Brain Drain In Health Sector Worsens: Nigeria Now Has One Doctor To 10, 000 Patients, Says NIPSS

BY PATIENCE IVIE IHEJIRIKA AND INNOCENT ODOH

The long-running depletion of Nigeria’s health workforce has taken a turn for the worse with the doctor-to-patient ratio in the country now 1:10,000 as against the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation of 1:1,000, according to the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).

At the moment, Nigeria has the third-largest number of foreign medical doctors working in the United Kingdom after India and Pakistan.

The director-general of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo, disclosed this yesterday at a one-day symposium with the theme: Nigeria’s Recent Health Sector Brain Drain and Its Implications for Sustainable Child and Family Health Service Delivery.

The event was organised by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) in collaboration with NIPSS, in Abuja, yesterday.

Ayo said, “Nigeria lost over 9,000 medical doctors to the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States of America between 2016 and 2018, adding that a total of 727 medical doctors trained in Nigeria relocated to the United Kingdom alone in six months, between December 2021 and May 2022.

“The data from the Register of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) of the UK shows that the number of Nigeria-trained nurses increased by 68.4 percent from 2,790 in March 2017 to 7,256 in March 2022.”

The NIPSS DG lamented that this trend of skill migration from the health sector is happening when the country’s population is expanding geometrically.

“It is estimated that by 2030, there will be 272.5 million Nigerians. This implies that there will be no medical doctors to meet the medical needs of the population,” he said.

This, the DG said, calls for an improved health workers’ supply to tackle the supply deficit in order to solve the disease burden and positively turn the tide of health indicators.

He also stressed the need for the country to meet the 15 per cent allocation of the total domestic budget to the health sector as pledged by the country and other African countries in 2001.

The president, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Ojinma Uche, called for the establishment of a Health Development Bank to facilitate development of the health care sector.

He said if agriculture and industries have Agric Bank and Bank of Industries ( BOI), then it is wrong to neglect the sector that provides the basis for the workforce to be strong and productive.

On poor funding of the health sector, Orjinma said since the mandate from the WHO and the Abuja Declaration, Nigeria’s budget allocation for health has remained consistently low between 2.0 and 6.0 per cent (5.75% for 2023 proposed budget).

“In the original 2020 budget of N10.59trillion, Health got N464billion which was approximately 5% (with approximately N52bn as capital expenditure while N412bn was for recurrent expenditure) while Security received N1.5trn which was approximately 14.2% (Defence N975bn, Police Affairs N410bn, Office of National Security Adviser N169bn and Police Service Commission N1.4bn).

“Out of the N464 billion allocated to the Health sector, only N59 billion was for capital expenditure. The news got worse after COVID-19 lockdown as the budget was revised downward and the Health budget was cut in half.

“Kindly tell me how all federal tertiary health institutions will rely on N26 billion to provide structures and cutting-edge equipment for training and services?

“This is why the work environment is depressing, while we can do nothing for many patients despite knowing what to do because of lack of equipment.

“In the 2023 proposed budget, Health is to get N1.17 trillion (5.75%) while Security and Defence will get N2.56trillion (12.5%),” he said.

US Assists 1.9m Nigerians Living With HIV

Meanwhile, the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) has increased its assistance to over 1.9 million Nigerians living with HIV with access to free treatments.

USCDC country director in Nigeria, Dr Mary Boyd, disclosed this at the opening of a two-day CDC Biannual Programme Performance Review Meeting and Symposium in Abuja yesterday with the theme: “Working Together to Bring Nigeria Closer to HIV Epidemic Control”.

In his speech, Boyd said, “Today 1.9 million people living with HIV have access to free treatments, and its treatment is going to save their lives and allow them to live healthy, productive lives.

“The other thing that I was reflecting on is Americans historically love the underdog, and we root for the underdog, we support the underdog in whatever way we can, and we as the US government have been so proud to be part of the success that Nigeria has had.

“And along the way, we’ve had champions, and those champions are sitting here and also in the audience. So, I want to just appreciate you all. I want to welcome the CEOs of our implementing partners; I call them the superheroes.”

The minister of health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, in his keynote address, lauded the USCDC for its ceaseless efforts and achievements in tackling HIV in Nigeria.

Represented by the national coordinator for AID & STI Prevention, Dr. Akudo Ikpeazu, the minister said Nigeria had enjoyed the goodwill and generosity of the United States government through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

He added that the US had recorded remarkable progress with a reduction of the burden of HIV and contributing remarkably to the 1.9 million Nigerians who are receiving life-saving antiretroviral treatment.

“And, of course, these are the key elements of our response, to name a few, since 2018 which has made us move from a data poor to a data rich country as far as HIV is concerned.”

According to the minister, Nigeria has recommitted itself to work with its partners to drive actions towards achievement of the 2025 global HIV targets and to keep Nigeria on track to ending AIDS by 2030.

He went on: “I take this opportunity to also recognise the partnerships with CDC through which led us to pandemic preparedness and emergency response system and structures have been strengthened in building on the rapid and general support to emergency response to COVID-19.

“I encourage the use of HIV response platforms and investments for continued strengthening of health systems and pandemic preparedness. As you know, in 2020, the government and its major treatment partners, PEPFAR and the US government and the Global Fund, embarked on a joint alignment to resources in support of the National HIV programme.’’

Ehanire further stated that Nigerians had seen the gains of this new implementation architecture and were looking towards the second phase which had been christened Alignment 2.0 as a means to strengthen coordination, leadership and governance of the response, especially at sub national level.

In his goodwill message, the representative of the director general of National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Alex Ogundipe, maintained that Nigeria had come to a stable phase of the epidemic.

“All that we’re asking as Nigeria, the Nigerian government, in terms of the way we think about resources, is that it is time to normalise this. It is time to go back to the strategy of efficient ways to do things and fill in the capacity gaps or system deficiencies.

“Let’s build it so that we can return what needs to be returned to the society and let it grow efficiently and effectively. This, for us, is how we define what we mean by sustainability,” he said.

COVID-19: 56m Nigerians Vaccinated, Says NPHCDA

The federal government yesterday received 22 portable ultra-low temperature freezers donated by the United Parcel Service (UPS) Foundation to boost the country’s energy-efficient cold chain systems for vaccine storage.

The executive director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, who spoke while receiving the donation in Abuja, disclosed that as of 13th October 2022, a total of 56,594,138 (representing 50.6%) of the 111,776,503 eligible population in the country had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

According to him, making this remarkable progress amidst persistent disinformation and low risk perception has been possible because of the significant support the country has received from its development partners, including UPS.

Shuaib said, “We cherish our partnership with UPS and will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that Nigeria meets its target of vaccinating half of its overall population against COVID-19.

“Our country moves rapidly towards herd immunity. It is my firm belief that no country in the world is safe from COVID-19, and no business entity is safe from its adversities until all of us are safe.”

Shuaib reiterated that the SCALES 3.0 campaign strategy recently launched by the Agency offers a unique opportunity for childhood vaccination and other Primary Health Care (PHC) services for beneficiaries concurrently with COVID-19 vaccination.

He, therefore, urged parents to take their eligible children for vaccination against polio, yellow fever, measles and other vaccine-preventable childhood diseases in the same locations where the adults also receive COVID-19 vaccines.

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Brain Drain Hits Health Sector

NIGERIA: Before Ritual Killing Consumes Us All

LEADERSHIP EDITORIAL

Killings, for ritual purposes, are assuming a worrisome dimension in Nigeria. Even more disturbing is the involvement of people from age groups that would, ordinarily, be classified as vulnerable. The modus operandi of perpetrators of these heinous acts is as blood-chilling as it is horrendous – they rape, maim abduct and kill to harvest the sensitive and vital organs of their victims.

What is equally disheartening is that the crime has acquired the trappings of business, unfortunately so, and has also developed its own language and terminology which makes it difficult for anyone not involved to easily understand the conversation by those engaged in it. For instance, they refer to human head as ball, the heart as transformer and hands as fans. The situation is so bad that the security agencies are finding it difficult to unravel and trail the mindset of these criminals.

Some analysts blame the ugly trend on the growing rate of unemployment in the country while others see it as the aftermath of the pervasive moral decadence in the society that is beginning to celebrate get-rich-quick syndrome among the youths. These merchants of death brazenly use the social media as a ready tool to advertise their evil behaviours. Recently, one such criminal boldly used ‘ego obala’ an Igbo phrase for blood money as car number plate.

