his administration. He proposed amalgamation of the Protectorates but his idea was opposed fiercely by his contemporaries; it was considered impracticable by mere looking at the individualities of the various components that would constitute Nigeria. It took Lugard two years to convince the Queen to accept the amalgamation proposal. At that time, nobody was assured that Lugard’s proposal would sail through. But it did; and Nigeria was born. That was the triumph for Nigeria, Number One.

A lot of disagreements among the colonial administrators came between 1914 and 1960. There was the Aba Women’s riot of November 1929 that sent a strong signal about the gregarious nature of the Southern women contrary to their Northern counterparts. Nigeria survived that and moved on after amendments were made to the Warrant Chiefs and Native Courts system. One other issue that became contentious was the motion for Nigeria’s Independence. It was so contentious that it always divided the Parliament anytime anyone moved the motion. First, in 1953, as a Member of the Western Region House of Assembly, Anthony Enahoro, moved the motion, calling on the Federal House of Representatives to pass a resolution for Nigeria’s self-rule in 1956. This motion was not voted upon as the Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello immediately sought an amendment to the motion, asking for the replacement of “in 1956” with “as soon as practicable”; and another parliamentarian, Ibrahim Imam, moved a motion for adjournment of the sitting after Northern Members of the Parliament staged a walkout in support of the Sarduana. In 1957, the Western and Eastern Region got their own Independence. In 1958, Chief Remi Fani-Kayode again moved the motion for Nigeria’s self-rule on April 2nd 1960. This time, the motion was passed by the Parliament and acquiesced to by the British. A slight amendment proposing that the month of independence should be moved from April 2nd to October 1st was proposed by a fourth motion to Parliament by Sir Tafawa Balewa in 1959 and it was passed. Consequently, Nigeria gained her independence in 1960. Again, Nigeria triumphed, withstanding all the shocks.

Between the day of Independence and the day of the first military coup—January 15th, 1966—Nigeria grappled with the challenges of self-rule. It felt like a half-hearted student pilot taking his first practical test. The military regimes which claimed to have come for the rescue did not succeed in uniting Nigeria, instead, they succeeded in dunking the country into a civil war—the Biafran War which is described as one of the bloodiest in the world history. Nigeria, till the present day suffers the debilitating effects of the 30-month long civil war; the war whose effects continue to reduce Nigeria to a pinata of a country; with a federal constitution and bourgeoning human and natural resources, yet barely struggles to dispense with the grainiest of the responsibilities of a state. However, Nigeria survived the civil war; and has been able to hobble forward for 51 years after.

Some more incidents have also threatened the existence of Nigeria just like the civil war: the June 12 election and associated issues, the transition to democracy in 1999, the build-up to the 2011 General Election, the 2015 General Election and different levels of narcissistic governance spread across the history. However, over the last 107 years of its chequered history and pandemonic existence, Nigerians from across the country, like children of a forced marriage, have struggled to exist and to exist in unity; and they have succeeded in building a common economy and social co-existence whose dissociation is not simply likely. One can therefore risk the unforeseen to say that Nigeria has come.

Nigeria hobbles because of avalanches of characteristics of injustice and perceived injustice; and slews of lack of patriotism demonstrated by most of its leaders at various levels. It is likely that Nigeria will continue to hobble, perhaps not dissociate, until there comes a conscious effort by its leaders to focus primarily on Nigeria, not on its ethno-religious and social compositions; and to address the grievances of any unjustly treated co-owner of the country.

Elections times are approaching once again; those seeking political powers have started highlighting and fanning the embers of Nigeria’s disunity. They want to ride to power on the shoulder of the country’s history of divergence. When they get political power, they would stand on this dais of injustice to demand peace from a deeply fractured innocent population.

Kelechi Okoronkwo is a Nigerian, writer, journalist and Public Relations Executive.

 

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Opinion

OPINION: No hampers flooding the FIRS this Season, By Emma Ogbeche

No hampers flooding the FIRS this Season, By Emma Ogbeche
No hampers flooding the FIRS this Season, By Emma Ogbeche

 

OPINION: No hampers flooding the FIRS this Season, By Emma Ogbeche

Christmas season is always a beautiful period. Among the fun that comes with the season is the opportunity to give back. During this season, sumptuously loaded hampers are seen flying in the air, figuratively.

This writer has been a regular visitor to a number of Federal Government’s institutions including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in search of strategic partnership and engagements.  The Christmas season lightens the muggy mood of the previous months of the year. Favour seekers of all shapes and shades throng offices, bearing hampers loaded to the brim. But there is something political about these hampers that I came to realise lately.

Contractors and consultants tried to use gifts to outsmart and outdo one another in getting the attention of those in the chain of command for contract approval.

On my visit to the FIRS, this season, a few years ago, I met a long queue of hamper-bearers struggling to see who-is-who in the Service. I felt I was not doing well because I had no hamper. Hamper-bearing for the purpose of favour-seeking thrived at some points especially in the system which gave it a green light.

Going to say thank you to a strategic supporter in order to receive more is not bad in itself. After all, it is in giving that one can receive. In fact, the holy books advise that one should give; that blessed is the one that giveth than the one that taketh.

What is bad is the act of fleecing or ‘zapping’ the system through corrupt and illegal practices; and thereafter bringing hampers at the end of the year.

For a number of times I have visited the tax agency this December, I have seen that the drumbeats have changed. There were no hamper-bearers lurking mischievously at the gates. I observed everyone busy, going about their businesses.

In-between a business meeting with my host, I jokingly asked: “Sir, this is Christmas season again. Where are the usual hampers and hamper-bearers”?
The director looked at me and retorted, “Where are the hampers that you have brought”? We laughed over it and he confirmed to me that a lot of things have changed: “Most people bring hampers when they get excess from you and they want to impress you. But when you get what is due to you, you think more of getting your job done than impressing anyone with hampers”, he said.

Truly, the current administration in the FIRS has an economist’s approach to spending. A number of cost-saving measures have been implemented. The staff are more engaged now than before. Functions that were contracted out to external consultants are now being handled by staff. I asked myself, where are the hampers going to come from? I’m one of the persons that believe that management is an art. Despite the fact that the FIRS management consciously cuts down on bogus spending, the Service has been able to meet up with its financial obligations and also serviced inherited debts.

