By Femi Macaulay

Importantly, the coronavirus crisis is an eye-opener for people in power. Last week, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, showed that they had experienced an epiphany.

When Lawan and Gbajabiamila met with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, on April 7, they criticised the Federal Government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP), supervised by Farouq’s ministry, and argued that it should be reviewed and reinvented.

According to a report, “The SIP has gulped over N2 trillion since 2016 when the special intervention fund was created as annual budgetary allocation targeted at the poor. The sum of N500 billion was provided in the budget every year since 2016. Also, in the wobbly 2020 budget, the sum of N500 billion was voted for the SIP.”

Lawan said: “The National Assembly is very much interested in the current intervention initiatives of the Ministry particularly with respect to the disbursement aimed at assuaging the plight of the poorest of the poor in Nigeria against COVID-19.

“We feel that we need to work together with you to ensure that there is effectiveness, there is efficiency… that those who are supposed to benefit, benefit directly.

”When, for example, some conditions are set, that those who will benefit will have to go online, through the internet or BVN (Bank Verification Number) and the rest of it.

“I want to tell you that the majority of those who are supposed to benefit have no access to power. They have no access to Internet. They have no bank account, so no BVN.

“In fact, many of them don’t even have phones and these are the poorest of the poor. Yet, some of the conditions or guidelines which you set inadvertently leave them out.”

He continued: “Now with Coronavirus, they need our attention more than ever before. The time has come that we review the ways and manner we use to deliver the services under the SIP to Nigerians.

“We need to be better in terms of strategy for delivery and definitely, what we have been doing in the past cannot deliver exactly what will solve the challenges of the most ordinary and most vulnerable Nigerians.

“So we need to put on our thinking cap and work out some strategies on how to identify the poorest persons in Nigeria. I think we have not been able to reach far out there to get them properly captured.”

It took four years to arrive at this point. It took the coronavirus crisis to arrive at this point. Now that the country is at this point, the authorities should improve the SIP.

Two days after this illumination, Mustapha, who is also Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, expressed concern about the country’s healthcare system while briefing the leadership of the National Assembly on his group’s work.

Mustapha was quoted as saying: “I can tell you for sure that I never knew our entire healthcare system was in the state at which it is until I was appointed to do this work.

“Our health infrastructure is in a most deplorable state.  If countries in Western Europe or America can be overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, my prayer is that we don’t get to that stage. We do not have an infrastructure that can carry that burden.”

After he was reported to have given this insight into the country’s health system, Mustapha was reported to have told journalists that he had been quoted out of context.

“Yesterday, I mentioned at the National Assembly that I became fully aware of the state of our medical system during the execution of this Task Force assignment. It has become clear that this has been taken out of context,” Mustapha said.

“I must clarify that I am aware and have indeed been a champion for the reform and transformation of the health care system. However, this PTF assignment has afforded me the opportunity to dig deeper, interrogate and x-ray the system better. So for anyone to think that I didn’t know the level of deplorable state of our healthcare system is a complete misrepresentation.”

He went on to paint a picture of the circumstances of his birth: “For the benefit of those who do not know me well, I come from rural Nigeria. I was born in a village almost 64 years ago that didn’t even have a hospital, it had a small missionary dispensary probably with one midwife, no birth certificate was offered. So I don’t even have birth certificate, I have declaration of age… So from birth I know the state of our healthcare system, I am not a foreigner.”

Mustapha added:  ”But having to serve in this committee gave me a further insight into what is happening. Most of the things you see around as specialists, hospitals or clinics, you just see the buildings; you don’t know what is inside. But, being in this committee has given me opportunity of walking into these facilities, looking at what they have in relation to what they ought to have, my conclusion on that is that they don’t have what they ought to have.”

These observations are disturbing.  The coronavirus pandemic has further exposed the country’s underdeveloped health system. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adequate financing, a well-trained and adequately remunerated workforce, well-maintained facilities as well as leadership and governance that provide clear direction are necessary for developing health systems.

Among other things, the Federal Government needs to allocate more funds to the health sector, in line with the Abuja Declaration of 2001 when heads of state of African Union countries pledged to set a target of allocating at least 15 per cent of their annual budget to improve the health sector.