This newspaper is appalled that while the society is getting more religious with the proliferation of churches and mosques, the ugly trend of ritual killing is on the rise as the quest for wealth at all cost gets so cruel and barbaric.

It is an irony that, in this abhorrent inhuman act and as in all criminal acts, the real godfathers are hardly known as they use contractors or wealth seekers who only get stipends for their dastardly acts. And the negative trend cuts across all the geo-political zones of the nation.

Even more ironic, in our considered opinion, is the contradiction that while youths in other climes are embracing science and technology as well as other sustainable human development efforts as ways of keeping pace with the rest of the dynamic world, youths in Nigeria seem stuck in the mistaken belief that sacrificing human blood is the path to wealth, safety and protection.

According to a recent report by Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), 150 women and girls were killed across Nigeria between January 2018 and December 2021. The Red Cross International also in 2017 reported that it received 10,480 reports of missing persons in Nigeria. Fake clerics and herbalists are often alleged to be complicit in these heinous practices. Reported cases of ritual killings continue to surge in many parts of the country and law enforcement agencies have arrested many suspects of ritual killings showing gory pictures of human skulls and dismembered bodies.

It is in this context that we welcome the plan by the federal government to launch a national sensitisation campaign against ritual killing and other such acts that challenge our collective belief in what is human and acceptable.

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has mapped plans to partner with religious, traditional organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to forge behavioural change. Already, it has directed the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to take the issue of ritual killings into consideration while censoring and classifying films and videos eulogising the inhuman trade. Some ritual killers have confessed that they learnt the money-making tricks from some social media platforms.

On January 22, 2022, three teenage suspects and a 20-year-old reportedly killed one Sofiat Kehinde and had her head severed and burnt in a local pot in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Ogun State Police Command said one of the suspects confessed that he learnt the act of ritual killing from a video he watched on Facebook.

Jolted by the reports of ritual killings across the country, the House of Representatives, has also asked the federal government to declare a national emergency on the social vice. The House asked the Inspector General of Police to take urgent steps to increase surveillance and intelligence gathering with a view to fishing out, arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators of the killings, especially their sponsors.

As a newspaper, we are of the view that a lot needs to be done by the police and other law enforcement agencies to check this ugly trend. Parents, schools, religious leaders, and stakeholders must make deliberate efforts to curb the increasing rate of ritual killings and other related vices.

We call on government at all levels to make it a priority to empower the youths with vocational skills. With this, it would be difficult for many of them to be lured into ritual killing just to make quick money. Someone with a good source of living will find it difficult to engage in the act. More importantly, parents must desist from making comparisons between their children who are decent with their age mates that have chosen the life of crime.

How Oba Of Benin's Curse Curbed Human Trafficking--Maniscalco

Oba of Benin, Ewuare II. Image: Pinterest

BY PATRICK OCHOGA

Margherita Maniscalco is the project manager of an Italian based non governmental organisation, International Cooperation South-South (CISS). In this interview with PATRICK OCHOGA, she speaks on the human trafficking crisis and the impact of the Oba of Benin’s intervention.

The human trafficking challenge in Europe is huge. What motivated your organisation to get involved in tackling the menace?

First of all, the International South-South cooperation, (CISS) as a non governmental organisation, actually started to be active in the 1980’s. It was created by a group of volunteers who are deeply concerned about the issues surrounding human trafficking especially in south of the world, be it in Latin America, Middle East and Africa. As an organisation we are passionate about dealing with social and economic issues and we seek to assist all humans.

Talking about human trafficking, there is no point pretending that Italy is not affected as a country. We perfectly understand why Africa migrants leave their country in droves in search of greener pastures. We live in a globalised world where you have access to what is happening to others, so we understand their need to have a better life in Europe.

However, many years ago, we started working to promote the rights of migrants and to be very honest we have significant problems in Europe in terms of respecting the rights of migrants. But as an NGO, we have maintained our independence and joined forces with other stakeholders to deal with these issues affecting migrants. We have had reasons to go on strike against policies that are inimical to the rights of migrants.

For example, in the City of Palermo, the Mayor has approved a document that protects the universal rights of migrants and free movement because we believe that as human beings we have equal rights to move freely. Even if you are in Italy or Nigeria we all have equal rights to visit. However, at the moment, they deny these rights because there is more possibility of me coming to you in Nigeria than you coming to Italy. It is worthy to state that we are working seriously on how we can open the migration policy of Europe towards promoting a sustainable migration path and also recognising the value and need of migration.

It is even more difficult especially from African countries; therefore, CISS and other organisations in Italy are supporting change in European policies. But at the moment, we are yet to see that change. We are doing everything possible to see the change; we have to support access to legal migration.

We will like to know exactly what the Italian authority is doing in terms of prosecuting trafficking cartels?

Human trafficking is a very traumatic phenomenon. From the Italian perspective it is even terrible. It is a sin against humanity. Trafficking in humans from Edo State to Italy started over 20 years ago. There is no doubt that we have some flaws tackling the menace here in Italy. However, it is gladdening to know that in Nigeria there is a movement against human trafficking.

Today, the Italian government is committed and doing something about it however to achieve the desire results cannot be automatic, it takes gradual process. In the last years, Italy has become the hub to enter Europe; we have huge numbers of Nigerians being exploited in Italy. From 2014 till date International Organisation on Migration and Italian government statistics even shows that the numbers has increased tremendously. But in terms of figures of arrival of Nigerians, it has reduced; few years ago we recorded high numbers of Nigerian seeking asylums. One of our major concerns today is human trafficking. Nigeria women are still being exploited, suffering in prostitution, because they don’t have ways of getting out of it.

I think at this moment, the Italian institutions have started to produce good impact and we have seen more prosecution of traffickers in Italy. We also noticed that from the Nigerian perspective there seem to be reduction in the roles of ‘madams’, the debt trafficked girls used to pay has reduced drastically, those who some years ago paid £80,000 now pays £30,000, we noticed that the madams are not the main exploiters, I think it is really important for us to understand the new exploitation chain and deal with it.

How effective was the curse placed by the Oba of Benin in fighting human trafficking?

There is no doubt, the pronouncement by the Oba of Benin has had significant impact and it was very visible. Every woman from Nigeria especially from Edo State was aware about it and the information circulated very fast with good impact. For us, there are women who are still into prostitution and they are vulnerable. For, the fact they don’t pay any debt to their madams any more doesn’t mean the end of it. Women still suffer a lot of violence, exploitation and in some cases death. It is even shocking to note that family members still put their daughters under pressure to prostitute and that has not really changed.

We need to support these girls because they are in difficult situation that need to be helped. Like I said earlier, in Europe, the curse has really facilitated the fight against human trafficking a lot but not automatically because we also have to bear in mind the demand and supply factor.

ven if you break the chain that made the girls to be exploited traffickers still find other easy ways to exploit the girls and Italian clients will still demand women from Nigeria. So, I think in any case we still have the push and pull factors working in this direction.

What is the condition of rescued migrants in camps and resettlement centres?

Generally, I think it’s a bit difficult to answer because the Italian government is changing policies on how migrants are treated. I can tell you before what was happening many years ago especially during the government of Salvini and today. Many years ago, we have this policy of receiving them in what we called safe harbour and for this reason a lot of migrants prefer to land in Sicily because it is the closest to the Mediterranean. The municipality do cater for and integrate the migrants into the European society but with the Salvini’s administration we experienced a worse policy as far as migrants are concerned so the civil society had to protest against it which contributed to unpopularity of the then government because of the campaign of hate against migrants.

What is your take on campaign in certain quarters for prostitution to be legalised?

It is really difficult to say. But from CISS as an organisation, we don’t have clear vision on it, we believe that every human being has self-determination, human right and freedom to do what he or she wants to do. But at policy level, we have seen that in countries where prostitution is legalised, we still have issues of human trafficking and I think any policy in place must also consider the issues of sexual exploitation.

SOURCE: LEADERSHIP

Nigeria Begins Crackdown On Illegal Migrants January

BY AHURAKA ISAH, SUNDAY ISUWA

ABUJA (LEADERSHIP) -- Nigeria will begin a crackdown on illegal migrants in January 2020, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mohammed Babandede, said yesterday.

