Wake me up, please

Well, you only need the light when it's burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow (lyrics from Passenger...Let her go)

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the shop. The next morning when the barber went to open up, there were a 'thank you' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Then, a politician came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The politician was very happy and left the shop. The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen politicians lined up waiting for a free haircut. 

That is politicians for you! They take and plunder even where there is none! It has been said that politicians and diapers are closely related. They are both full if it.

Define Stupid

The meaning of stupidity is, knowing the truth, seeing the truth and still believing the lies. Only politicians will blatantly ignore the truth staring them in the face and proceed regardless down a path of sure destruction. Simply because it benefits them personally and certainly not the people who chose them to serve.

Okay, where am I going with this?

On healthcare

Many years ago, doctors in the UK came to Nigeria and specifically the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan for their clinical training. They came here for short periods to be skilled in clinical examination and tropical medicine. The UCH was affiliated with many universities in the UK and produced fantastic doctors.

Many of the English doctors were extremely proud of the association with Ibadan and wear the connection as a badge of honour. Recently, one, a man in his 70s reminisced thus (he did his pre-clinicals in UCH London). ‘Back then in UCH London, they gave you the choice of doing your clinical either in UCH London or UCH Ibadan. Most of us preferred Ibadan because it was a much better place for clinicals. You were better trained’.

Over the years, we have deliberately and methodically destroyed our educational and health care systems due to corruption and opaque thinking. The stupidity is actually galling especially when one realises that many of our leaders have been in an aeroplane before! They have travelled times too numerous to mention, to hospitals abroad without any iota of shame. 

Compare his with what happened with the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. He was treated and kept alive by his country men until God decided it really was time for him to die. At no point was it a status symbol for him to go and die abroad! Not so with our leaders in Nigeria, who run to the UK or USA for medical check ups and to treat common cold. Of course, the only reason being it affords an opportunity to further rape the treasury.

It also brings to mind the recent brouhaha following the comments of the USA Presidential aspirant, Mr Donald Trump. He was reported to have said, ‘Look at African countries like Kenya for instance (and Nigeria too for that matter!), those people are stealing from their own government and go to invest the money in foreign countries. From the government to opposition, they only qualify to be used as a case study whenever bad examples are required. In my opinion, most of these African countries ought to be recolonized again for another 100 years because they know nothing about leadership and governance.’

Dreams

Why would a commissioner of health, a governor or whoever, think it sensible to hoodwink the Nigerian populace by bringing poorly trained and incompetent foreign doctors to work in our hospitals? The truth is that no foreign doctor worth his salt will leave a lucrative job in his country to come here and work for peanuts! Therefore, the doctors from Bangladesh, Egypt and wherever are likely not the best at their chosen fields. The best are already gainfully employed! They may not even be what they claim to be. We saw examples of that in the Indian hospitals currently operating in the country.

We do not have the health care system of our dreams because we still have clueless people in charge. People who kowtow to the status quo! They continue window dressing crap instead of making real changes. They sometimes say the most stupid things believing it’s what we want to hear instead of getting on with the real job.

Seriously, some of our people in positions of power personify what Donald Trump was talking on a daily basis. It is said that, ‘it is better to keep quiet and let people think you are stupid, than to open your mouth and confirm it’. Erasing all doubt! Now, where is that pencil?

The truth is that there are highly educated and well trained Nigerian healthcare practitioners both within and especially outside of Nigeria. There are thousands of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and researchers who are more than capable of resuscitating and nurturing our near comatose health care industry back to health.

Wake up, please

In conclusion, we need to develop our own system of safe health care delivery using indigent practitioners and our mass of personnel in the Diaspora. We have a teeming mass of skilled personnel outside the shores of Nigeria. Prepare a soft landing for them with attractive packages and they will all return home: after having been so highly trained by the host nations. Otherwise, we continue to lose them forever by not creating opportunities for them to contribute to nation building. It is also up to us to train and retrain the current generation, educate the future generation properly, if we are to achieve the glorious heights of the past.

I am off to sleep but please, wake me up when you are ready!