Nearly two decades after, Nigeria, which hosted that significant conference, is yet to implement the resolution. For instance, less than five percent of the Federal Government’s 2020 budget is allocated to health. This is not how to develop the country’s health sector.

Femi Macaulay

After the coronavirus crisis, there may well be a corruption crisis arising from the possible mismanagement of funds donated to combat the coronavirus in Nigeria.  Can the Federal Government ensure that such funds don’t end up in the pockets of corrupt government officials and their collaborators?

This question is in order, considering the problem of political corruption in the country, which the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is fighting with its anti-corruption campaign.

It is commendable that the Nigeria Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID-19) Relief Fund had N19.488b as at last weekend.  The group intends to raise N120 billion from banks and private sector contributors to support the Federal Government in tackling the coronavirus crisis.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Alhaji Aliko Dangote of Dangote Industries had donated N2b each. Those who had donated one billion naira each are: Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu of Bua Sugar Refinery, Segun Agbaje of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Tony Elumelu of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Oba Otudeko of First Bank, Jim Ovia of Zenith Bank, Herbert Wigwe of Access bank, Femi Otedola of Amperim Power Distribution Limited, Raj Gupta of African Steel Mills Nigeria Ltd and Modupe and Folorunso Alakija of Famfa Oil.

Other donors include Pacific Holding Limited, Union Bank Plc., Sterling Bank Plc., Standard Chartered Bank Limited, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Citibank Nigeria Limited, First City Monument Bank, Fidelity Bank and Ecobank Plc.

Public concern that the donations may be diverted reflects the unimpressive result of the war against corruption.  Minister of Information and Culture and member of the Presidential Task Force for the Control of Coronavirus (COVID-19), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, clarified the situation:
”I can say without any fear that as of this moment, the task force has not received a kobo from anybody…The Nigeria Economy Group-led private sector has said it is not going to give a penny to the task force; it says it will only raise the money and ask us what our needs are.”

He added: “We have asked for more equipment and facilities…What we need now are equipment and bed facilities where those who have tested positive can be admitted because we do not want a situation where there will be no bed space. “ This clarification does not mean that the situation cannot be exploited by corrupt opportunists.

The COVID-19 emergency has further exposed the country’s appalling health system. The authorities are now under pressure to provide things that should have been in place before now. An emergency should not mean that the country is caught totally unprepared.

After declaring a lockdown in Lagos State, Ogun State, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in order to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the Federal Government should not delude itself into thinking that restricting population movement is the solution to the public health crisis.

The Federal Government should listen to the World Health Organisation:  ”The answer depends on what countries do while these population-wide measures are in place. Asking people to stay at home and shutting down population movement is buying time and reducing the pressure on health systems, but on their own, these measures will not extinguish the epidemics.”

According to the Director-General of the organisation, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “more precise and targeted measures” are needed to stop transmission and save lives, and countries that have introduced “lockdown measures” should use the period to attack the virus.

The WHO recommends six “key actions”: Expand, train, and deploy your health care and public health workforce; Implement a system to find every suspected case at the community level; Ramp up production capacity and availability of testing; Identify, adapt, and equip facilities you will use to treat patients; Develop a clear plan and process to quarantine contacts; Refocus the whole of government on suppressing and controlling COVID-19.

These recommendations, particularly the ones that have to do with improving the healthcare and public health workforce, and developing facilities, will further expose how the authorities have neglected the country’s health system.

Read Also: Coronavirus threatens N5tr corporate growth plans

For instance, it is noteworthy that, in September last year, an American physician, Stephen Hunt of the University of Pennsylvania, USA, told journalists at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State: “More than $15bn is spent yearly by Nigerians to travel abroad for medical reasons. We can reduce that if people are trained here so they won’t have to spend a lot of money.”

It is also worth mentioning that more and more medical doctors are leaving the country for greener pastures abroad because of the poor healthcare system, demoralising remuneration and deteriorating hospital facilities. The exodus of doctors has escalated in the last two years, according to an investigative report. Nigerian doctors are leaving the country to pursue professional and material fulfillment in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Public hospitals, which serve the majority of the population, are at the centre of the crisis.

The consequences of the failure to develop the country’s health system are glaring in this time of the coronavirus.  There is no excuse for neglecting the health system.  COVID-19 is an opportunity for the Buhari administration to improve the country’s health system in an unprecedented way.