2020 has been a challenging year for tax administration in Nigeria because of the relationship between economy and taxation. In the beginning of the year, the FIRS had set out with ambitious goals and strategies. The coming of COVID-19 dealt a rude shock to the economy. However, the pandemic did not derail the Service from the path of economic and tax reforms. The FIRS had to fine-tune its strategies to adapt with the prevailing circumstances accompanying the pandemic.

For the FIRS, the COVID-19 adaptive strategies include: finding alternative ways to keep the business going through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) innovations; retooling to consider the taxpayers who were also impacted negatively by the pandemic and spending prudently while working to get all necessary things done. The agency is also deploying a national intelligence gathering system to track tax offenders. They are also collaborating with stakeholders such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Police and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other anti-corruption agencies as well as financial institutions to tackle economy-based crimes, including other financial crimes.

Despite the pandemic, by October 31st, the FIRS had generated N4.178 trillion (approximately 99 percent) against its target of N4.230 trillion projected revenue. The Service has been consistently providing about 70 per cent of the amounts distributed to the three (3) tiers of Government at monthly meetings of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).

The Executive Chairman of FIRS, Muhammad Nami, is optimistic that the total target of N5.076 trillion for the year will be achieved by the end of the year.

– Ogbeche is Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT, Nigeria

 

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Opinion

Social media regulations silencing dissent in Africa, By Tafi Mhaka

How social media regulations are silencing dissent in Africa by Tafi Mhaka
How social media regulations are silencing dissent in Africa by Tafi Mhaka

Social media regulations silencing dissent in Africa, By Tafi Mhaka

In October, anti-police brutality activists in Nigeria used online platforms to raise awareness of and call for the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), an infamous police unit accused of extortion, extrajudicial killings, rape and torture. Their multi-faceted social media campaign, #EndSARS, resulted in widespread protests that captured the global imagination and elicited a violent response from the Nigerian government. As protests raged across the country, the security forces forcefully detained dozens of protesters and used water cannons and teargas to disperse the crowds. The government’s crack down on the protest movement reached its peak on October 20, when security forces opened fire on a peaceful protest camp in the country’s commercial capital, Lagos, killing 12 unarmed protesters.

Despite the government’s brutal response, and the regrettable acts of violence by a limited number of demonstrators as well as other unrelated groups taking advantage of the unrest, the #EndSARS campaign demonstrated the extensive role social media can play in advancing modern governance and human rights in Africa.

Through social media platforms, the #EndSARS activists not only managed to call thousands of Nigerians to action and hold Nigerian authorities to account, but also garnered unprecedented international attention and support for their cause.

The fact that a burgeoning human rights movement has been contemplated, created and sustained online did not go unnoticed in the overwhelmingly conservative halls of power in Nigeria. Shaken to the core by this new media phenomenon and its astounding proclivity to galvanise a traditionally silenced and disregarded youthful majority, some Nigerian state governors and public officials started to demand that social media be regulated.

On November 2, for example, the Northern Governors’ Forum issued a communique calling for the strict supervision and censorship of social media to thwart “subversive actions” and “avoid the spread of fake news”.

Far from being the exception to the norm, such troubling attempts to govern social media usage and effectively impede progressive public discourse and the universal right to assemble peacefully have become increasingly ubiquitous and fairly normalised throughout Africa.

On August 16, for example, a communique published by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), read much like the statement from the Nigerian governors. It “urged Member States to take pro-active measures to mitigate external interference, the impact of fake news and the abuse of social media, especially in electoral processes”.

That a whole regional bloc attributed the emergence of social media-driven dissent to “external” designs is most disturbing. The regional bloc’s ambition to control the content posted on social media platforms is undoubtedly sinister, especially in a region fraught with hotly disputed elections and violent spurts of authoritarian crackdowns on mundane civic activism and political opposition. Needless to say, the aim of the SADC’s statement is not to protect Africans from foreign disinformation campaigns and fake news, but to ensure self-serving narratives and political agendas promoted by local governments remain unchallenged.

Angola, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia already introduced harsh laws that regulate “social media abuse”. Zimbabwe and Lesotho are also in the process of introducing new social media controls.

While the regulations promulgated in these countries appear essential and even reasonably progressive on the surface, they contain problematic clauses aligned to dubious “national security” imperatives. And in practice, they all serve to instil doubt and fear in social media users and encourage them to practice self-censorship to avoid facing the wrath of the state machinery for voicing their grievances about their governments and local institutions.

The “good old days” of archetypal state media organisations, or media empires with strong ties to dominant political forces, singlehandedly churning out jingoistic propaganda to diversity-starved and disinterested listeners, viewers and readers are truly over.

Still, in the main, Africa’s rulers remain unwilling to move on and embrace the changing times. Social media platforms have allowed the masses to scrutinise the actions of their leaders and demand accountability in real-time, but many African leaders are failing to understand that they no longer have the ability to diminish or obliterate the truth by establishing and moderating national conversation topics through “friendly” media organisations.

During the #EndSARS protests, for example, Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, complained that his government’s critics were spreading “deliberate falsehoods and misinformation” through social media, claiming “that this government is oblivious of the pains and plights of its citizens”.

With these words, he attempted to delegitimise not only the protests, but also Nigerians’ right to form an independent opinion on the policies and actions of their elected government. More importantly, he made it clear that he believes Nigerian people should only consume information and opinions compiled, approved and disseminated by the Nigerian state, or media houses that support his administration’s policies.

It did not dawn on the Nigerian president that the #EndSARS protests themselves were in fact a solid repudiation of the “truths” and state-sanctioned opinions his administration has long been pushing on the Nigerian people.

This demonstrates Buhari’s inability to understand how democratic expression and interactions work in the social media era. Granted, state authorities should sanction social media users that spread hate speech, propagate disinformation and encourage violence. But they cannot simply cast the growing dissent and anger on social media platforms as “falsehoods” and “misinformation”. Social media commentary and analyses exist well beyond the protective realm of state-controlled media, where the limits of legitimate criticism are defined by the state and bad governance is repeatedly whitewashed.

