The Nation Newspaper

Category: Lekan Otufodunrin

  • LUTH Diary: Let us pray

    This piece will be the last in my three-part series on my two-week admission at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

    I thank those who have called, congratulating me for surviving the sickness that could have added me to the list of many who have died after ‘ a brief illness’.

    I remain ever grateful to God for divine healing and taking control of a number of instances during my admission, when even the medical personnel were not too sure of what to do.

    I still remember the drama that played out the day I was discharged.

    A team of doctors arrived my bedside and for almost twenty minutes, they reviewed my case but couldn’t agree whether to discharge me or ask that I undergo some more tests.

    A senior Consultant passing by to see another patient had to be asked for his opinion. Based on my test results, he said I had no business remaining on the hospital bed and should be discharged.

    Shortly after arriving the hospital, I was asked to go for dialysis. While waiting to find the right place for the treatment since the service was not available in the hospital, two other medical personnel that attended to me said I should put it on hold.

    Eventually, it was resolved that I went for three sessions of dialysis.  Thankfully, the diagnostic centre I went to was efficiently run, and based on the results, the doctors concluded that just one session was enough.

    Considering the critical health conditions of most of the patients on admission at LUTH, one would have expected that the necessary facilities for any kind of test and service would be available at the top rate institution. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

    The diagnostic centre I went to was in Oshodi, some kilometres from LUTH and anything could have happened on our way to and from the centre that could have complicated my condition. My wife almost got duped at a laboratory around LUTH, which did not have the capacity to conduct a test I was required to do.

    Getting the right treatment does not only depend on doctors, but also on getting the right test to properly diagnose every ailment. One of my test results from one of the most reliable recommended private laboratories turned out to be misleading. The doctor asked for a repeat and his doubt was confirmed when the new test result reverted to the trend before the wrong one.

    One of my test results went missing at the test centre in the hospital and it was later discovered to have been wrongly filed midway into conducting another one. A nurse told me how she was once given another person’s test result and she rejected it because she knew her case was not as critical as reflected by the result she was given.

    So what has prayers got to do with all the instances listed above? My son who ran most of the errands during my stay in the hospital was so alarmed by not only the critical conditions of the patients, but the dire implication of errors in the various medical procedures that he said, more than ever before, he now knows what to pray for about patients on admission.

    Prayers for hospital patients and doctors have since become top on my prayer list.

    Not only do I pray for divine healing for the patients since the best doctors themselves admit all they can do is care, I usually remember to pray for wisdom, knowledge and understanding about every medical condition for doctors.

    I also pray against wrong diagnosis that can mislead doctors, and for patience and strength for nurses to cope with the many patients they have to attend to.

  • LUTH Diary: The man died

    Last week, I wrote about my two weeks experience at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) while on admission. Many readers were shocked by some of the issues I briefly highlighted in my piece.

    “You mean you have to pay as much as N50,000 to be admitted into the emergency ward in a government-owned hospital? How about those who cannot afford to pay?” I was asked.

    My answer is that those who can’t pay and even those who can afford to should pray not to fall sick to warrant being admitted in the hospital.

    Weeks after being discharged, I am still trying hard to put behind me some of the experiences I had, and witnessed during my stay. I tried to keep a diary but most times, I was too weak to be the journalist I would have loved to be at such moments.  In this follow-up piece, I, however, try to recollect some of unforgettable instances.

    Interestingly,  one of the reasons I was eager to be discharged, even when my doctor felt I should stay back a few more days, was to get away from the harrowing experience of coping with heat and mosquito bites in the night.

    Although the structure of the hospital ward provided for cross ventilation and there are a few fans in some sections, the heat in the night could sometimes be unbearable. Some patients had to bring their fans. Mine was disallowed because it was said to look like an air conditioner and not the usual old type which could be assumed to be owned by the hospital.

    The hospital has no provision for mosquito nets, but the nurses and other medical staff are usually gracious enough to help fix the net in the night and remove it in the morning. Patients have to buy the net or allow themselves to be devoured by the mosquitoes, thus complicating their health condition. Even with the net, one was not spared mosquito bites.

    I give kudos to the staff responsible for cleaning the wards and the toilets. They diligently did at regular intervals but the patients have to contribute cleaning materials since hospital authorities do not provide what is required.