The suggestion by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) that the Federal Government should “encourage state governors to commit some parts of their security votes to provide additional resources towards strengthening the health systems within their states” makes a lot of sense.

Last year, SERAP had drawn attention to the abuse of security votes: “Available evidence would seem to suggest that many of the tiers of government in Nigeria have used security votes as a conduit for grand corruption rather than spending the funds to improve and enhance national security and ensure full protection of Nigerians’ rights to life, physical integrity, and liberty.”

The organisation had quoted a former governor of Kano State, Musa Kwankwaso, who it said “once described security votes as ‘another way of stealing public funds’.” It also said: “The current security realities in the country would seem to suggest massive political use, mismanagement or stealing of security votes by many governments.”

COVID-19 is another matter. Alhaji Mohammed said, “The only money we will be able to account for is whatever money we receive from the federal government.” There should be no room for corruption in the fight against the coronavirus. The anti-corruption agencies should be ready to prosecute opportunists who see the coronavirus crisis as a corruption opportunity.

By Femi Macaulay

Birthdays bring back memories. Retired diplomat Dapo Fafowora’s 79th birthday on March 29 drew attention to his multidimensionality.

An old boy of CMS Grammar School, Lagos (1954 -58), Fafowora had joined the Nigerian Diplomatic Service in 1964 after graduating in History from the then University College, Ibadan.  He earned a master’s degree from University of London in 1966, and a doctorate from Trinity College, Oxford University, in 1972.   He served as Second Secretary, Nigeria High Commission, London, from 1966 to 1968.  He was Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations from 1981 to 1984.

Fafowora is a former president of the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN), which is a testimony to his distinguished professional life as an ambassador.

He is a former Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria.  A Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, he is the author of   Lord Lugard’s Political Memoranda and the Development of Indirect Rule in Nigeria; A History of the CMS Grammar School, Lagos (1859 – 2009); A Venture of Faith (An Official History of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos (1867 – 2007); and Lest I Forget: Memoirs of a Nigerian Career Diplomat (2013).

Our paths had first crossed on the editorial board of The Nation.  I got to know Fafowora better when he agreed to deliver the inaugural Herbert Macaulay Gold Lecture in 2017. I coordinated the event. He helped to turn an idea into an event. He chose the topic: “Herbert Macaulay and his relevance to the excellence of Lagos.”  While we prepared for the event, which took place at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, Lagos, on May 25, 2017, we shared life beyond the boardroom.  It was an unforgettable time. I benefitted immensely from his immense experience. A man of striking decency and integrity, Fafowora deepened my understanding of decency and integrity.

When he was leaving The Nation editorial board in January 2018, after 11 years of dedicated service, two months before his 77th birthday, Fafowora was the centre of attention in the newspaper’s boardroom at its head office in Lagos, which became a stage for valedictory tributes to him. Fafowora was also retiring from column writing.

It is worth mentioning that Editorial Board Chairman Sam Omatseye had said to Fafowora on the occasion: “We have enjoyed your presence here over the years. You have enlightened us with your wisdom and taught us that age is not just a number. We cannot thank you enough. You have equipped us with your experience, we are going to miss you and please don’t forget us soon.”

Fafowora’s autobiography, Lest I Forget, is worth quoting: “From 1991, twenty years ago, when I started writing with The Guardian, I have maintained a regular column in three different newspapers. In that period, I have written well over 300 articles, some of which were published by me in 2001 in my Selected Essays and Speeches on Nigerian Diplomacy, Politics, and Economics, to mark my 60th birthday. The publication was so successful that it soon ran out of print.

“I have, on occasion, thought that I should stop writing as it is intellectually demanding. But I have not been able to do so as nothing gives me a greater pleasure than writing… Over the years, I have also had the distinct pleasure of being invited, both at home and abroad, to give public lectures on relevant public issues. In 1989 I was invited by the Confederation of British Industries (CBI) in London to speak on the Nigerian industrial sector. I have had the pleasure of giving public lectures at the University of Ibadan, the University of Ife, the University of Lagos, the Lagos State University (convocation), the University of Ilorin (convocation), the University of Benin, the Redeemers University, and the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, at Kuru, in Jos, among several others, often freely.

