Grandiose Parlor

Left, Atiku. Right, Yar Adua.

One excepts access to good and affordable healthcare is a necessity for Nigerians. False. One after the other, two of the top four contenders in the Nigerian presidential elections had to make quick dashes overseas for “urgent” medical treatment: Yar Adua suffered a sudden episode of breathlessness, and off he went to Germany; Atiku tore a ligament on his knee, and it’s “London here I come.”

Ridiculous!

I stuttered badly while trying to explain to some colleagues at work why these men had to abandon their campaign trains and travel out of Nigeria for medical treatment. I make my living in healthcare, so this wasn’t funny.
As absurd as the sudden journeys of these presidential candidates to Europe were, it is even more absurd that Yar Adua has not even deemed it fit to use the instance to address the deplorable condition of healthcare delivery in Nigeria. He has yet to make any statement about the absurdity of his actions:

As a presidential candidate, Yar Adua has demonstrated he has no confidence in the healthcare system of a country he hopes to lead. By keeping mute Yar Adua has shown he is not in any way concerned about the plight of other Nigerians who do not have access to good medical care.

What does this say to the electorate - the people he sweet talks (or lies to) for votes?

Yar Adua would rather visit media houses than address non-relevant issues! I would be surprised if on his return, Atiku does any better. After all, all it take is to hop in the presidential jet and go to Europe to access the best of care in the world.

How very wrong!

David Ajao, a Nigerian blogger captures this succinctly:

“This is Jonathan Goodluck, Governor of Bayelsa State, and Yar’Adua’s running mate, speaking at a political rally in Osun State.

“My boss was supposed to speak here but he had minor ailment and he will be in the country tomorrow (today). He is much alive and not dead as being wrongly speculated,” he stated.

Flown abroad as a result of a minor ailment huh? There are no health facilities in Nigeria capable of handling minor ailments? I doubt if there will ever be hope for the poor, in Nigeria.”

Interestingly, well, maybe not so, the Nigerian press (at least going by what is available in the Internet) seem indifferent to the gravity of the actions of these men who are potential president of Nigeria tomorrow. As the vanguard of the people and the conscience of the society, the complaisance of the Nigerian press is most troubling and annoying. What could be more relevant in an election year; when the election is just weeks away?
Health is the common wealth of any society, it is the index for social and economic wellbeing of the people, the healthcare delivery system in Nigeria is beyond broken - it does not exist, period.

I hope the other presidential candidates - Buhari and Utomi, particularly the latter - see and seize this golden opportunity to make some reassuring but serious statement on how they intend to fix the rot in the healthcare delivery system of the nation they seem so passionate or desperate to lead. But most importantly until Nigerians in the Diaspora (and medical expatriates like me) find some workable means of effecting changes in the land all we can do is hope and pray that the electorate remembers these moments when they visit the polling stations in April.