    Part of the trauma one is exposed to in the hospital is the condition of some other patients, especially if your case is not as serious as theirs. Most nights, one could hardly sleep as one or two other patients would shout all night in agony and call for help which sometimes the nurses could not provide.

    Some had situations that made it impossible for them to go to the toilet on their own and they had to be cleaned up whenever necessary by their relatives who also assisted in many other ways to make up for other support services the hospital does not provide.

    After seeing what wives of some of the men in my ward had to endure, my son told me he now understands what the part of the marriage vows ‘in sickness and health’ means.

    Perhaps the most traumatic of the hospital experiences is when one of your co-patients ‘packs up’, like some nurses prefer to put it.  I remember a particular midnight when two nurses desperately tried to save the life of a patient whose condition suddenly deteriorated. They ran up and down to get drugs and made several calls for a doctor to attend to the situation, but the man died.

  • The gift of life

    November 2, last year, I was preparing to go home from the office at about 7.30pm when I started feeling feverish. Within minutes I was shaking due to cold and only managed to drive home.

    Though I didn’t use any drug overnight, I felt a bit better in the morning but stayed back home to get some treatment. It was not until Wednesday morning that I went to the hospital.

    I was diagnosed of fever and was given drugs to use. By the weekend, it seemed I was getting over what initially appeared to be a simple illness but I had to return to the hospital for further checks when the pains in my heels did not subside.

    I was admitted for some tests to be sure of what the real ailment was and by the time the results were out after two days, the Medical Director immediately referred me for an urgent treatment at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

    As I found out later, one of the results was so bad that the doctor couldn’t risk retaining me in his hospital. In case I didn’t have enough money on me, the director gave me N50,000 required for emergency admission in the Private Partnership Ward in LUTH if there was no bed space in the regular ward.

    As the director envisaged, there was no space for regular admission. I was given the option of staying in the car that brought me until a space could be found, or take the expensive emergency option.

    Thank God for the director, I had enough to pay for the N50,000 for 24hours stay in the emergency ward and was moved to the regular ward the next day.

    I ended up being on admission in LUTH for two weeks during which I underwent numerous tests and treatment. That I came out of LUTH is indeed the grace of God. Three patients died in the ward I stayed before I was discharged, while another, whose condition had improved and was waiting to be discharged, died a week after.

    The two weeks I was on admission in LUTH exposed me to the true state of our health system.

    At LUTH, which is supposed to be one of the best health institutions in the country, I witnessed the decay and inadequacy of facilities. Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel were obviously overwhelmed by the number of patients they had to attend to. I remember the night two nurses in my ward slept off and it took more than ten minutes of loud banging of the door to wake them.

    The competence of some personnel is questionable as their prescriptions were openly overruled by superior officers. Who knows how many patients have died due to wrong diagnosis and treatment.

    Cost of drugs and tests required to keep many patients alive are prohibitive and some died because they could not afford to pay.

    Given the various limitations, it was obvious that it takes the grace of God for any patient to come out alive from LUTH and other health institutions in the country.

    Last Thursday, my clinic appointment to see the doctor at LUTH was extended for two weeks because there were too many others waiting to be attended to on the same day.

    Years of neglect, as President Muhammadu Buhari once noted in a coup speech, has turned our hospitals into consulting clinics. Hopefully, now that he is back in the saddle, he will do what is needed to improve on health delivery in the country.

    I thank God for the gift of life. Indeed, doctors and other personnel can try their best to care; only God can heal.

  • Peace and me

    In a recent tweet on the Journalists for Christ Twitter handle (@journalistsFC), I asked if journalists were one of those Jesus Christ had in mind when he said in Matthew 5:9, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

    I am yet to get a response to my question from any of the followers of the handle, but I have a conviction that even though there were no journalists when the statement was made, journalists now have a major role to play in promoting peace in whatever they publish and broadcast on their various platforms.

    There is a report of how in the second republic in Nigeria, a federal radio station played a popular song Give Peace a Chance during a political crisis and the state radio played Get up, Stand Up, Stand up for your Right.

    Many lives were lost in the crisis, no thanks to radio stations that chose to fuel the crisis instead of helping to quell it.