“I have also received invitations from the Foreign Ministry to attend and present papers on Nigeria’s foreign policy. When Ojo Madueke was Foreign Minister he consulted me often on Nigeria’s foreign policy. I have sometimes been paid some honoraria in appreciation of my efforts, although this has never been my main consideration in writing. Over the years I have had the privilege of giving over 100 such public lectures at various fora.

“I have on occasion been offered gratification to present a particular point of view in my column. I have had no hesitation whatsoever in promptly rejecting these offers as demeaning and a gratuitous insult to me. I cannot assess the value of my contributions to public debates over policy in Nigeria. But my writings have helped me in clarifying my own thoughts about public policy in Nigeria…

”Early in life, I set myself some objectives, of which the most important were my intellectual and moral development. I believe that I have achieved those two objectives. I have also achieved personal success in my public career with which I remain satisfied. I have, of course, always been interested and committed to Nigeria’s political and economic development. I have tried through my public articles and lectures to influence public opinion in a positive manner.  When I have held high public office, I have tried to the best of my ability to act solely in the public interest. I detest tribal politics and have attacked it at every opportunity. I considered it bad for the country.

“I believe that, on some occasions, I have, through my public lectures and newspaper columns, been modestly successful in steering some major public policies in the right direction. A former secretary to the federal government once told me that a policy decision by the government was reversed after he had read my newspaper article. In all the public offices I have held my aim has been to lift Nigeria to a higher level. I am proud of my public service record. I have not compromised my moral principles or pubic career in any way. This gives me enormous satisfaction.”

As he enters his final year as a septuagenarian, and prepares for his years as an octogenarian, I wish him many happy returns.

In the midst of challenges, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu continues to show that he is made of sterner stuff.  In February, an Italian who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to Lagos, Nigeria, was the first to be diagnosed with the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, in the country.

More new cases of the novel disease were confirmed in Lagos yesterday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the state to 19. As things stand, the Lagos State government, according to a report, “now has more than 1,300 contacts to trace and the numbers of contacts to trace are increasing by the day.”

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced yesterday morning: “Till date, twenty-five (25) cases have been confirmed, two cases have been discharged and there has been no death from COVID-19 in Nigeria.”

As at yesterday, there were 26 confirmed coronavirus cases in Nigeria, which was the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to record the coronavirus since its outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019.  The coronavirus has spread to more than 20 countries of the world.  Sadly, the situation has worsened in Nigeria.

Lagos is the most hit, but the Sanwo-Olu administration has demonstrated that it is on top of the situation. Indeed, other states are following the example of Lagos to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.

Last week,   Sanwo-Olu “directed immediately the suspension of gatherings of not more than 50 people.”  Promoting “social distancing,” the state government later announced that it had “banned all religious or social gathering of over 20 people within the state.”

Sanwo-Olu also announced “the closure of all our public and private schools in Lagos State with effect from Monday, March 23, 2020. All our tertiary institutions are hereby also directed to shut down immediately.”

The governor added that “gatherings around our event centres and clubs, both day clubs and night clubs, bars etc. are also affected by this directive. We must learn from other examples in South Korea and Singapore. Disease spread largely through gatherings both at religious and other spheres.”

It is noteworthy that the Federal Government has placed travel restrictions on entries into the country from 15 countries with high numbers of coronavirus cases: China, Iran, South Korea, Germany, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, France, Japan, Sweden and Austria.  In addition, the country announced suspension of its visa-on-arrival policy.

The Federal Government’s decision to shut down the country’s international airports to curb the spread of the coronavirus is logical, considering the fact that most of the confirmed coronavirus cases had entered the country from overseas locations.

After announcing that three international airports, Mallam Aminu Kano Airport, Kano State, Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu State and the Port Harcourt Airport, Rivers State would be closed till further notice, the government had added the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, which it had initially said would be open to flights not from the 15 coronavirus high-risk countries.

The coronavirus pandemic has shown the vulnerability of every country in the global village, which means that COVID-19 could still have entered Lagos and Abuja from other countries not considered coronavirus high-risk countries.

Read Also: COVID-19: Suspected case in Ibadan test positive – Oyo govt

Significantly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) underlined the nature of the coronavirus crisis by declaring it a pandemic. Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) António Guterres reinforced the characterisation in a statement.  “We are facing a health threat unlike any other in our lifetimes,” he said, adding, “countries have a responsibility to gear up, step up and scale up.”