The Immigration boss also expressed displeasure over the Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement signed on behalf of the service by Ministry of Interior with private companies.

Babandede stated this during an interactive session with the Senate and House of Representatives committee on Interior.

He said the agreements are skewed in favour of the private companies to the detriment of operational efficiency of NIS.

According to him, attempts made to jettison the agreement by NIS was frustrated by the beneficiary companies by going to court and securing N18 billion judgement against NIS.

“The sharing formula in the agreement between NIIS and the private companies , was skewed in favour of the companies which to us, is economically injurious to the Nation .

“Expectedly , Immigration as a body has vehemently protested against the whole arrangement but the fact that the agreement was signed on our behalf by the Interior Ministry , the private companies have continued to have upper hand", he said.

He however informed members of the joint committee , that President Muhammadu Buhari has already taken up the matter with operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) thoroughly investigating the agreement .

Babandede who refused to explain in details , what the contractual agreements were all about and companies involved , was taken up on it by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Kashim Shettima ( APC Borno Central ), on why the agency gave N18billion to one the companies in 2017 and another N16billion in 2018 .

On irregular migrants in the country, the Immigration boss said from January 20, 2020 , any of the irregular migrants that had not done biometric capturing, will be arrested and deported .

"President Muhammadu Buhari has given them six months grace of Amnesty which started from 18th of July this year and ends on 19th of January 2020 .

“ During this period , biometric data of concerned migrants are to be taken and documented . Information to that effect has been sent out to all the affected migrants that who ever refuses to comply , will from January 20, 2020, be on the radar of Immigration operatives for arrest and deportation “, he explained .

He added that while the agency received only N3.4billion out of the N13.175 capital votes appropriated for it in 2018 budget , not a single dime has been released from N8.214 billionappropriated for capital projects in 2019.

The committee members however resolved to approach the Minister of Finance , Budget and National Planning on behalf of the agency for way out of the poor capital budget funding.

81% Of Nigerians Do Not Pay Taxes – NESG

BY JONATHAN NDA-ISAIAH

ABUJA (LEADERSHIP) -- More than 81 % of taxable adults and businesses in Nigeria do not pay their income taxes due to low tax moral in the country, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has learnt.

According to a statement by the media office of the NGF, this was disclosed in a presentation made by the research director of the Fiscal Policy Roundtable of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, NESG, Mr. Tayo Oyedele, yesterday at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat in Abuja.

Oyedele, who was in the company of the chairman of the Fiscal Policy Roundtable, FPR, Dr Sarah Alade, had paid a courtesy call on the director-general of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr. Asishana Bayo Okauru, to solicit an opportunity to expose this sour narrative to the nation’s governors and seek their involvement to correct the ills that are denying the country of its collectible revenues.

The director of Research who condemned the seeming national apathy of Nigerians on payment of taxes said that figures available to him reveal that there are 20 million registered taxpayers in the country, scoffing at the figure which seems paltry compared to the presumed nation’s population of nearly 200 million people.

While explaining the concept and reasons adduced to the nation’s low tax moral, the NESG buff disclosed however, that nearly 85% of those who deem it unnecessary to pay taxes to the government willingly pay same to “non-government actors.”

This ironic twist, the NESG attributed to the distrust that pervades the environment when it comes to paying taxes, dues and levies to a government that does not command the public’ trust.

Of the tiers of government on whose shoulders tax collection is reposed, the research showed that Local Governments and their officials are among the most untrustworthy, followed by state governments and then the tax officials themselves.

“Many believe that it is unwise to pay taxes to entities that do not translate taxes to services or to officials who diverted same to personal use,” Oyedele said, while insisting that there were nonetheless 17% of the population who see the payment of taxes as a civic duty which all must perform.

Maintaining that there were 354 taxes in Nigeria, which create duplicity of taxes and favoritism on where to audit and where not to audit, not minding the unprofessional conduct of tax collectors, who sometimes threaten the public, NESG also regretted that the penalties for non-payment of taxes in Nigeria were not only unhurtful and not punitive enough, but that the processes of penalizing reluctant taxpayers were selective.

The NESG therefore recommended that it would have been better if the country minimised the tax regimes of the country from 354 to only 10, abrogating such meaningless taxes as the ozone layer tax which the population can hardly fathom.

According to the research as narrated by the NESG, personal income taxpayers would have been happier to pay their taxes if education, health and infrastructural provision were raised to global standards, while corporate taxpayers would love to see electricity, roads and security improved.

The director-general of the NGF said the situation is a looming calamity which must be addressed forthwith, while thanking the NESG group for bringing this horrendous narrative to the knowledge of the forum.

SOURCE: LEADERSHIP

Sowore And Back Road To Democracy By Owen Donbruce

Omoyele Sowere image via Leadership

BY OWEN DONBRUCE

LEADERSHIP

There is a lot in common between the spate of banditry that various gangs have been unleashing against the lives and property of the majority of law-abiding citizens and the latest outbreak of political disorder misguided by urban youths recruited by Omoyele Sowore in pursuit of delusions of “revolution”.

Both groups seek to reap where they have not sown. They both share the deviant desire to short-cut their way to satisfy inordinate desires to acquire wealth and power even at the expense of innocent lives, property and ultimately, stability of the nation.

On arrival in 2018, he boasted: “I am coming from New York and I have just arrived Nigeria to lead a movement to change power in the country. I have been doing activism for over 30 years, I have never done anything less than national politics. So, there is no less position. The position that is most important to Nigerians today is the position of the president. I am more than qualified. There is no need going to become a Local Government Chairman, Councilor or a Senator when I can run the country as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

His African Action Congress (AAC) special purpose vehicle easily fulfilled conditions for registration but the reality of political inconsequence was stark. Sowore came tenth in the presidential elections with 33,953 votes, far less than what an average local government contestant can record and obliterated by President Muhammadu Buhari’s 15,191,847 votes.

Sowore’s next assignment was in fulfillment of his often expressed mission, reflected in his choice of identity for his online platform, Sahara Reporters, “named less for geography than to symbolize his desire to “kick up a storm across Nigeria.” He was no less truthful about his new mission by tagging it “Revolution Now”, knowing that Cambridge online dictionary defines revolution as “a change in the way a country is governed, usually to a different political system and often using violence or war”.

The bottom line of the Sowore sinister strategy is that he is now emerging in his true colours as a mercenary of the overt and covert US based entities on whom he has been dependent for existence and sustenance of his online platform. He has now dropped all pretences of pro-democracy activism and dared to don the cape and cloak of an agent provocateur to undermine the stability of his fatherland because he has another country, US, to call his own.

If he were genuinely “pro-democracy” he would have staked his resources in raising his political profile and winning more hearts and minds across Nigeria preparatory to the 2023 elections. Instead he has been spear-heading the hostile agenda of a foreign country to “kick up a storm across Nigeria” by instigating a revolution through which his foreign masters can infiltrate our country, to exacerbate unavoidable conflicts that will erupt.

Sowore is certainly unsuitable and ill-equipped for office of a local government chairman and lacks the loyal followership of less than half the 33,000 votes he allegedly scored, considering that virtually all those who voted to him were misled and induced.

A bold indication of his pedigree and partners was again flaunted with impunity when he visited the other mercenary of the foreign agenda for dismembering Nigeria, Nnamdi Kanu, who jumped bail, betrayed his sureties and abandoned his “Biafra army” for the London haven provided by his foreign masters.

Nigerians must always remember that we have been successfully operating a full-fledged democracy since 1999. When unpatriotic elements, devoted to the agenda of enemies of the sovereignty of our father land provoke them into so-called pro-democracy activism, confrontational street protests and “revolution”, they should ask them to form a political party and be a constructive contribution to building our democratic dispensation.

All over the world, there is no civilized and accountable alternative system of government than democracy. It is because there can be no perfection in governance that democracy provides periodic opportunities for peaceful, transparent and systematic general elections into its institutions for the people to choose their representatives.

Sowore’s oft-repeated credential is that he is an “activist”, but it only diminished his leadership qualifications beyond street protests. Sowore as president of the SUG at UNILAG got expelled twice. Today he stands expelled by the Africa Action Congress, the party he formed for his failed presidential bid. His successor as National Chairman, Leonard Nzenwa said he would not be the kind of chairman Sowore was and remarked: “We acknowledge the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful protest against the government, but we are aware that this constitutional right does not include the right to resort to unconstitutional takeover of the government of the country or any part thereof.” Swooning from revolutionary stupor, Sowore insists “I can run this country in my sleep.” He must be very busy now!