The Buhari administration is not the only leadership in Africa unable to understand and accept the realities of the social media era.

In Zimbabwe, for instance, amid a stifling economic crisis, intense political wrangling, and lack of media freedom, people turned to social media to voice their criticism of the government, and share important information on corruption, oppression and governmental abuse.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other high level officials from the ruling Zanu-PF, however, refused to accept as authentic the anger expressed by members of the public on social media over the government’s failure to curb high-level corruption and human rights abuses.

They instead chose to accuse “bad apples” and “foreign detractors” of misrepresenting Zimbabwe’s increasingly calamitous situation to the world on social media. Disappointingly, even South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party weighed in on the matter in September, in Zanu-PF’s defence, and declared a need to guard against “fake news and agenda-setting on social media”.

All this, while the #ZimbabweanLivesMatter hashtag was trending on social media, in response to the Mnangagwa administration’s brutal crack-down on anti-government protests in the country.

This blistering and unapologetic contempt for freedom of thought and expression has certainly engulfed the continent. In Morocco, a YouTuber who criticised the Moroccan king was handed a prison sentence and a journalist-activist who defended anti-government protesters in a tweet was detained. Egyptian journalist Basma Mostafa was detained in October for “using her personal social media account to publish and promote false news”.

The states pushing for greater social media regulation in Africa have, for the most part, long suppressed traditional media liberties and clamped down on journalistic endeavours. From Lesotho to Kenya and Egypt, new social media regulations that have been passed or currently being considered mark a retrogression to the repression of freedoms and limitations to the dissemination of information that shaped the pre-social media era.

Small wonder that where service delivery is bad, poverty is rampant and youth unemployment and underemployment are high, dubious legal manoeuvrings and statements against so-called social media abuse and external political interference are equally rife.

In the absence of strong leadership and guidance from the African Union to help safeguard hard-won media freedoms and safeguard human rights, sadly social media regulations in Africa are not fighting hate speech and disinformation. They are silencing dissenting voices and shutting down one of the only democratic spaces in which Africans can demand change and accountability from their leaders.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Discover Africa News editorial position.

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Opinion

OPINION: A Heartfelt Tribute to Institutions and People Who Never Stop Caring, By Nafissatou N’diaye Diouf

OPINION: A Heartfelt Tribute to Institutions and People Who Never Stop Caring, By Nafissatou N’diaye Diouf
OPINION: A Heartfelt Tribute to Institutions and People Who Never Stop Caring, By Nafissatou N’diaye Diouf

 

OPINION: A Heartfelt Tribute to Institutions and People Who Never Stop Caring, By Nafissatou N’diaye Diouf

The sight of David Beasley, in a recent tweet, sitting on the floor of the World Food Programme (WFP) office in Niger surrounded by staff, celebrating a well-deserved Nobel peace prize win, brought back memories of Nasseiba Ali.

I was on assignment for the Associated Press to uncover an ongoing acute food crisis in Niger. My journey led me to a life-changing encounter with Ali, a 20-month-old girl who weighed just 12 pounds.

I waved, talked, sang to her, but it prompted no reaction from Ali. Little did I know that her eyes clouded at night, one of the symptoms of her chronic malnourishment. 

A mission initially scheduled for one week stretched for an entire month and led me to Zinder, Maradi, Tawa, and Agadez. I met Ali and her grandmother at a feeding center set up in Maradi, 540 kilometers (335 miles) from Niamey, the capital of Niger.

Ali was lucky to make it to the center, barely alive after her grandma trekked several hours with her on her back.

Despite an exceptionally hard and emotionally charged assignment, I witnessed first-hand the outstanding work of hundreds of dedicated and selfless champions on the frontline of hunger. 

The WFP’s 2020 Nobel Peace Prize win is only natural. Indeed, it is a testimony of the humanitarians’ admirable mission to help end world hunger, often in emergency settings. 

Today, 690 million people still go to bed on an empty stomach.

One in nine people worldwide still does not have enough to eat.

The WFP’s gong is a defining moment in history, yes, but more importantly, it has moved the critical issue of hunger on top of the global agenda. Thus, igniting and conveying a renewed sense of urgency.

It is a defining moment for the institution forging ahead to move the needle on ending world hunger, the leadership of its Executive Director.

The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize has created a renewed impetus to rally around hunger, scale-up efforts to mobilize much-needed funds.

Despite raising US$ 8bn in 2019, US$ 4.1 billion is still needed to bridge the funding gap. 

At stake are the lives of millions on the brink of starvation.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee described the humanitarian organization as “a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.”

Without taking away anything from the WFP, I can say that the WFP’s gong is a defining moment in history for multilateralism, and our collective resolve to save lives, change lives and make a difference.

Other equally dedicated multilateral institutions, such as the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the Asian Development, to name just a few, deserve our attention.

Indeed, these institutions provide lifesaving support to millions globally, often in extremely fragile settings.

At the Bank, we did our part to provide relief to our Regional Member Countries with a USD 10 billion COVID Respond Fund. The funds helped bring urgent relief and retool our economies in the wake of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

When COVID-19 hit, WFP’s Beasley warned of potential famine of “biblical proportions.”

The Bank’s feed Africa strategy aligns with the WFP’s objectives to end hunger. Approvals under the Bank’s Feed Africa priority amounted to UA 884.7 million in 2019, making a difference in the lives of 20.3 million people, 9.6 million of them women (https://bit.ly/3775Fyj).

Through my lens as an African woman, a wife, the scenes of empty thatched-roof huts where villagers store grain, the scenes of acacia leaves boiled into a thick paste, eaten in the evening in hopes it will lull the children to sleep are still vivid.

Fifteen years after my encounter with Ali, the world is still gripped by vast food insecurity. Yet, there is every reason to be hopeful. Not because the challenges are fewer, not because we have the resources at hand, but simply because there is a sense of renewed impetus around reversing hunger.

As Nelson Mandela said: “remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.” The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize is a key milestone. A moment to celebrate while we brace up for future challenges and more wins!