    What can I do for peace as a journalist?

    As a journalist, I take the role of promoting peace seriously. My theory for justifying the need for journalists to be peacemakers is that the media needs peace to thrive.

    I usually remind journalists who indulge in fuelling any crisis situation that they should always remember that the media also has a lot to lose.

    In war or any other violent case, not only are journalists’ movements restricted like others, the media business is adversely affected.

    Many journalists who dare to report some of the crises have been killed.

    As a journalist, I will continue to do my best to promote peace in my publications and urge others to do the same.

    I wholeheartedly subscribe to the principle of peace journalism which states that journalists should make choices that increase the prospects of peace.

    The choices include how to frame stories and carefully choose words in the body and headlines of the reports without compromising the basic principles of good journalism.

    As an Editor, I will be more careful in deciding what story should be given prominence considering the overall interest of the society. I will seek to educate my readers on controversial issues to ensure that they have better understanding, especially when there is a deliberate attempt to mislead the people by interested groups.

    I will do my best to get all sides of any story and provide necessary context with a view to ensuring that the general public is better served.

    I will be more willing to take sides with the government of my country in a crisis situation like the kind we are having against Boko Haram terrorists. I will not allow my organisation to be used by terrorists to make false claims which sometimes gives the wrong impression that they are having an upper hand even when they are losing grounds.

    What are the limitations for me to work for peace?

    There is no major limitation for me to work for peace. The code of conduct for journalists in my country implores us to strive to enhance national unity and public good.

    There are, however, instances when journalists don’t have enough information or access to give a true account of a crisis situation. We have had to rely on information that cannot be verified and end up misinforming the public.

    Government officials and even the general public sometimes also make our work difficult by not being willing to speak up when they should. We are aware that there is information that the government cannot disclose, but journalists need to be taken into confidence to help them know how to go about reporting some issues.

    How can I overcome the limitations?

    I have a commitment to promoting peace in whatever way I can, and will do everything possible to overcome any limitation except it is beyond my control.

    Instead of rushing to write on any controversial issue, I will opt for seeking all necessary information to enable me have a truthful, balanced and fair report or informed commentary.

    How about us?

    We all have a duty to ensure peace and must work together.

    My remarks  at the Peace Forum organised by the Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light , International Peace Youth Group and International Women Peace Group in Lagos.

  • Reporting Africa

    On October 11, I was part of the audience at the award ceremony for the CNN/Multichoice Africa Journalists Award held in Nairobi, Kenya.  The programme started behind schedule due to the delay in the arrival of the special guest of the day, President Uhuru Kenyatta.

    Kenyatta, however, made up for his lateness with a very frank opening remark on how Africa is being reported by both local and international media.

    Expectedly, he lamented the emphasis on negative reports with not much attention being paid to some positive developments on the continent.

    I share his concern about the exaggeration of our failures and ignoring of our successes by the media but the truth is that there are just too many negative things to report on our continent.

    There is no doubt that we have some success stories to report about Africa but they pale into insignificance considering the crises we are experiencing due to corrupt governments across the continent.

    Our media can definitely report more positive stories about the continent, but it cannot afford not to reflect the reality of the way we really are to ensure that our leaders work hard to ensure better standard of living for the citizens.

    Below is excerpts from Kenyatta’s speech which should be food for thought for every African journalist and foreign correspondents:

    “In large part, you members of the fourth estate draw our mental maps of Africa. You tell us what matters, and how to understand it.

    “Let’s look at the pictures you drew this week.  I glanced at a global newspaper:  its Africa headlines were the coup in Burkina Faso, a bombing in Nigeria, crimes in Mali and the latest about Ebola. This came just after the UNDP report assessing Africa’s progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals, which showed very encouraging progress:

    “Child mortality rates fell by an average of forty percent in Africa in the period under review as did poverty in most African countries while improving women’s access to political leadership faster than any other region on earth. Why exaggerate African failure? Why ignore African success?

    “It’s not surprising that foreigners get our story wrong. The plunder and subjugation of Africa were justified by its misrepresentation as the home of outrage, atrocity and suffering.