According to the statistics, the coronavirus has infected more than 275,000 people worldwide, there have been more than 11, 000 deaths, and 88,000 victims have recovered. Symptoms of the disease are runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever, and breathlessness in severe cases.

This is the situation Sanwo-Olu has to deal with, and his response has been commendable. The proactive social measures introduced by his administration show that he is conscious of the gravity of the coronavirus crisis as well as the urgent need to take action to combat the disease. Importantly, he continues to demonstrate that his administration has a duty to check the coronavirus just as individuals also have a responsibility to ensure that the disease does not continue to spread.

While he grappled with the COVID-19 challenge, Governor Sanwo-Olu’s capacity for crisis management was again highlighted by his response to another crisis situation last week when a devastating explosion happened at Abule Ado in Amuwo Odofin local government area of Lagos State, killing more than 20 people and destroying about 50 buildings. The March 15 blast was said to have occurred “after a truck hit some gas cylinders stacked in a gas processing plant.”

At the explosion site the following day, Sanwo-Olu announced that his administration had set up a N2 billion Abule Ado/Soba Emergency Relief Fund for the victims. He also said the state government had donated N250 million to the fund and appealed for support.

It is worth mentioning that when the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr Ebenezer Onyeagwu, visited the governor and donated N100 million to the fund, he described the response of the Lagos State government  to the incident as “quick, rapid and immediate.”

Lagos State, which is Nigeria’s commercial capital, was in 2015 listed 12th among the world’s largest 35 cities. With more than 23 million people, the city has to grapple with mega challenges.  On account of its mega status, Lagos State is exposed to “chronic stresses” and “acute shocks.”

“Chronic stresses,” which are said to “weaken the fabric of a city on a day-to-day or cyclical basis,” include “high unemployment, inefficient public transportation systems, endemic violence, and chronic food and water shortages.”

“Acute shocks,” which are described as “sudden, sharp events that threaten a city,” include “earthquakes, floods, disease outbreaks, and terrorist attacks.”

Lagos is faced with resilience challenges, including chronic energy shortages, coastal flooding, disease outbreak, infrastructure failure, overpopulation, overtaxation, underdevelopment, poor and unreliable transportation system, rainfall flooding, rising sea level and coastal erosion.

However, as the Sanwo-Olu administration approaches its first anniversary in May, there is no doubt that it is on course. The point is that, under Governor Sanwo-Olu, Lagos is surviving and thriving, regardless of the challenge. It reflects the governor’s dynamism, and his elasticity to manage change and challenges.

By Femi Macaulay

What is an academic community without intellectual honesty? When the University of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) passed a vote of no confidence in the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr Wale Babalakin, on March 11, it was an instance of intellectual dishonesty.

ASUU-UNILAG Chairman, Dr Dele Ashiru, was quoted as saying: “We are asking the Federal Government to remove Babalakin as Pro-Chancellor because our union is going to enforce that resolution. Babalakin cannot be seen anywhere on this campus as from today.

“We want him removed for deliberately misinforming the Ministry of Education, which led to the cancellation of our convocation.  His prayer to the ministry was that Council did not approve the convocation.

“Available evidence in the minutes states that the Council, during its January 21 and 22 meeting, was informed about the convocation and approved the budget for the convocation.”

This has the complexion of a misrepresentation. The true picture was presented in a March 7 document signed by UNILAG Registrar Oladejo Azeez.

This picture contradicts the position of ASUU-UNILAG: “The Governing Council of the University of Lagos at its meeting held between Tuesday, March 3rd 2020 and Thursday March 5th 2020 deliberated and resolved on the following issues: (i) 2019 Convocation Ceremonies; (ii) Appointment and Promotions of Academic, Administrative & Technical Staff and Junior Members of Staff; (iii) Report of the Sub-committee on University Budget and Budget Performance in the Year 2019 and (iv) Other issues critical to the University of Lagos.

“On Wednesday, March 4th 2020, the Governing Council received and considered the letter from the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) directing Management to suspend the 2019 Convocation Ceremonies slated for Monday 9th March 2020 to Friday 13th March 2020.

“The NUC directive for the suspension of the Convocation Ceremonies was based on the exchange of correspondences between the Pro-Chancellor & Chairman of Council, Dr. Bolanle Olawale Babalakin, SAN, OFR and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS regarding claims that Management failed to obtain Council’s approval for the Convocation Ceremonies.