Nafissatou N’diaye Diouf is the Ag. Director, Communication and External Relations of the African Development Group. A former Associated Press Journalist for West and Central Africa, Diouf has covered several crises including an acute food crisis in Niger in 2005

 

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Africa Contributors

NIGERIA: Will proscription of SARS end Police Brutality in degenerate society?

NIGERIA: Will proscription of SARS end Police Brutality in degenerate society?
NIGERIA: Will proscription of SARS end Police Brutality in degenerate society?

 

NIGERIA: Will proscription of SARS end Police Brutality in degenerate society?

On Sunday, following a huge outcry by members of the public particularly the youth and celebrities, the Nigerian Government banned the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS), a mutation of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). For some two years, SARS has been in the news for bad reasons. The section of the Nigerian Police Force could kill at a snap of finger. Where they obtain their powers to kill recklessly, one does not know. But there is hardly a Nigerian who has not seen or heard or experienced SARS. Some two years ago, after accumulated reports of killings and maiming suspected criminals, the public outcry mounted. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was acted for President Muhammadu Buhari at that time changed the name of the Squad from SARS to F-SARS. Bu the change in name was just like a giving a criminal a baptismal name. The mode of operation of the SARS did not changed. If anything, it became worse.

Recently, anger rose again when these men killed a young man in Warri, Delta State. Finally, Police boss, IGP M.A Adamu announced the banning of FSARS and Tactical Squads from Patrols. However, people have rightly voiced their misgiving about the ban. How effective will this be? The entire police force is due for reform and restructuring. So, ordinary pronouncement of ban would not solve the problem of crass brutality by the men in uniform in a decadent society like Nigeria where the rights of the citizen are brazenly jeopardised and the citizen would have no place to run to—not to the court or church or mosque or politician or civil servant. In Nigeria, once you are jeopardised, you are jeopardised and there is nothing you can do about it.

The Police statement on the ban read: The Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni has banned the personnel of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and other Tactical Squads of the Force including the Special Tactical Squad (STS), Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Anti-Cultism Squad and other Tactical Squads operating at the Federal, Zonal and Command levels, from carrying out routine patrols and other conventional low-risk duties – stop and search duties, checkpoints, mounting of roadblocks, traffic checks, etc – with immediate effect. In addition, no personnel of the Force is authorized to embark on patrols or tactical assignments in mufti. They must always appear in their police uniforms or approved tactical gear. The IGP’s directives come against the backdrop of findings by the leadership of the Force that a few personnel of the Tactical Squads hide under these guises to perpetrate all forms of illegality, contrary to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement establishing the squads. Specifically, the IGP has warned the Tactical Squads against the invasion of the privacy of citizens particularly through indiscriminate and unauthorized search of mobile phones, laptops and other smart devices. They are to concentrate and respond only to cases of armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crimes when the need arises. The IGP notes that the FSARS and other Police Tactical Squads remain a critical component of the Force in confronting prevailing and emerging violent crimes in the country. He however condemns every act of unprofessionalism, abuse of human rights and high-handedness by some personnel of the Squads. He has therefore ordered the X-Squad and the Monitoring Unit to embark on immediate and massive nationwide monitoring of activities of Tactical Squads and other police officers on the road. They are to ensure prompt arrest, investigation and prosecution of all erring police officers who violate these directives and other extant regulations of the Force. The IGP has equally warned that henceforth, the Commissioner of Police in charge of FSARS, Commissioners of Police in charge of State Commands and the FCT as well as their supervisory Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police, will be held liable for any misconduct within their Area of Responsibility (AOR). He therefore charged them to ensure effective supervision and mentoring of the personnel of the Tactical Squads under their jurisdiction. Meanwhile, two operatives of the FSARS and their civilian accomplice operating in Lagos State, INSPR Sale James, INSPR Monday Uchiola and Okechukwu Ogbonna, have been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command, for acts of professional misconduct including extortion and intimidation of innocent citizens. The operational vehicle of the men has also been impounded and disciplinary procedure has already commenced against the defaulters. The IGP reaffirms his commitment to bequeathing to Nigerians, a reformed Police Force that is accountable, responsible and ever ready to defend and uphold the rights of the citizens while discharging its duties of keeping the people safe and secure. He enjoins the citizens not to allow the misconduct by a few personnel of the Force to negatively impact on their belief, confidence and trust in the Police. DCP FRANK MBA FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER FORCE HEADQUARTERS ABUJA

While the public may take a deep breath, at least on the surface of it, that an official announcement of the SARS ban has been made, the people who are half-hearted about the end of SARS menace on the Nigerian roads are right. The ban of SARS should start from a thorough reform of the entire Police system. If that is not done, it will remain a circus, the trigger-happy personnel will keep mutating from nomenclature to the other while their mode of operation would not change.

Kings Uba is a Senior Writer with Discover Africa News

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Opinion Politics

Corruption Fighter, Magu, drowns in political storm, By Kings UBA

Corruption Fighter, Magu, drowns in political storm, By Kings UBA
Corruption Fighter, Magu, drowns in political storm, By Kings UBA

 

Corruption Fighter, Magu, Drowns in Political Storm, By Kings UBA

For five years, a taciturn police officer, who claimed that COVID-19 came from corruption, Ibrahim Magu, held sway in Nigeria’s economic crimes fighting institution, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). For those five years, Magu remained in an acting position. The National Assembly, for whatsoever reason refused to make him a substantive chairman.

Magu, who, by the virtue of his position is a mad dog programmed to go after corrupt people both in public and private sectors was on a dash against the named corrupt people. He arrested a number of high-profile people including ex-state governors. Nigerians clapped for him but held a reservation that Magu on went after people in the opposition party—the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But that was understandably, politically correct.

Recently, Magu started having problems with some powerful personas in the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government. The disagreement culminated in the drama on Monday when he was arrested, detained and eventually sacked from the position of the EFCC Chairman.