    “The world beyond our shores has yet to escape those patterns of thought. What is surprising is that we too get our story wrong. I looked at a respected African newspaper, and it was equally negative, and equally prone to feeding the same old tired stereotypes. Indeed, the coverage of terrorist attacks – whose point is usually pain, panic and publicity – on Charlie Hebdo, or London, or New York on 9/11 respected the dignity of the victims.

    “We saw no images of dead or mutilated bodies in the mainstream media. But our coverage of African tragedies often disrespects and devalues African lives. I recall an African newspaper that led with the photo of a Westgate victim; and another in which the bodies of the Mandera victims took centre stage. If we cannot respect the dignity of Africans, who will?

    “There is an Africa that is dignified. There is an Africa that was afflicted by Ebola, just as there is an Africa, backed by the African Union, which gave its skill, its time and its money to save lives. There’s an Africa at war, but African peacemakers in AMISOM are ending some of our most intractable conflicts.

    “I have heard of an Africa that is hopelessly dependent on aid and charity; but the Africa I know has some of the world’s fastest-growing economies powered by radical transformation in technology and billions dollars of investments in infrastructure. I know that it is the innovation, resilience and sacrifice of millions of Africans that is lifting millions of our people out of poverty.

    “Stereotypes have an amazing ability to destroy our ability to see the facts; we who love Africa must stand up for her truths.

    “In truth, we depend on you African journalists to change the mental maps that lead us astray.

    “Imagine coverage that had told of African leaders’ warnings about the risks of state failure and terrorism before the Libya intervention; and examined the African Union’s plan to fulfil Libya’s desire for democracy in an orderly fashion. It might have saved thousands of lives. Instead, these efforts were caricatured and ridiculed, and intervention was declared the only option.

    “This time, with your help, Africa can represent itself aright.  You who stand with us here can honour the struggles and heroes of the African past by looking carefully, and speaking truthfully, about our continent – by giving us accurate maps of African reality. That’s why our meeting today is cause for celebration. I see here distinguished journalists who have served Africa well.

    “When those high standards are the norm, we will reclaim the African narrative.

    “We must, after all, the stakes are our freedom, and the safety and the prosperity of the world in which we live.”

  • Thinking aloud with Buhari

    Thinking aloud with Buhari

    Once in a while, October 1 Independence Day speeches usually contain some major new decisions of the federal government.

    This year’s 55th anniversary speech did not contain any. There were speculations that President Muhammadu Buhari may include the list of the much-awaited ministerial nominees in the speech.

    It would have been odd if he did. The list is supposed to be sent to the Senate President who will inform the Senators about the nominations after which the nominees will be screened. The names were eventually sent after the close of Senate proceedings last Thursday and Nigerians have to wait till Tuesday for the full authentic list.

    Buhari in his independence speech, however, justified the delay in naming his nominees explaining that there was need to first decide on how many ministries were needed to optimally carry the burden of governance.

    “Impatience is not a virtue. Order is more vital than speed. Careful and deliberate decisions after consultations get far better results,” he stated.

    I share President’s Buhari’s admonition that impatience is not a virtue and the need to determine the number of ministries required, but I think he took longer time than necessary to complete whatever reorganisation he was doing.

    From all indications, Buhari seems not ready to name the nominees yet four months after being sworn in. What he sent last Thursday, the last day of September which he had earlier promised, was a first list. It is not certain how soon the second or any other batch will be sent for screening.

    Based on the speculations of the nominees in the list with the Senate, who are majorly former political office holders, many have been wondering why it took so long to name the familiar faces.

    The antecedents of many of them are well known to Nigerians and what is supposed to be the unveiling of some ‘angels’ to carry out the anti-corruption crusade of the new government may well turn out to be an anti-climax.

    It is up to the Senate to determine the suitability of the nominees as Ministers. Hopefully, the Senators will ask the right questions and ensure that we have the right team needed for the major tasks ahead of the Buhari government.

    The president was right when he stated that every new government inherits problems and his is not different.

    But as he rightly further noted, what Nigerians want are solutions, quick solutions, not a recitation of problems inherited. Anxious Nigerians have reasons to expect miracles based on the campaign promises of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which was the basis of the change they voted for.