NIGERIA: The Herbal Psychiatrist Of Nasarawa

Image via The Guardian

BY LEADERSHIP EDITORS
Nigeria is rated as having a rich history and culture of local treatment and cure of people with serious mental problems often known as madness or insanity. Just like the traditional Chinese medicine, especially acupuncture, which predated Western medicine, so is herbal remedy and treatment of the insane in Nigeria.

Across the length and breadth of Nigeria are traditional herbal healers who have handled serious mental cases that have defied new age medical practice. But because of the crude manner and in some cases the inclusion of fetish practices in their operations, they are not accorded recognition in the nation’s mental health services.

It is against this backdrop that this newspaper takes special interest in the activities and claims of the management of Musabil Herbal Centre in Gauta community, Keffi Dan Yamusa of Keffi local government area in Nasarawa State where 47 mad people have been allegedly cured.

The centre also claimed that it is currently handling another 103 psychiatric patients, with 40 of them, all males kept in one room. The breakdown of the mentally-challenged persons showed that 70 of them are men and the rest, 33, women.

Among the impressive revelations, is that none of the patients is in chain, a usual practice in orthodox hospitals and other traditional homes where such cases are handled. Added to this is the harmonious relationship among the insane persons in the same room and their free interaction with members of their families and visitors to the herbal home.

The owners of the facility and visitors have attested to the fact that no violent cases have been recorded among the insane since the inception of the “hospital.” The owner of the centre, who bears the official title of director-general, “Dr” Kabiru Mohammed popularly known as “Dr. Naborgu” said that the centre was established 15 months ago.

This native of Fakachi in Kainji area, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, who relocated to the community to set up the home in Nasarawa, said that he learnt the trade from his father.

The statistics presented by the management of the home shows that the recovery rate of the patients in the home is high, as 47 persons have been treated and discharged in 15 months, out of which 20 of them are engaged in the centre as guards and ancillary workers. This figure translates to an average of two persons being discharged monthly. This is not a mean feat considering the long period such people stay in psychiatric hospitals.

At the herbal home there are wards for women and men; the structure and practice in the facility are mixed: consultants from various fields of mental health work with Mohammed in the diagnosis and treatment of the patients with only herbal drugs. Although the home may not be a perfect setting, its achievement so far ought to recommend it to Nasarawa State government.

We consider it curious that in spite of this the local government health authorities claim that they do not have any relationship with the herbal centre. That the lives of the people of the state and other Nigerians, who patronise the centre are at stake makes the indifference of the local authorities more worrisome.

It is our opinion that health officials in the state government owe themselves a duty to monitor the activities of the home, enforce standards especially on environmental issues, and assist in the upgrade of its facilities. For instance, the government can help in decongesting the wards, especially for the male psychiatric patients. A situation where 40 ill people are kept in one room is unhygienic to say the least.

The state government should resist the temptation of closing the centre no matter the pressure from any quarter, especially orthodox practitioners, whose interests may be threatened by the impressive performance of the herbal clinic. Instead, the claims of the owners should be investigated based on the number of cases so far handled.

The cheering news from the centre requires that we do away with the mentality that everything Nigerian is wrong and anything herbal is unregulated and fetish. We, therefore, canvass the adoption of the Chinese model where that Asian country combines modern and traditional medicine practice and export them to the world.

We are also compelled by the reality on ground at the herbal home to caution against calls to sanction any orthodox medicine practitioner who partners with a herbal doctor. Such punitive action would be counter-productive in this case as those in Musabil Herbal Centre play only advisory and counselling roles to the management and patients. Instead, the collaboration already on display at the home ought to be encouraged. One way of doing it is for the state government to help the home to develop its skills acquisition centre where recovered patients are trained and rehabilitated before they are allowed to go home.

Germany Invests €2m In Nigeria’s Rice Production

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Image: Frederic Stevens/Getty

BY DICKSON

ABUJA (LEADERSHIP) -- The German Government, with support from the Bill and Mellinda Gates Foundation, has provided two million Euros for implementation of the second phase of the Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) in the country The Programme Director of CARI, Mr Jean-Bernard Lalannehe, disclosed this to newsmen, in Abuja ,on Wednesday.

Lalannehe said the second phase of the project known as CARI-2, would be implemented in Kebbi, Kaduna and Jigawa states.

According to him, the aim is to help smallholder farmers to increase their income and provide their families and the country with high-quality rice.

It is a project of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development with financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Lalannehe said the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was implementing CARI-2, which started in June 2018, and is expected to last till June 2021.

According to him, the project would be focused on business linkages in the rice sector to ensure that the producers were well connected with the markets, processors, rice millers, aggravators and input dealers.

“The first phase of the project ended in 2015, and CARI 2 is being implemented in the three Nigerian states to achieve its objective through the use of the Multi-Action Partnership (MAP).

“MAP is a concept that allows for regional initiative and polices to be harmonised, while enforcing coordination amongst other actors in the rice value chain in different countries, ”

“MAP, which is one of the strategies, will bring together active participants in the rice value chain to identify important cross-cutting issues to be addressed in the rice sector.

“This will result in possible solutions to problem areas, and what role the establishment of a MAP would play in achieving them,” he said.

SOURCE: LEADERSHIP

Nigeria Market Is A Great Place To Invest Now – Edwards

Gerry Edwards, Western Digital. Image: PR Revue

BY CHIMA AKWAJA

LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW
In this interview with CHIMA AKWAJA, the marketing director for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India at Western Digital Corporation, Gerry Edwards, explains why his company came to Nigeria, its expansion plans and need for data security for institutions and individuals. You came to Nigeria at a time of economic recession when others were exiting. Has the market been receptive to you? Nigeria in many ways has more challenges but we have other markets about the same amount of challenges. By investing sustainably in very good quality products in a methodical way, through the recession we have always come out on the right side of it. As a country with a significant percentage of digital savvy individuals, Nigeria is an important country for us. We aim to create value to consumers and stakeholders by providing innovative storage solutions. The introduction of an extended product portfolio is a step in the right direction – as we continue to provide improved performance and efficiency for our customers.

The population of 200 million people in Nigeria, mobile phones growth and penetration is right around a 150 mobile phones, I think 50 per cent of which are smartphones right now, each one of them with a microSD card. Consumers want to expand their capacity within the mobile phones. Even during recession, consumers have the need for more storage in their phones and we know that is only going to get bigger and bigger as data is the new oil. So, that is going to continue at a consumer level and beyond for the next 10 years.

What is your objective for the Nigerian market?

We have long been at the forefront of game changing innovations. From the invention of the first hard drive to recent advancements in 3D NAND, our journey of innovation continues to inspire those who dare to think big about the possibilities of data. Western Digital is enabling a bigger, faster experience in its portfolio with new solutions that give consumers an excellent combination of performance and capacity so they can do more with the rich content they capture. In the Nigerian market, we are setting up and we are here to stay in terms of our investment in the infrastructure and our go-to-market. We came first with our SanDisk brand and the guys in the sales team have set up the infrastructure through distributor and retailers with the aim of making sure that consumers are protected with original products. We have a ‘Buy Original’ programme on SanDisk products which will go to markets in Nigeria through our authorised resellers. Our objective is to ensure that the consumer has what we believe is the best technology for consumer flash products from microSD cards, USB drives and OTG drives for mobile phones in the Nigeria market. We believe the technology is best and we believe that the Nigeria market is a great place to invest now and into the future. How long have you been in this Nigeria market? We started three years ago, very methodical planning to make sure we do it the right way, not to just come in to do some deals and go. We set up the infrastructure and the plan to make sure that we are here for the long run and we are investing sustainably, not doing things that are going to be a flash in the pan. We invest in a sustainable way into the future because we see opportunities not just for now but also 10, 15 years from now. We understand the magnitude of this market, which is why we have expanded our distribution channels, so that more people can have access to our products. Nigeria has millions of individuals who use data digitally, one way or the other – we have recognized this opportunity and provided storage solutions for their needs. We offer high-performance, high-capacity and high-quality storage solutions to fit the increasingly digital lifestyles of consumers.