There are insinuations that Magu’s ordeal is political. Nigeria will go to the polls in 2023, three years away, but the political scheming for 2023 has started in earnest. There is a powerful block in the government which is controlled by a Western Nigerian force led by Ahmed Bola Tinubu. There is another powerful block controlled Buhari loyalists. Tinubu has been scheming to contest the number seat. But this does not sit well with the power block in the northern Nigeria. So, there is face-off. Adams Oshiomole, who was the Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) became the first major casualty because he danced to the tone of Bola Tinubu. Oshiomole’s case was bad because he did not know when the drumbeat changed. He thought that things were still the way they were when anything Tinubu flies. Magu has been an errand boy for the APC government where Tinubu flourished. He had taken a lot of directives from Tinubu and remained loyal to him. Checking Tinubu would mean also removing Magu from the powerful position and replacing him with someone who would not have any bond with Tinubu.

The Façade is that Magu’s problem began with a memo by the minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubaker Malami SAN to the President wherein he accused Magu of insubordination to constituted authority, discrepancy in figures of recovered funds, re-looting the loot, living above his means, selling recovered assets to his cronies and friends and running a cabal in EFCC known as +Magu Boys’ among other sundry allegations.

However, people in the power game say that there is more to this than the insubordination claim my the Honourable Minister.

 

 

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Opinion

OPINION: New Team Spirit in FIRS, Nigeria

OPINION: New Team Spirit in FIRS, Nigeria
OPINION: New Team Spirit in FIRS, Nigeria

 

OPINION: New Team Spirit in FIRS, Nigeria

 

By Olufunke Caleb

In the 21st century, rating effective leadership is now based on leaders’ possession of “soft skills”. Leadership today is no longer rated by intimidating or swaying charisma like that of Adolf Hitler. Soft skills, according to Joana Marques in “Leadership Today” include purpose, morality, values, vision, authenticity, empathy and emotional intelligence, spirituality, and trust among others.

Proponents of liberal systems such as democracy agree to the importance of teamwork and collective responsibility. They believe that individuals in a group or organisation should work in collaboration and be allowed to be a part of the decision-making process after which every individual becomes responsible for the decision taken by the group or organisation: good or bad.

If you have witnessed any event of the Federal Inland Revenue Service where the Executive Chairman, Muhammad Nami, and his Management team were in attendance, you would have noticed a demonstration of emphasis on collective ownership of the decision-making process. Nobody, not even the Executive Chairman, takes the glory of the job well done. And Nami does not shift the blame to any of his team members should anything go wrong. That is leadership at its best.

After witnessing Nami’s leadership approach in an FIRS event recently, a Leadership Coach, Linus Okorie, noted that he was inspired by how the Chairman introduced and interacted with the FIRS Management team. It was a brief show, but it demonstrated the relationship between Nami and each member of the FIRS team. The Executive Chairman knows each member of his team to their third names. He had given each of them a fun name to reflect their behaviours during Management meetings. There is one he called the Class Prefect; another he called the Accurate Timekeeper. Nami presents the members of FIRS Board and Management as a team where everyone is important irrespective of the position one occupied. “This shows teamwork. This is great and commendable,” Okorie noted before commencing his presentation on effective leadership.To build a team with team spirit might sound simple, but it involves intricate details. You need to get the right people together and influence them to give their best for the achievement of the overall objective of the group or organisation. This is where the current leadership of FIRS has scored high points and it is manifesting in their outputs in terms of revenue collection despite the COVID-19 challenges.

Nami has two things working for him: purpose and humility. It does not matter the type of organisation you have been appointed to or the level of responsibility you have been charged with, leaders of whatever category must learn to have purpose. It is this that will galvanise all cooperating factors for goal attainment.

Today, there is some level of public confidence with the FIRS unlike what was obtainable in the Service a few years ago. This is because someone who has his agenda clearly defined has taken over the leadership position. Nami took over in the organisation fully prepared and had his vision marshalled out at the outset.

Second, the FIRS Chairman is an unassuming tax professional. He believes that everyone has a part to play and he works to bring out the best in everyone. No matter the level of knowledge they have acquired, you hardly catch a good leader using his intelligence to flog his followers; instead, he uses his wealth of knowledge to build-up followers.

Reports coming out from the revenue authority have confirmed that Nami has been able to bring the staff together to work in one direction.

It is instructive to note that Nami was inaugurated with a Board. This means that no single person, not even the Executive Chairman, takes certain far-reaching decisions alone. The Board has to sit to take decisions on critical issues like project funding, staff recruitment and promotion.

Second, Nami has taken the initiative to re-build the FIRS structure consisting of six Groups headed by Coordinating Directors. The structure was not like this in the recent past. This is making decision-making process in the FIRS to be goal oriented. And it is also good to learn that the Management of the Service sits to take decision on how the organization is run. A good example is how the FIRS took some decisions during Coronavirus lockdown.

The FIRS as a tax agency interfaces with the taxpayers to get them to pay their taxes. With the impact of COVID-19 on businesses across Nigeria, it became certain that peoples’ livelihood had been affected; so the FIRS needed to provide some palliative measures to cushion the effect of the pandemic. There was the need also to continue engaging the taxpayers so that the tax revenue would not drop too drastically.

A statement by the FIRS noted: “During the lockdown, on 31 March 2020, the Management of FIRS in a virtual meeting, committed to provide palliatives to support the taxpayers pull-through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic even as the Service struggles to raise revenue for the country.”

The palliative measures include: Taxpayers can now take advantage of the FIRS simple, user friendly and robust e-filing process to submit their documents online instead of visiting the tax offices. Dedicated email addresses for each of the offices are available on the FIRS website: Late Returns Penalty (LRP) has been waived for taxpayers who pay early and file later. Supporting documents can also be emailed to the dedicated email addresses or submitted later to the tax offices by those who are not able to use the email facility; Remittance of VAT on or before 21st of every month has been extended to the last day of the month; Taxpayers facing challenges in sourcing for FOREX to offset their liabilities are hereby given the option of paying in Naira at the prevailing Investors and Exporters (I & E) FOREX window rate on the day of payment.

Others are: The period to file PIT returns for Foreign Affairs, Non- Residents, Military and Police has been extended to the 30th June 2020 and Field Audit, Investigations and Monitoring visits have been suspended till further notice.

The Service also launched a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and took measures to ensure the safety and well-being of staff, taxpayers, stakeholders, and visitors.

It is pertinent to acknowledge that to get a workforce of about 10, 000 people drawn from various inclinations across the country to think and work together in one direction cannot be a tea-party. It takes the leader who is ready is to listen to his followers to lead effectively.