“Council was guided by the Audio Recording of the Special Meeting held on Tuesday, 21st January 2020 and Wednesday, 22 January 2020 in order to clarify claims by the Vice-Chancellor that the Convocation Ceremonies was brought to Council for Approval.

“The Audio Recording, the Minutes of these meetings as well as the Agenda/Notice of Meeting confirmed that the Convocation Budget was the only item formally brought to the January, 2020 Special Meeting.

“Council was also verbally informed of the proposed Convocation Lecturer and this choice was discussed. However, the Convocation programme was not listed as an item on the Agenda of the Special Meeting of Council and there were no supporting documents on the programme tabled during the January, 2020 Special Council Meeting.”

The question is: Was ASUU-UNILAG aware of the true situation as presented by the university’s registrar? The union has not faulted the registrar’s account. The union’s distortion of reality amounts to intellectual dishonesty.

The registrar also said:”In respect of the Award of Honorary Degrees, Council directed that it will only consider the nominees for Honorary Degrees after receiving a detailed presentation from Management which will include; the Curriculum Vitae of the honorees, the recommendation of the Honours Committee of the Senate and the Senate itself as prescribed by the Rules Regulations and Law of the University.

“The Management never presented any memorandum/supporting documents to Council on the subject matter. No Council approval was given to the Management.

“It is noteworthy that Council had expressed dissatisfaction to Management about the manner Honorary Degrees were handled for the 2018 Convocation Ceremonies, and had stressed specifically at its meeting of March 2019 (as confirmed by Minutes of that meeting) that Management must provide all the relevant details of nominees for honorary awards to the Council early enough to enable Council deliberate properly on it.

“Council had also cautioned that honorees must have made demonstrable Contribution to the society, the nation or the world at large. The Honorary Degrees will not be treated as a chieftaincy title to be given to the highest bidder.

“The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council explained that his communication with regulatory authorities only took place on Monday, 2 March 2020, and this was necessitated by his letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Friday, 28 February 2020, which the Vice-Chancellor received on the same day but ignored, and proceeded to hold a Press Conference regarding the Convocation Ceremonies without deeming it fit to address the serious concerns and legal issues he raised in his letter under reference.”

Clearly, the NUC had good grounds for stopping UNILAG’s convocation fixed for March 9 to March 13. Clearly, the university management had acted as though it didn’t need the Council’s approval for the Convocation Ceremonies, which amounts to intellectual dishonesty.

Blaming Babalakin for the consequences of the university management’s omission, and accusing him of high-handedness, suggests that the union has a hidden agenda.

A report said: “The lecturers moved round the campus, making a stop outside the institution’s main gate where they sang solidarity songs and carried placards bearing messages for Babalakin’s removal.

“Some of the placards read: “Dictator Pro-Chancellor must GO”; “Remove Babalakin. When? Remove him NOW!”

This public show was baseless and ridiculous. It tarnished the image of ASUU-UNILAG.

It is noteworthy that Babalakin, a UNILAG alumnus, was Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) between 2009 and 2013. He was also Chairman of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Federal Universities in Nigeria.

It is worth quoting a September 2012 report which highlighted Babalakin’s development efforts while he was Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of UNIMAID: “It is on record that Babalakin coordinated the construction of a multi-million naira independent power project, which currently guarantees 20 hours uninterrupted electricity supply to the institution.

“Besides, he has also donated over N13 million to the university to execute various projects, including over N12 million for the upgrading of its library in 2010 and also purchased stethoscopes for indigent students of the university’s college of medicine.”

If there is anything Babalakin can be accused of in the unfolding UNILAG drama, it is intellectual honesty.

By  Femi Macaulay

FINALITY may not always be final. Nigeria’s Supreme Court needs to reflect on the idea of flexible finality, particularly in the light of the controversies that diminished its decisions in two recent cases.

Indeed, in one of the cases, a dissenting judgement by a dissenting justice showed the need for a review of the court’s position that its decisions are inflexibly final.

Importantly, Justice Centus Nweze said the apex court had the power to overrule itself “and has done so in the past.”  According to him, “This court has powers to overrule itself and can revisit any decision not in accordance with justice.”