There is the issue of fake products, how have you been tackling it?

First of all, we compete globally with many other brands. We are by far the biggest market shareholder globally with our SanDisk brand for flash micro SD cards. We are a manufacturer of flash memory, one of only five in the world. You see a lot of brands, if they are not manufacturers, they are buying from the market. This means that we can guarantee the best level of quality at a very competitive price and the consumer gets the best possible products. It is not rocket science, we invested in very good products, in quality ways to go to market over the years and globally; in Nigeria we do exactly the same. Universally, we are compatible with everything, on the consumer side, we have a solution for everybody. We advise consumers to go to one of our authorised resellers where they would see the SanDisk sign, a ‘Buy Original’ sign and a stand with a ‘Buy Original’ sign, you will then see an original product within that store and that store owner will help to take them through the process. If it is not SanDisk, don’t touch because the brand has to be SanDisk. But we have educated our resellers, we have educated the market what the SanDisk brand looks like and what are the elements.

Your products, do they come with warranties?

Yes, it differs per product. For example, on our brand, the external hard drive comes with a local Nigeria warranty. The consumer has a level of trust on the product and they know it’s an original product, it is not fake, we have it in the country; this is a locally distributed product, it has an hologram sticker so everyone knows it is genuine product and has a local Nigeria warranty.

What are your plans to expand across the cities as well as channel distributions?

Our plan was always to reach all the major cities of Nigeria, so we started in Lagos. As you know, we are already now in Onitsha. We are in Abuja, and we have started expanding into Ibadan. In two to three years we should be covering all the major cities in the country. In terms of your retail outlets, we are supplying directly almost 12,000 stores in the country and we are in at least 3,000 to 4,000 branded stores for SanDisk. We are already in all the 66 stores of Slot, Pointek, and Spar and so on.

What is your vision for Nigeria now and in the future?

In the near future, we want to continue the growth that we doing in a sustainable way. We are going to continue on our SanDisk brand of products, developing our ‘Buy Original’ programme, going to more store fronts and more outlets and we going to concentrate on our branded products and launch them in the same way we did for SanDisk and then grow exactly the same way. We have authorised distributors and we go through retail and our resellers in the same methodical way, enter into Lagos and beyond the rest of the country as well.

Why is it important for individuals and organisations to secure their data?

Your data is very valuable even if it’s professional data, through to your personal memories and photos of you and your family, how you secure that is very important. On all of our products we offer a secure access software which can be used to set up a simple password on all of our hard drives and we want for all consumers to have the ability to be able to look after their data on hard drives.

Rex Lawson: Life And Times Of A Highlife Legend

Rex Lawson image via El Sur Records

BY ANTHONY ADAH ABRAHAM

ANTHONY ADAH ABRAHAM writes on the legacy of the late Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, a true legend, who left a big shoe that many highlife musicians are finding it hard to fill today. His songs “So Ala Teme,” “Bere Bote,” “Ibinabo” were and still the taste of those who are lovers of good music.

The seven-year period between Nigeria’s independence in 1960 and the start of the civil war in 1967 was a golden era. The people of this multi-ethnic nation lived together harmoniously, cherished and respected one another despite the diversity of cultures and religions.

The newfound independence from the British colonialists offered the citizenry the hope of building a great nation and they held this great vision as an ideal literally written on their faces.

While the political sphere presented the theatre to actualise their visions, they also found time to relax and listen to native music which provided the necessary distraction for reflection on the meaning of life itself. Highlife – a music genre that emanated from Ghana – was the rave in the 1960s. It had morphed from the foxtrot and calypso with Ghanaian rhythms known only among the local African aristocracy in the mid- 19th century to dance and guitar bands that ordinary folks could also relate to.

As young Nigerians embraced highlife music and added local ingenuity to their renditions, its appeal grew in the country. Among the multi-talented proponents of this music and perhaps one of the greatest Nigeria ever produced at the time was Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson.

Rex Lawson was in his 20s when he became a household name in Nigeria. He was an emotional and philosophical singer who displayed mastery in conveying deep meanings through the trumpet, the alto saxophone and his haunting voice. Nearly five decades after his tragic death in a car accident on his way to Warri, his music still elicits wonderment and acclaim among music lovers.

At the time he held sway, Rex Lawson was recognised as the people’s artiste because of his ability to compose and sing in different dialects. He sang in Efik, Kalabari, Izon, Igbo, several Ghanaian dialects and Pidgin English. In the 1960s, his records came in quick succession and were played back to back on Radio Nigeria, besides several live performances he did in Radio Lagos studios. His songs were party favourites of the time and were loved by even those who did not understand the dialects he sang in. Yet, his songs dwelt on family values, love, hard work and morality.

Born Erikosima Jim Lawson on 4 March 1938, his father was of the Kalabari ethnic group in present-day Rivers State; while his mother was an Igbo from Owerri.

It is said that his name, pronounced as “Eriko sima”, actually means “this one will not live long”. The name was as a result of his father’s conviction about how long the sickly Rex would live when he was an infant, following a pattern of deaths which had claimed his first three children. At the time, the young Rex was battling severe small pox infection but his mother was determined to see him live. She was said to have sought the assistance of medicine men from outside the Kalabari environment for treatment. Finally, her efforts paid off as Rex survived and lived beyond infancy.

Musical Career:

After his primary school education in Buguma, Rex Lawson is said to have rejected his father’s suggestion and plea that he proceed to high school and perhaps university. He felt going to school would either slow or derail his plans to become a great musician. His elder sister named Daba also joined his father to plead with him for a change of heart, but he rebuffed their entreaties.

t is, however, recorded that Daba’s husband, who was a pastor in the church he attended in Buguma, noticed his budding talent, enrolled him in the church band and taught him trumpeting. At that time, Rex was already a member of the music band of Christ Army School, Bakana-Kalabari along with the late Sunny Brown who would later become his sidekick. From here, his interest in trumpeting soared. When he felt his hand was strong enough, he moved to Port Harcourt and subsequently found a place as one of the band boys of the popular Lord Eddyson who was then leader and owner of Starlight Melody Orchestra. Rex would later move to Lagos, which was the heart of the Nigerian entertainment life. He was said to have resided in Yaba and played with professional heavyweights such as Sammy Obot, Bobby Benson, Chris Ajilo, and Victor Olaiya. After his time with Olaiya, he left for Ghana to further improve on what he had learnt from these greats. On his return to Nigeria in the early 1960s, he formed the Mayor’s Band which later became Rivers Men. The band was an instant success and was in high demand. They received invitations to perform across the country, even extending to neighbouring Cameroun and Forte Lamy in Chad.

As his fame grew, Rex’s teeming fans also gave him befitting titles. At a point, he was nicknamed Pastor Jim Rex Lawson, then Bishop, before finally taking on the title ‘Cardinal’. In an uncut interview on Voice of America (VOA) recorded for music specialist Leo Sarkisan in August 1965, Tunde Sowande, the Nigerian interviewer, asked Rex how he came about the title Cardinal. His reply was that his fans gave him the nickname because of the way he performed religiously.

At the time, some of his exceptional hits that dominated the airwaves were “Angelina Pay My Money,” “Baby Play Me Wayo,” “Atabla Woman,” “So Ala Teme,” “Bere Bote,” “Ibinabo” and “Jolly Papa”. He also sang “Yellow Sisi” which was remixed in later years by the late Orlando Owoh. His hit single “Sawale,” which captured the attention of his fans across the country at the time, has been remixed by more than a dozen generation of artistes since his demise, including ace musician Feladey in the early 90s and hip-hop sensation, Flavour N’abania, who remixed the song into Nwa Baby (Ashawo) in 2011.

Before the Nigerian civil war, Rex had recorded well over 100 songs that were regularly played on radio and night clubs across the country and beyond. During the war proper, he also recorded many hits, some of which could be described as ego massage of the military elite. One of them was Hail Biafra which he sang in praise of late Lieutenant Colonel Odimegwu Ojukwu. He is also credited for being the first to play the Biafran national anthem at the proclamation of Biafra’s secession on May 30, 1967.