Another courageous action that the Nami-led FIRS took was the peaceful retirement of staff who had reached and passed their time for retirement. It was a courageous decision because previous administrations attempted to do it but they lacked the will to do so.

But on the realisation that his dream of building a FIRS system that would guarantee career progression would be hampered, those directors that had served up to eight years and above had to retire peacefully. Nami consulted the FIRS Management and Board and upon their approval, he effected the staff retirement. This action has been applauded by staff because it brought relief and hope to them that they are more likely to be promoted when they are due.

It is no surprise that within a short period in the office, Nami has been able to get the FIRS back on the trajectory of growth. Since his assumption of office late last year, the Nami-led FIRS has been able to take some far-reaching decisions and recorded a number of remarkable achievements starting with the hosting of the FIRS Management Retreat and also Group Retreat for the first time since the past seven years.

Caleb, a Human Development Specialist, writes from Kubwa, Abuja, Nigeria

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Opinion

The Burden Of Leadership At FIRS Nigeria, By Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad

The Burden Of Leadership At FIRS, By Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad
The Burden Of Leadership At FIRS, By Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad

 

The Burden Of Leadership At FIRS Nigeria, By Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad

If one has not occupied a position of leadership, one would not fully understand the truism of William Shakespeare’s wise words:  “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown”. But those who wear the crown know where it hurts. So it is with the leadership of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) at this inauspicious time.

Three factors make the leadership of FIRS quite challenging, even if burdensome, at this time. These are the onerous task of repositioning the Service and raising staff morale, meeting the revenue target amid a global economic lockdown, and having to deal with Janus-faced human nature. These factors combined to make the leadership of FIRS seems more like skating on thin ice, which is really a daunting task.

The task of repositioning the Service means setting it on the track of global best practices in terms of corporate governance and efficient service delivery. This consists of shuffling the staff and putting the right people in the right positions,  building staff capacity,  creating more vacancies and more offices, deploying cutting-edge technology to drive the processes,  and ultimately reestablishing the Service again as a veritable corporate entity to reckon with among its peers in the World. Daunting as this task may seem, it also requires quantum speed to achieve it.

Towards achieving the repositioning goal, the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Mr. Mohammed Nami, put together a three-month framework of action as he assumed office in December, 2019. This initial three-month project, tagged Short-Term Goals, is one of the three broad strategies outlined to achieve total retooling of the Service towards increased tax revenue generation. Others are the  Medium Term and the Long Term Goals. The  Short Term Goals consists of eleven action points, which are: to hold a strategic corporate retreat to set target and unveil the corporate organogram of the Service; to put in place immediate mechanism to make activities of the Service technology driven; to make TCC processing easy henceforth ; to immediately re-position LTOs & MTOs; to henceforth make staff welfare and promotion a top priority; to re-position Audit & investigation units in order to achieve efficient performance; stop indiscriminate placement of lien on clients’ accounts; to take disciplinary action henceforth against staff who wittingly pocket tax revenue; to re-engineer  business processes; to continue the payment of 13-16 months salaries as bonuses in order to motivate staff and achieve greater tax revenue collection; and to strictly enforce dress code as provided  in the FIRS HRPP.

     At the unveiling of these short-term goals members of staff at the FIRS applauded them as the long overdue changes they have all been looking forward to with bated breath. They enthusiastically acknowledged that the goals were spot on and the required quick fixes desperately needed to  reposition the Service for efficient and effective administration and optimal tax revenue collection.

Since the unveiling of the goals the management team at the FIRS ably led by  Mr. Muhammad Nami, has applied itself to implementing them diligently every step of the way. In January, the transition management provided a month long window for quick and unfettered processing of TCCs for taxpayers to enable them compete for relevant jobs. This led to the processing and issuance of thousands of TCCs which hitherto was difficult. This was immediately followed with the lifting of lien on clients’ bank account with genuine cases. Thereafter a corporate retreat was held with resounding success. At the retreat were most of the former chairmen of the Service, and an array of stakeholders who applauded the ECFIRS for daring to hold the retreat seven years after the last one was held. A circular was issued to staff emphasizing the need to comply with the HRPP provision on corporate dressing and the penalty that goes with its violation.

Also,  cutting-edge technological solutions have since been deployed to fast-track the processes involved in tax administration and revenue generation. Automation solutions have been put in place to ensure adequate remittance of Value Added Tax (VAT) and Stamp Duty in close coordination with relevant stakeholders. Staff redeployment and reorganization had been done meticulously, and members of staff are happier for it. The audit and investigation units have also been reinvigorated in the process of which about sixty eight new offices were created alongside new VAT offices.

     All these steps are geared towards making the Service function optimally again as a corporate institution operated on veritable ethics rooted in probity, accountability, and propriety. These are best practices and values which aim to put the Service on the plinth of internationally accepted standards of corporate governance, which was thrown overboard hitherto, thereby turning the Service into a reeling ballroom. This feat was hard-won. It took a lot of planning,  complex thinking, series of meetings and consultations, and hard decisions. Of course,  this is what makes leadership burdensome, even more so if the leader’s good intentions and hard work are misconstrued or hardly appreciated.

     Anyway, Mr. Nami’s action roadmap is a clear demonstration of the kind of quality and proactive leadership that is required now at the FIRS. He has unmistakably demonstrated a mature leadership disposition that sends unambiguous signal, which is that it will no longer be business as usual at the FIRS. This is yielding dividends in restored taxpayers’ confidence and trust in the system, among other ample results.

Mr. Nami has also put together a competent, dedicated, and strong-willed management team with national spread to help him steer the course of the Service in the direction of his vision. This includes the Group Lead, Digital Support Group, Mrs. Chiaka Okoye, who is from the South East is a member of the management team; the Coordinating Director, Tax Operations Group, Mr. Olufemi Oluwaniyi, from the South West is also a member of the management team; Acting Coordinating Director, ECFIRS Group, Dr Asheikh Maidugu, from the North East is  a member of the management team; Acting Coordinating Director, Support Services Group, Mr. Innocent Ohagwa, from the South East is a member of the management team; Acting Coordinating Director, Compliance Support Group, Mr. Ezra Zubairu from the North West is a member of the management team; and Group Lead, Enforcement Support Group, Mrs. Faosat Oguniyi from the South West also a member of the management team.