It is noteworthy that Justice Nweze said he was of the view that the request for a reversal of the court’s judgement in the particular case “should succeed.”

If the justices of the Supreme Court are not on the same page concerning the limits of the finality of its judgements, then it’s necessary to re-examine the question.

On February 26, the Supreme Court dismissed an application filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) asking it to reverse a judgement that removed David Lyon as governor-elect of Bayelsa State. It was a unanimous judgement by a seven-member panel of the court.

“No force on earth can force the court to change its decision,” the court said. In the lead judgement, Justice Amina Augie said: “The court shall not review any judgement once given and delivered by it.”

According to her, “A judgement or order shall not be varied when the correct ruling presents what the court decided…This court is not authorised and lacks jurisdiction to review its judgment except on the circumstances spelt out in order 8 rule 16 of the rules of this court.

It is settled that the decision of this court is final. This is final court and its decisions are final for all ages.”

The court had been asked to review its judgement delivered on February 13, which nullified Lyon’s election on the grounds that his running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, had presented false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), based on which he had contested the November 16 governorship election in the state.

The court ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Lyon and Degi-Eremienyo. In addition, the court ordered that INEC should declare the party with the highest number of lawful votes and geographical spread the winner of the election.  As a result, Duoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) became governor of Bayelsa State.

On March 3, the Supreme Court again invoked the finality of its judgements in dismissing an application filed by Emeka Ihedioha of the PDP, asking it to set aside a judgement that declared Hope Uzodinma of APC the Imo State governor.

The court had been asked to review its judgement delivered on January 14, which removed Ihedioha as governor of Imo State and gave the position to Uzodinma. It was a curious judgement.

According to Prof Francis Otonta, the returning officer of INEC, who announced the result of the Imo governorship election on March 12, 2019, Ihedioha of the PDP, a former deputy speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, won in 11 of the 27 local government areas, polling a total 273,404 votes to defeat Uche Nwosu of the Action Alliance (AA) who won in 10 LGAs and scored 190,364 votes.

Ifeanyi Araraume of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), a former senator, had 114,676 votes and won in four LGAs. Fourth was Hope Uzodinma of the APC, a serving senator representing Imo West senatorial district, who polled 96,458 votes and won in two LGAs.

Otonta had declared that Ihedioha, “having satisfied all the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes”  “won the election and is hereby returned.”

The governorship tribunal and the Appeal Court upheld Ihedioha’s election. Ihedioha’s expected victory at the Supreme Court didn’t happen. It was incredible that Uzodinma, who was fourth in the election, became governor by the Supreme Court’s judgement.

On the issue of a review, the Supreme Court restated in its majority judgement, “it is settled law that this court has no power to change or alter its own judgement or sit as an appellate court over its own judgement.”

Read Also: Why I sought review of Supreme Court judgement, by Ihedioha

The court explained: “Inherent powers of the court can only be invoked if there is a missing link in the main body of the judgment and some steps must be taken to fill in the gaps or ambiguity so that the justice of the issues would be clear.”

But one of the seven justices, Justice Nweze, disagreed with the majority judgement. The judge held that “Mr Uzodinma mischievously misled the court into unjust conclusion with the unverified votes credited to himself in the disputed 388 polling units.”

“In my intimate reading of the January 14 judgment, the meat and substance of Ihedioha’s matter were lost to time frame. This court once set aside its own earlier judgement and therefore cannot use the time frame to extinguish the right of any person.”

According to Justice Nweze, “the decision of the Supreme Court in the instant matter will continue to haunt our electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come,” adding that “the court misled itself into declaring Mr Uzodinma as governor.”

He said the APC and Uzodinma misled the court to accept the allegedly excluded results in 388 polling units without indicating the votes polled by other political parties.

He also faulted the results from the said polling units without indicating the number of accredited voters in the polling units.

He highlighted how Uzodinma , at the election tribunal, admitted that he seized the result sheets from the electoral officials and completed the result sheets by himself. He said such results could not be valid without indicating the number of accredited voters.

Justice Nweze declared: “This court has a duty of redeeming its image; it is against this background that the finality of the court cannot extinguish the right of any person.”

The dissenting judgement by Justice Nweze is food for thought, and the Supreme Court should reflect on it.  The court can’t continue to argue that it can only review its judgements when they are distorted or unclear.  What about the question of justice, which should be the court’s ultimate purpose?