With the liberation of Rivers from the Biafran captors in 1968, Rex also composed a heart-rending song to mourn the Ijaw nationalist, Major Adaka Boro, who is largely credited for the successful military campaign that liberated the state, but suddenly died in controversial circumstances. He also sang Gowon Special in praise of the then head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, when Rivers was firmly in the grip of the federal forces under the control of commander of the Third Marine Commando, Brigadier Benjamin Adekunle nicknamed “the scorpion”. Towards the end of the war, Rex travelled to the United Kingdom where he recorded his last album “Rex Lawson in London.”

Style and Musical Themes:

Known to be very emotional while performing on stage, Rex is celebrated for his contagious sociability, his musical vision, faculty, perseverance and raw individuality. In the typical Highlife band, the trumpet often played a leading function in the music. Rex was, however, an exception and deviated from this path by frequently featuring alto saxophone solos in his songs. In time, he spotted a good hand in the late Sunny Brown who was his alto saxophonist and to whom he conceded the solo in many of his later songs.

Biafra Controversies:

The period immediately after the 15 January 1966 coup through to the start of the Nigerian civil war in 1967 was very precarious. The assassination of Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and the Prime minister, Tafawa Balewa, were viewed as attempts by soldiers of eastern extraction to dominate the north and other regions. There was tension all over the country. The situation was near boiling point in the north owing to the failure of the General Aguiyi Ironsi administration to court martial officers implicated in the failed coup and the perceived celebratory posture of people of the eastern extraction living in the region. At the time, musicians were also very cautious of what they sang so as not to be misinterpreted by any of the ethnic nationalities. Rex Lawson was caught in this dilemma also.

After the January 1966 coup, some mischief makers started circulating his 1964 song titled “Ewu na Ba Kwa” (Goat is Crying) in the northern part of the country. In derision, the bleating goat in the song was identified as late Ahmadu Bello howling as he was being killed by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu, leader of the coupists. This did not go down well with many in that part of the country. Combined with the failure of the Ironsi government to address the perceived injustices brought to the fore by the coup, the outcome was not pleasant when it came. The anticipated counter coup came on 29 July 1966 when soldiers from the north killed Ironsi in Ibadan. Many soldiers drawn from the east but based in the west and northern parts of Nigeria were also gruesomely murdered. But the mayhem was not restricted to the military, as miscreants jumped on the situation and extended the killings to many innocent citizens of the east living in Kano, Kaduna and elsewhere.

The following months were crisis-filled, bringing a lull to all aspects of life, including social engagements and clubbing. Before the civil war, the highlife industry in Nigeria was dominated by musicians of eastern extraction and natives of the present-day Niger Delta. As suspicion fuelled by crisis in government increased, many of the bands disbanded and returned to their hometowns. Expectedly, highlife music took a hit. Rex Lawson fled Lagos for his native Buguma where he retired to fishing – the traditional livelihood of his people.

War broke out on 6 July 1967 with the secession of the eastern region from Nigeria. The secessionists extended their capture to many parts of the present-day Niger Delta, including Rivers – a state created by the Yakubu Gowon administration as a contingency plan to break the then eastern region into two.

Chief Lloyd Jim Lawson, younger brother to Rex Lawson, who is now in his 70’s, explained the situation:
“When the Biafra war broke out, my brother had to leave Lagos and relocate back home just like many other musicians from what was then the eastern region comprising the present east and all the present-day Niger Delta states.” 

Lloyd said that at the time, he was a young man working with the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) in Umuahia. On one occasion he had a chance meeting with then Chief of General Staff of the Republic of Biafra, Philip Effiong, who inquired from him about the popular musician. He informed Effiong that Rex had retired to fishing in Buguma since the war was now the pre-occupation of those that hitherto patronised the night clubs. The surprised Effiong felt such raw talent could not be allowed to idle away so he immediately ordered that Lloyd go fetch him and bring him to Umuahia.

“Effiong ordered that I should be provided a vehicle and all that was necessary to bring Rex to Umuahia for rehabilitation,” Lloyd explained.

“As anticipated, when I arrived Buguma, I was told Rex had gone fishing. I had to go down to the river to look for him and when we met, I explained that I had come to take him to Umuahia on the instruction of the number two man to Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Biafra leader. We chatted about this and he did not object. We returned to the house to prepare for the trip to Umuahia the next day.”

Explaining further, he stated that: “When we finally arrived at the State House in Umuahia, Rex was welcomed and was informed that he was to head the Biafran State Band. He was asked to replace the equally popular musician – Celestine Ukwu, who was heading the band at the time. Celestine was subsequently made head of another band.”

It is believed that it was either in Umuahia or Owerri where they were routinely engaged to entertain the military officers that Rex Lawson composed the controversial song “Hail Biafra” in praise of Ojukwu. But his stay in Umuahia would not be long. For reasons unknown even to Lloyd, one morning sometime in May 1968, Effiong called him and privately asked that he inform the musician to flee to the newly created Rivers State via the forest. Rex Lawson was at the time performing in Owerri.

“To avoid any suspicion, Effiong told me to wail uncontrollably when I am brought before the Biafran high command to be informed about my brother’s abduction by some persons in Owerri. I did exactly that, rolling on the floor and weeping without any suspicion. Ojukwu was even pleading with me that my brother would be found safely and returned. Effiong was there with him. Later when he met me again privately, he commended me for putting on that convincing show. By then, Rex was safely in Port Harcourt.”

In his account of the evening they fled Owerri, 74-year-old Dawari Somoni Harry, one of the late musician’s team members who used to play conga and maraka, said that they were in Owerri when intelligence got to them that beyond entertaining, they (members of the band) were to be conscripted into the Biafran army to fight. The band had a signal they usually gave each other whenever there was danger.

Harry explained: “After he gave the sign which we understood to mean “dispersal” we left all our musical instruments on stage to avoid suspicion, pretended we were on recess and fled by night through the forest, splitting in different directions. Some of us came back to Rivers, others missed their way in the forest and were never seen after that.”

Harry subsequently quit drumming when he arrived Port Harcourt and joined the Third Marine Commando. 

It cannot be ascertained what may have influenced Effiong’s decision to instigate the escape of Rex, but immediately the musician arrived Rivers State there was breaking news on national radio from Kaduna that the federal troops had liberated Rivers from the Biafran troops and Rex also freed from his Biafran captors. Naturally, there was wild jubilation all over the newly-created state, particularly Port Harcourt. The federal troops were warmly received in all parts of the state subsequently.

Rex then started playing for the Third Marine Commando Band. It was during this period he composed Gowon Special as tribute to the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon. Apart from a government lodge allocated to him by then military administrator of Rivers, Alfred Diepreye-Spiff, his abode in town was 35 Aggrey Road.

Journey to the Death:

Rex was said to have signed a contract to perform live in Warri at a place called Runny Bay on Saturday 16 January 1971. The contract was signed on Friday 15 January. He asked his band members to proceed to Warri ahead of him while he stayed back to sort some issues bordering on a loan he was to obtain from the Rivers State government. His decision to tarry a while was based on information from officials of the state government that a bus which was component of the loan would be delivered to him before the close of work that same Friday. When the vehicle delivery did not happen that day, he waited till the next day – Saturday 16 January, since in those days Saturday was also a work day. By mid-afternoon when no information on the status of the bus came, he left for the state house to ascertain the true state of things himself. By the time he was convinced that the vehicle would not be released that day, he made arrangements for another vehicle to take him to Warri to meet up with the performance slated for later that night. It was already around 6pm. His sidekick, the late Sunny Brown who was also supposed to join him on the trip refused to, on the excuse that it was too late to embark on the journey to Warri at that time of the day. But Rex was determined and went on to charter a vehicle for the ill-fated trip.

Chief Lloyd who was with him in the course of the events of his last days explains in detail:

“The contract for the Warri performance was signed on Friday and it coincided with the day he was expecting the vehicle that the Rivers State government promised him. We waited all day and the bus did not come. Since in those days Saturday was also a work day, he decided to wait again, but around 4pm when it was certain that the bus was not forth-coming he opted to charter a vehicle to convey him to Warri to meet up with the performance.”

Continuing, he said: “I recall vividly that when he was loading his bags and other things into the vehicle that Saturday evening, I had this unusual feeling of loneliness. It was unusual because I had never felt that way before. It was like a premonition. I usually travelled with him but that day due to some exigencies I could not. One thing I always did during his trips then was not to allow anyone drink, especially the drivers, because the roads were not very good. But since I was not with him, I learnt that on their way they stopped to eat at Gboji Gboji Agbor and the driver had some reasonable quantity of drink.