  Under Mr. Nami’s Administration at the FIRS, Nneka Ifekwuna from the South East was appointed the Board Secretary while Mr Kola Okunola from the South West and Mallam Auta Mohammed from the North West have been retained as Special Assistants on ICT and Administration respectively.

 However, just when the management team under the leadership of Mr. Muhammad Nami seems to be gaining momentum and getting things right, the Covid-19 pandemic seized the world and shattered the global economy like the thin ice under the heavy foot falls of a skater. The economic shutdown is unprecedented in Nigeria’s, even global, history. Nevertheless, in the midst of this pandemic, the FIRS henchman is still expected to deliver on his mandate, which is to raise money for government to continue to meet its statutory obligations to the Nigerian people.  

Without gainsaying, this pandemic has really compounded matters for the leadership at the FIRS. Businesses have virtually screeched to a stop nationwide and globally. There is a global oil glut as buyers have disappeared taking with them the expected oil revenue for the country.  Expected revenue from the non-oil sector has also dipped alongside the drastic drop in business and economic activities.

Despite this bleak economic outlook, the revenue deliverable benchmark for the FIRS remains at the pre-pandemic target of N8.5 trillion. Never mind that the Service was compelled by the current business realities to provide strategic tax palliatives to taxpayers. Yet, even at that, many continue to call on the FIRS to do more while retaining their expectation that the FIRS will still perform magic by raking in its targeted revenue to fund the 2020 Budget and rescue the economy from a downward slide. As irksome as this sounds, it is a further demonstration of the burdensome nature of leadership wherefore everyone drags you in the mud and expects you to still look spruced.

Yet, despite the pandemic and its economic consequences, the FIRS management ably led by Mr. Nami was able to post an impressive Q1 performance by achieving an increment of 15% over the corresponding period in 2019 to the delight of all. This is a clear indication that the eggheads at the FIRS are up to the herculean task before them.

But just as the management team at FIRS is getting on with the onerous task ahead, Janus-faced human nature is poised to further make the matter insufferable for the crack team. A Janus-faced is intractable, never showing its true colour- whether a friend or a foe. Like a chameleon, it is a friend today and a foe tomorrow. Verily, Shakespeare reminds us that “there is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face”. That’s why the Janus-faced often gets away with its inveigle personality.

This time the Janus-faced is pushing for a census to determine which ethnic group populates the FIRS more than the others. And were this to be so it would be obvious which has the upper hand. But such cheap blackmailer will not distract the focused management team at the FIRS from pursuing its proactive policies in the best interest of the Service and the country. If anything, the time it would take to deal with such a deceptive constrictor will be an added weight to the burden of leadership for which the positively focused minds at the FIRS cannot afford to luxuriate in.

Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad is the Director of Communications at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)

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Health Latest News Opinion

OPINION: GH Ikorodu, Covid-19, PPE and Matters Arising, By Laz Ude Eze

Ikorodu General Hospital, Covid-19, Personal Protective Equipment and Matters Arising By Dr. Laz Ude Eze
Ikorodu General Hospital, Covid-19, Personal Protective Equipment and Matters Arising, By Dr. Laz Ude Eze

OP-ED: GH Ikorodu, Covid-19, PPE and Matters Arising, By Laz Ude Eze

On Friday 17th April 2020, I made two posts on twitter that have gone viral and generated much conversation online. The first read thus, “A friend took his wife to General Hospital Ikorodu, Lagos for child birth. He was given a prescription to buy 2 sets of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for health workers, he spent 6k. Why should patients bear this burden? What happens to those who can’t afford 6k?” Attached to the tweet was a prescription paper with the name of the patient concealed and the receipt of purchase of PPE from a pharmaceutical store. At the time of writing this piece, it has gotten 1280 Retweets, 1,356 Likes and 321 direct comments.

The second tweet reads thus, “I’m 100% in favour of personal protective equipment for health workers. But shifting the cost to pregnant women and other patients this hard time is counterproductive. Lagos can do better than this. Pls do something fast, Gov. @jidesanwoolu & @profAkinAbayomi”. The photo of the hospital and receipt of payment for PPE were attached. This one has less engagement, 66 retweets, 137 likes and 32 direct comments.

GH Ikorodu
GH Ikorodu
PPE receipt
PPE receipt

Expectedly, the tweets provoked some questions, outbursts, arguments, accusations and demands for accountability. I also got some feedback on the ripples it created on some WhatsApp groups. I was able to read over 90% of the comments on twitter and replied directly to four. I am writing this article because I have respect for those who have expressed opinions on the matter and I may not be able to respond to each of them individually. I will analyse the comments, provide my perspective to the issues raised so far and make some recommendations. But let me provide some background information before the analysis.

Why did I make such post in the first place? One may wonder. Actually, Thursday, 16th April 2020 was quite a busy day for me. I was in an online (Zoom) meeting for over 4 hours with fellow Executive Board members of the West African Network of Emerging Leaders in Health Policy and Systems (WANEL). We were brainstorming on how to reposition our organization to make more impact in improving quality of health care in the sub-region now and after Covid-19 period. I used the night to return many of the missed calls I had. One of them was that of a friend of about 20 years. His pregnant wife was due for child birth this week. She was restless and I could hear her voice on the background. I encouraged them to go to Ikorodu General Hospital that night, which was where she had antenatal care. They were reluctant, they preferred going to a private hospital they had visited earlier but it was a bit far from their location.