By Femi Macaulay

News of the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Nigeria is a cause for concern.  The global coronavirus crisis means every country in the global village is vulnerable.

The Federal Ministry of Health said in a statement: “The case is an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to Lagos, Nigeria on the 25th of February 2020. He was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.”

The Italian had flown into Nigeria through Turkish Airlines, and had passed through Istanbul, Turkey. There were 121 passengers on the flight. He had spent the night in a hotel around the airport area in Lagos before he travelled to Ewekoro, Ogun State, for a business appointment at Lafarge Africa Plc. He had lodged in an accommodation provided by Lafarge. “Who has he met? What has happened? Those are the people that we are tracking, isolate them and then check,” said the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.

With the issue of controlling the possible spread of the coronavirus on the front burner, it is apt to draw attention to the fact that the Federal Ministry of Health is operating under anomalous conditions that hamper its effectiveness.

For instance, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, was quoted as saying his ministry used to have a very small  quantity of reagents to diagnose the virus, but the supply of the substances had improved.

The inadequacy admitted by the minister isn’t surprising, considering how the ministry operates. What kind of health system makes the Federal Ministry of Health unable to procure necessary items, except through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development? This is the situation in Nigeria, and that has been the case since October 2018.

According to a February 23 report, “the development was caused by a power play” between the then Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

The report said “a directive was given to the then Permanent Secretary, Clement Uwaifo, in October 2018 that all contracts and procurement related issues must go through the ministry of agric.”

Under the arrangement, “whenever the ministry of health wants to make procurement, the permanent secretary would raise a memo which would be sent to the permanent secretary of the agric ministry.”

Also, “in some instances, the permanent secretary would give direct approval while sometimes, he would write a memo to the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Mamman Ahmadu, who would approve based on the Procurement Act.”

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the health ministry was facing the problem because it had spent beyond what was permitted. He was quoted as saying: “The health ministry was authorised to spend N2bn but they spent N7bn.”

The question is: Why hasn’t the odd arrangement been reviewed and reversed more than eight months after the exit of those accused of unauthorised spending?

Now, with the fear of the spread of the coronavirus, it is obvious that the Federal Ministry of Health should have the power to procure necessary items for preventive efforts without the rigmarole of going through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A top official at the health ministry, who is also a doctor, was quoted as saying: “We can’t easily get consumables like personal protective equipment, including nose masks.

“We need to improve our capacity for quarantine and surveillance and monitor those coming (to Nigeria), especially where we have a basis for suspicion. Logistics cost more money. We need to set up more labs, we need reagents. There is no way the suspension of our procurement powers will not affect our capacity.”

He added: “We need to deploy more staff. We need personnel capacity, training, logistics. All these things are important. All these things are not there when we need them.

“Even our thermal scanners at the airport, we need more at all our points of entry. So, it is affecting us seriously.”

This is no way to prepare to tackle the coronavirus, a new disease which has killed about 2, 800 people.  About  83,000 cases have been confirmed, out of which 8,000 were classified as serious. The point is that the anomalous arrangement under which the Federal Ministry of Health operates may result in an avoidable disaster.

Nigeria is the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to record the coronavirus since its outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019.  China has the highest number of cases, but the coronavirus has spread to more than 20 countries of the world, including the United States, Japan, Italy, South Korea, Iran, Hong Kong, Australia, Taiwan, Egypt and Algeria.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency. WHO’s head of emergency operations in Africa, Michael Yao, was quoted as saying:  “We know how fragile the health system is on the African continent and these systems are already overwhelmed by many ongoing disease outbreaks, so for us it is critical to detect earlier so that we can prevent the spread.”

It is reassuring that the health minister said the Federal Government was well prepared and working closely with WHO to contain the disease. He stated that the government had approved and disbursed all funds needed by the Port Health Services and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which he described as the country’s first and second lines of defence for the coronavirus.

According to Ehanire, “The Federal Government has released every amount of money that the NCDC and the Port Health Services requested.” He added that the Port Health Services had been paid more than N70 million while the NCDC had received N620 million.

Beyond the circumstantial response, which the Federal Government‘s move suggests, there is a need to normalise the operation of the Federal Ministry of Health to make it function without the hampering effect of an anomalous arrangement.