“Unlike now that we have wide highways, in those days there were only huge trees left and right on the way. When they continued the journey after eating, the drunk driver crashed into a tree. He hit the huge tree on the side that Rex was seated and the shad of the broken windscreen went straight into his head. He was the only one that died. He was 33 years old at the time. It was a very sad day.

“I learnt his body was taken to the Eku Hospital in Warri where he was confirmed dead on arrival. The next day, the body was repatriated from the Hospital and brought back to Port Harcourt by the Alfred Diete-Spiff administration.”

Lloyd recalls that information about the late musician’s death threw the entire community into mourning when it came.

“At about 5am the morning after his demise, the radio station was even still playing his music when the then military administrator, Alfred Diete Spiff, came with the army to Buguma to break the news to us. I received them on that sad occasion,” he recalled.

His former drummer, Harry, equally related the scene where the accident occurred.

“After leaving the band to join Third Marine Commando, I was stationed near Agbor. The accident that claimed his life occurred at Umutu area near Umunede which was not too far from where I was stationed, so I was among the patrol team that arrived first. They were three in the Volkswagen but he was the only one that died. The vehicle had somersaulted and the splinter that killed him was not more than two inches, but it lodged in his head.”

Though it is customary for the bodies of indigenes of Buguma to be interred in a massive expanse across the river, the military authorities at the time insisted Rex be buried in the town. They even wanted the body to be interred in the town square but the community objected, arguing that it was not customary. A compromise was finally reached and a final resting place was selected in a conspicuous part of the community. On the site of the original resting place now stands a bronze statue of him holding his trademark trumpet.

His Contemporaries Remember Him:

As befitting of a king, after Rex Lawson’s death, his contemporaries agreed the Nigerian highlife scene had lost an irreplaceable gem. He was well honoured by his generation of singers who all paid him tributes. The roll call of eminent musicians who did tributes to him included Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade, Victor Uwaifo, Orlando Owoh and Erasmus Jenewari who also died in a car crash years after.

Legacy Death has not diminished the love that highlife has for Rex Lawson’s music. His songs are still played, recreated and remixed by younger musicians who were not even born when he lit up Nigeria’s musical landscape.

Though a street is named after him in Borokiri, a suburb of the city of Port Harcourt just south of Old GRA, other recognitions accorded him are the setting up of a Rex Lawson Chair in the music department of the University of Port Harcourt in 2012. The department also organises a yearly highlife event that brings music lovers from far and near to the institution to share ideas and reflect on the legacy of the late music icon.

Under the current administration of Governor Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State Ultra- Modern Cultural Centre in Port Harcourt was renamed Rex Lawson Cultural Centre. The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi who is also a Rex Lawson fan, was in attendance and did the inauguration on Saturday 2 June 2018.

Meanwhile, the only monument bearing his name in his native Buguma was only erected by his family. In fact, the construction was spearheaded by his eldest son, Felix Jim Lawson.

However, the question begging for an answer is: Are these titbits enough to honour an icon whose music touched lives across borders, transcended his time and continues to elicit interest?

Answers from the Home Front

Forty nine-year-old Osima Jim Lawson is the youngest son of the late musician. Born three months after his father’s demise, he feels successive governments at both federal and state levels have not done enough to immortalize the beloved daddy that the older generation talks of, but whom he never set eyes on.

Hear him: “For the hope and consolation that my dad’s music brought to fans from all over the country, we feel he has largely been forgotten. No one talks about him anymore and no one will remember him as time goes on except a concrete legacy project is named after him. The way he has been forgotten is the way his children have equally been neglected. Is there anything wrong if government gives his grandchildren scholarships for example?” he asked rhetorically.

Lloyd’s sentiments are no different. He wants a national radio programme that would periodically celebrate the beloved highlife icon so the younger generation can know and appreciate him. Like the younger Lawson, he feels Nigeria does not have to summarily write off another all-time great when we can collectively keep his memory alive to inspire many generations to come.

SOURCE

NIGERIA: Experts In Digital Healthcare Launch Doctorcare247

Image via Advanced MD

BY VICTOR OKEKE

ABUJA (LEADERSHIP)--Experts in digital healthcare system have launched a telehealth platform to aid the delivery of healthcare services to patients at their convenience. The chief executive officer of the group, Chucks Chibundu, said Doctorcare247 would help change the landscape of healthcare in Nigeria, noting that the desire to bring convenience to healthcare seekers was the idea behind the development of the service. “Nigerian digital health space is largely virgin. Government is currently pushing technology and healthcare policies are aimed at ensuring Nigeria takes advantage of global trends to align and enhance local efforts for desired benefits to Nigerians. Our initiative through Doctorcare247 is to complement government efforts at building capacity that supports universal healthcare for all, albeit driven by technology.

“With Doctorcare247, patients have immediate access to medical care from the comfort of their homes, offices or even on the go. Patients avoid long waits at hospitals and clinics, and get prompt help in case of emergencies,” he said. He added that the platform would benefit both medical practitioners and organisations saying that Doctorcare247 is solving the problem of access by enabling providers to extend their geographic boundaries for improved access to primary care and specialty providers. The Doctorcare247 platform can be accessed from any device, anywhere, and at any time. The platform brings added value to organisations since the use of telehealth, as opposed to physical visits to medical facilities, increases savings on health plans.

“Doctorcare247 will work with Health Management Organisations (HMO’s) to provide coverage in most states. Patients with high cost plans will benefit from Doctorcare247 as it provides access at lower costs. Using the platform also cuts out all other ancillary costs and convenience of accessing physical medical facilities,” Chibundu said. Telehealth is global new healthcare delivery system that is gaining wide spread recognition, especially with the constant enhancement of technology that drives delivery and Internet connectivity.

Reminiscences : I’ve Always Wanted To Be A Priest – Fr. Hickey

Fr. Raymond Hickey, with some of his students during the early days in the North East. Image via Daily Trust

BY JULIET KUYET BULUS

Reverend Father Raymond Hickey is Irish and has been in Nigeria since the 60s. The octogenarian speaks with JULIET KUYET BULUS on his sojourn in Nigeria, priesthood and other matters 

EXCERPTS 

When and where were you born? 

I am from Dublin, Ireland and I was born there in April 1936. 

 What was it like growing up?

 I grew up in a happy home and I had a happy childhood. Good parents who were liberal in the sense that they allowed us lots of freedom. I also had good friends. My parents were both Irish. I have an elder brother and a younger sister. I had a very strong religious background at my country at the time. I am a Catholic priest and the schools I attended and society in general was supportive of Catholic belief, so it was easy for me to have an enthusiasm for the gospel.

Which institutions and or schools did you attend? 

I attended the School of Philosophy in Dublin and later Gregorian University in Rome and I graduated with a Doctorate in Theology.

Why did you study Theology?

I wanted to be a priest all my life to study the scripture, its history and these are essential for ordination. So, I went through a seven-year course and was ordained in Rome in February 1960.

How has it been since 1960?

 I came to Nigeria same year and was in Maiduguri in October 1960. To be precise, two weeks after independence and I have been in Nigeria ever since. I was sent to Maiduguri as a missionary and the first 28 years was in Borno and Yobe states.

What was your experience when you arrived Nigeria? 

Very happy memories with good people and learning a lot from fellow missionary priests and the people as well as being very careful not to offend anyone in any way by respecting their culture, background and religious values because we were trained for that specifically. So, we did and had good relationship even with traditional rulers and I still have a very close relationship with quite a number of the indigenes.

Since you arrived the country, have you been opportune to visit your family in Ireland? 

I travel every year but at the beginning it wasn’t so because I stayed for three and a half years as I was in Borno and Yobe. I lived through the crisis of the Biafra war and all military regimes, and I have seen everything since independence.

When last did you travel home to Ireland? 

In June/July 2018 and I hope to visit this year. I am able to travel every year because it is much easier now because at the beginning we had to go by sea using boats and there were no direct flights.

Did you have an idea of what the Biafra war meant?

 It was very sad and I was there during the massacre of the Igbo people in the North, especially in 1966 during the build up to the war in 1967.

Can you recollect anything about independence in 1960? 