Why were they reluctant? They alleged that they waited for over 5 hours during their previous visit a week earlier but were not seen by any doctor. I persuaded them to go  back there for two reasons, one was the proximity – it is can be problematic for them accessing health facility at the Mainland with the multiple road blocks mounted by lockdown enforcers. The second reason was that it’s better for her to deliver at a hospital where she had antenatal care as her past medical history could easily be accessed. They obeyed and went to GH Ikorodu in the morning. My guy was loaded, all he cared about was safe delivery for his wife who had a beleaguered obstetric history. When I called to check on how they fared, he picked and told me he was on a queue at a private pharmacy store where he and other patients’ relatives went to buy PPEs prescribed for them. It got me thinking. Why should patients bear the cost burden for PPEs when the state governor had recently announced free maternal health services? What would be the fate of patients who cannot afford the N6,000 cost of PPEs? Anyone who has good understanding of maternal health will agree with me that it is a potential barrier to access and can lead to higher maternal mortality. The fact that the doctors and other health workers deserve and must use PPEs at this time is not questionable and I fully understand that. I believed asking those questions will get the attention of the state government and make them do the needful. And that I did. Has this purpose been achieved? I will be back with a response, let me analyse the reactions my tweet received.

For the purpose of clarity, permit me to categorize the responders into three groups. Group One understood the message and its intent. They were holding the Lagos State government and health workers at GH Ikorodu accountable for the provision of affordable health care to the people especially this period of economic hardship caused by Covid-19 pandemic. They agreed that health workers deserve to have PPEs but the billions of naira donated to Lagos State government should be used to make them available. Group Two were former users of GH Ikorodu who had unpleasant experiences. They put blames on the doctors and health workers, accused them of negligence, corruption and treating patients with disrespect. Some of them suggested that PPEs may have been supplied by government but possibly diverted by the doctors for personal gains. Group Three of the responders are predominantly health workers who found the tweet offensive and an attempt to indict the doctor on duty. Many of them made emotional arguments; they queried why the name of the doctor who made the prescription was not concealed. More so, some of them considered patients who can’t pay 6k after 9 months of pregnancy as being irresponsible, one even recommended home delivery for such people. Some in this group feared that Dr Aderinwale and his colleagues may be dragged online or victimized by government. A few of them even heaped personal attacks and described me in very derogatory terms. That’s not unexpected in a public space like twitter where responders’ IQs or capacity to comprehend and behave responsibly vary.

Thank you for reading up to this point. Permit me to share a brief information about my professional background to enable any reader put issues in a proper perspective, my qualification was queried by some respondents. I am medical doctor, trained at the University of Ibadan College of Medicine (West Africa’s best medical school  – make I brag small…lol). I had my postgraduate trainings in public health policy and management at the United States. Most of my work experience is in Nigeria, I only worked for a couple of years in the US and Togo. My experience cuts across different thematic areas in public health including maternal and child health and has taken me to 32 states across the country. I have a deep understanding of our health system, the challenges of government, health workers and patients as well.

For me, the issue at stake here is life; the lives of health workers as well as lives of patients who utilize the services of General Hospital Ikorodu. I feel ashamed that Nigeria accounts for the second highest number of women who die from pregnancy-related health conditions in the world. The number one cause is excessive bleeding during pregnancy or after child birth. And over 90% of pregnant women who die from bleeding are not attended to by midwives, doctors or nurses. Most of them deliver at home, church or with traditional birth attendants. The barrier for them is majorly lack of money or rude attitude of some health care providers. Both government and health care workers are needed to remove this barrier. Anyone conversant with maternal health will agree with me that payment of N6,000 for PPE will deny many women access to skilled birth attendants at the Ikorodu General Hospital. My friend could afford it, he paid for his wife and even provided financial support to many others whose money were not enough. I was told some patients were even begging the health workers to wave the PPE requirement because they had no money for it. The health workers cannot also attend to patients without protecting themselves, we have few around and cannot afford to lose them to Covid-19.

The question becomes, who should provide the PPEs? I strongly think it is the responsibility of the Lagos State government for obvious reasons, one is to ensure access to maternal health care for all in accordance with its own promise to the people and second is to serve as palliative to Lagosians and enable them survive the hardship caused by the economic lockdown. Has government provided sufficient PPEs to Ikorodu General Hospital? If no, why the delay? When do they intend to provide enough supplies?  If yes, why are patients required to buy a pair? There are a number of possibilities here. It is possible government is yet to make any or adequate supply of PPEs to the hospital. It is also possible adequate number has been pushed from the government but diverted before it got to the hospital or by the management of the hospital for personal gains.

Wao…this piece is becoming too lengthy and I have to end it, but not without telling you about some things that have been happening on the background and why I did not conceal Dr Aderinwale’s name on the prescription paper. Let me begin from the later. As a physician, I can defend any prescription I make and I won’t give a hoot if anyone posts it on social media or even on TV. If I can’t be bold enough to do so, then my professional competence should be questioned. If there is no PPE in the hospital, the choice before the doctor is either to prescribe for the patient (like in this case) or ask the patient to leave. If I’m in Dr Aderinwale’s shoes and faced with those two choices, I will do exactly what he did and can defend it anywhere. So I don’t have any ill-intention towards him or his hospital, but someone must be held accountable. My assumption is that Governor Sanwaoolu’s administration is responsible and will not victimize a doctor who simply wants to protect himself during a global deadly pandemic. Interestingly, those who complain about this are same people who may question the authenticity of the prescription if all names were concealed. However, if any doctor diverted PPEs to a nearby private health facility and prescribes same for patients to buy, then such a doctor deserves to get appropriate punishment.  

Finally, I was reliably informed that the Lagos State Government has contacted the Medical Director of the hospital and a panel may be sent to ascertain the true position of things. My hope is that their intervention is not just to look for a scapegoat but to make sure all health workers in GH Ikorodu and across the state have all equipment and devices they need to work while protecting themselves. Government should also ensure that no patient is denied health care this period because of their inability to pay for PPE. If in this process anyone is found to have erred, appropriate punishment would not be out of place. Health is a serious business and everyone involved must demonstrate highest level of professionalism, empathy and integrity. I join many Nigerians to commend the Lagos State Government on how it has been managing the Covid-19 pandemic and pray that the management of other health conditions receive adequate attention.

If you read to this point, na you try pass (thumb up!). Consider this quote by Mahatma Gandhi, “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” My last word is this: We are as strong as the weakest and most vulnerable among us. Let us #MakeOurHospitalWork for all and leave no one behind. God bless Nigeria!

Dr. Eze is a public health specialist, sustainable development consultant and publisher of talkhealth9ja.com. He tweets @donlaz4u and can be reached via lazudeze@gmail.com.

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