No, because I arrived two weeks after independence. Things were just beginning and Sir Tafawa Balewa was the Prime Minister and the Premier in the north was Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and other leaders like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mallam Aminu Kano, Chief Michael Okpara and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. There were only three regions at the time, North, West and East. Maiduguri was very close to the United Nation Trust Territory of Northern Cameroon, it was 40 miles away and at the time Bama had been part of the German Colony of Cameroon until 1918 and these territories were not part of Nigeria at Independence. But for a United Nations clemency asking the people if they wished to join Cameroon or Nigeria and that was very close, because Bama, Michika, Mubi were all part of the United Nations Trust Territory.

You are well grounded in the history of Nigeria, is it okay to refer to you as a Nigerian? 

Well, I have lived in Nigeria for 59 years and may be more Nigerian than some Nigerians (he laughs) next year I will be 60 years living in Nigeria and I have been to the 36 states of the federation.

Did you face any challenge when you arrived the country? 

No, because I wanted to be a missionary here and we are all of human nature, so there was no big difference. We still have to struggle to live up to expectation because if we don’t our conscience will quickly let us know and this human nature is shared by people all over the world as we have the same tendencies towards sins like pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, giving up courage, sloth and hypocrisy and these we struggle with. So it doesn’t matter whether we come from America, Europe, Asia or Africa because it is the same nature as we are all descendants of Adam.

How would you compare Nigeria then with what we have today? 

In general, it is hard to say but in something, I would say that progress has been made. In education, health and certainly in the area of infrastructure when it comes to roads and bridges. It is a huge improvement but I see one thing and that is when I came in 1960, everybody used to say Nigeria is a country with huge potential and almost 60 years later, I still hear the same thing ‘Nigeria is a country with great potential’. It means that potential at independence has not been fully realized and I regret that.

How would you rate security during your early years in Nigeria, with what obtains today? 

It was completely safe in the North. I could go out and leave the mission house open and come back eight hours later and nothing would be touched. People were trustworthy so security was never an issue.

Before being a priest, did you work in any other place? 

I was ordained at the age of 24 and immediately after that I came down to Nigeria and did not have any other job experience. I am presently 83 years old. You joined the priesthood as a youth and you are still active. How is life in service? It has been a wonderful life, fulfilling and it was what I wanted as a young man, to be able to serve God and his people. I would say that it is being fulfilled here in Nigeria. I thank God for so many blessings and gifts. I spent 28 years in Yobe and Borno, some years in Adamawa, Plateau, Abuja and also spent seven years in Lagos but that’s an interlude. I was on the office staff of the Papal Nunciature during the years in Lagos and Abuja, until 2017. 

 The first time you came to Nigeria, what was your opinion of the food? 

There was no problem as I ate what I got. And if one is hungry, every food is good and I ate a lot of cocoyam known as Gwaza in Hausa language when I was in Bono because the cocoyam would always grow at the riverside. 

 As a Nigerian, what is your favourite food now and then?

 I eat everything but the food I used to eat more in Borno is called Tuwo and it was made out Gero, dawa and I don’t see it now, all I see is semovita and for me it is an artificial concoction. I also like pounded yam and Kosai (Bean cake). I live in Jos, Plateau State and I eat Tuwon Dawa and Miyan Yakwa, Gwote,Ganyen Yakwa and not Taushe and Irish potatoes. I also prefer Kunun Tsamiyya because it is bitter rather than sweet. 

 Hearing you speak the Hausa Language is quite impressive, who taught you? 

The priority of the Catholic in the north was to promote Hausa and make it essential because otherwise, we’ve got about 200 ethnic groups and in Plateau it is about 20 ethnic groups. We cannot have women from various ethnic languages minister to us in Zumunta Mata Katolika, a separate branch for each ethnic group. Impossible and divisive! There is not a single English or true Hausa person present in the parish in which I serve in Jos. I am Irish, but English and Hausa are the languages widely used and understood. But it can be promoted in English and Hausa because they are widely used and understood. These two languages overcome ethnic divisions, which could be a threat to the unity, the inclusive nature of the Catholic Church. There are very few people who are Hausa’s in my Church but the language is international. I learnt how to speak in order to be able to communicate and understand one another. 

 Nigerian culture you admire?

 I like all and when each group dances it is quite entertaining. Their attires also. 

 How did you unwind during your younger days? 

Of course, recreation, I have been playing sports all my life, especially lawn tennis which is my favourite. I played golf until I clocked 81 years of age. However, presently, I am much more Nigerian now, but to relax I take a beer every evening. I used to be able to take a bottle of beer but now I can only manage half a bottle and at night I watch the television, do a lot of reading classical books. Hobbies I like classical music and highlife because it is relaxing. In the old days I listened to Victor Olaiya. 

 Do you have any regrets in life? 

Everybody has regrets and one of mine is that I was never able to sing but it is also because I didn’t have the gift of singing, a good voice. If I had more experience starting off as a missionary, I would have taken things easier, with diplomacy and better understanding. But fundamentally about vocation and relationships, it’s a no. 

 What would you have done differently?

 I would have been void of misconception and prejudices if I was starting all over again as a youth. But there are certain things you only learn once in a life time and that is experience. There is an expression that says if only the young people had the experience of life and the older people have the energy of youth. 

 Do you think the elderly are treated far better in the West than what we have here in Nigeria? 

I don’t think so because it is much better here. Nigeria is precious, there is respect for the elderly, keeping them within the family and listening to them, being kind to them is enviable. In the West, you may have homes where they put away the elderly and family bond is not that strong. So, I think the West has a lot to learn from Africa, especially Nigeria. Out of respect they keep them within the system by being patient. Maybe materially the West is better but money is not everything in life. It is very different from the negative values such as witchcraft, curses, the difference between a medicine man Boka in Hausa and witchcraft which is maita in Hausa. 

 What can government do to assist the aged in the society? 

We expect too much from the government here in Nigeria. We blame them for everything. We must depend on the society, each community and people coming together to undertake in community care instead of expecting and blaming the government. The government is also limited and cannot possibly give individual care to over 200 million people. Unless we stop expecting from the government what should be provided at the local level. I know the 36 states and you see local governments, community and I would say it is up to the people to put an end to blaming the government on what is done or not done. 

 What positions or role have you played in the Church? 

I don’t worry about position, I just want to be a good priest and missionary. I thank God for where I am today, I would love to continue being active. Presently I work in the parish in Jos and the people are very supportive, I am happy here. It is a contradiction of the gospel to look for position just like the sons of Zebedee who wanted to sit at Jesus’s left and right hand. They were asking for the impossible as they were asked if they could drink of his chalice, which represented his suffering and death. So, I am contented where I am because I am able to preach the gospel. 

 In a few years from now, where do you see Nigeria? 

For 20 years of democracy rule, there were actions that reflected the will of the people in this election despite irregularities and in which case the person declared winner would still have won if there were no irregularities as I see it. I lived through Sani Abacha and still they speak of Abacha loot and I remember the unexplained killings of prominent people like Kudirat Abiola and Chief Rewane of Warri. Those were terrible times. Nigeria was suspended from membership of the Common Wealth of Nations. When one remembers all that went down, they would be grateful to God for democracy. Fight against corruption by the Buhari Administration Of course, he should fight corruption. When you have a rich country like Nigeria with oil money and no efficient income tax system but when everything is put in place, things will move well. No matter the goodwill on the fight against corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan, Umaru Yar’adua and Olusegun Obasanjo, despite efforts made, it would still be difficult to wipe out corruption. 

 Do you think it would be won eventually? 

No, I am not optimistic because of the greed which has been there since the beginning and I do not think it would be won but nevertheless they must continue fighting for what is right Advice for the younger generation In general, I am impressed by the youth and though they have special problems, they do their best despite the challenges of unemployment, family problems especially for those whose parents are in the village, the non-traditional non-Christian values. The non-exclusion of others by giving them respect irrespective of ethnic differences. They should try not to get influenced by the negative features of tradition and also keep doing their best to avoid Western excesses in the society. Things like race for money, position, promotion and the scars of drugs, slavery to addiction in terms of drugs, codeine, alcoholic, sex and other vices. I am glad they do their best from what I see In Jos. I thank God for my years in Nigeria and the very many good people I have met. It has been a privilege to try to serve them, for the sake of Jesus the Christ, our Saviour.