    The new government has started well on many fronts, but more action is still required to address some other issues like the economy policies which experts say are yet to be clearly defined.

    Like a Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)  Senator said last Thursday, Nigerians are tired of hearing of the havoc the Jonathan administration did, they want to know what the new government will do to redress the various challenges they are facing.

    Nigerians who want change, however, have to appreciate the point President Buhari made that change does not just happen. We all have a role to play and except we do, our collective dream of a better country may not materialise soon.

     

  • Curbing sexual harassment on campuses

    I once asked a female student of a higher institution a question I knew the answer to assure myself my views on the issue is right.

    The question was whether it is true that lecturers sexually harass female students in exchange of marks?.

    Not only did she confirm that the allegations are true, she cited personal experiences and that of others she knew about.

    Contrary to denials, sexual harassment and rape cases are common in virtually all educational institutions, including the primary schools.

    Some lecturers are so notorious that female students have to device all manners of tactics to ward off advances or outright demand for what they think is part of their benefits for being lecturers.

    I remember a case of a Post Graduate student who was advised to meet her project supervisor in company of her husband who should offer generous financial gift to the lecturer to prevent him from asking the lady for sex.

    Those who don’t give in to the demands  and can’t pay in cash sometimes pay dearly for their refusal by being deliberately scored low. There are cases of students who have had to repeat a session just because they refused to subject themselves to the ‘evil ‘ demands of randy lecturers old enough to be their fathers.

    The recent case of a part-time lecturer in University of Lagos who raped an admission seeker which is being investigated by the institution is indicative of what some lecturers can do to satisfy their lust.

    A lecturer raped the daughter of his neighbour who was entrusted to him to assist in securing admission and shamelessly claims that he had the consent of the girl to sleep with her.

    There is another case being investigated in University of Calabar where a Professor of Law raped a student after offering her an opportunity to recopy a class text in his office.

    Like in the first case, some friends of the notorious lecturer are not denying that the lecturer had carnal knowledge of the student in his office, their defense is that the lady is morally loose. The Professor also claimed the act was consensual.

    What a shame that lecturers have turned their offices to ‘slaughter slabs’ on the excuse that the students offered themselves to them which is not the case in this two instances.

    Even if the students offered themselves, the question for the lecturers is whether  it is right for them to have sexual relationships with students? Is it morally justifiable to engage in such unethical conduct when they are married and have their own children.

    Thankfully, past students have come out in both cases to confirm that the two lecturers have an history of sexually harassing students.

    A top newspaper editor recently wrote put a lie to denial of allegations of sexual harassment by lecturers when she recalled how her project supervisor while she was an undergraduate was interested in sleeping with her and she declined.

    Those she sought  help from to appeal to the lecturer her to give the lecturer what he wanted told her to give the lecturer what she wanted . Her punishment for refusal was lack of the necessary supervision by the lecturer.

    If incidents of sexual harassment are to be curtailed in institutions, cases like the ones  above should be thoroughly investigated and the lecturers severely penalised to serve as a deterrent to others.

  • Needless abductions

    Ayo Arowolo, the publisher of the defunct Moneywise magazine, revealed in an interview why he left the comforts of paid employment as a journalist to set up his business magazine. According to him, while in the ThisDay newspapers, he and his boss who was also the publisher, Nduka Obaigbena, paid a then Military Head of State a visit. They were treated to a sumptuous dinner, VIP reception by the security guards and had a first-hand feeling of surreptitious blue-blood induction. When he got back to the office, he visited his bank and his account was in the red. He thought of the visit to the seat of power and the whole thing didn’t seem to make any sense as his bank account had absolutely nothing to show for it. At this point, he could not take the charade any longer and immediately threw in the towel.

    Dele Momodu, publisher of the celebrity magazine, Ovation, in one of his articles in the ThisDay newspaper exposed the ignorance of some of his kinsmen and family members who inundated him with a plethora of financial requests because of the opinion that he had an extremely deep pocket due to his close association with the high and mighty.

    This is the fate of journalists all over the world and Nigeria is no exception. The profession gives them access to the decision makers in the country and sometimes in the world. Many ignoramuses misconstrue this for power and influence on the part of the pen pushers who are just doing their jobs.

    Kidnapping, which was once targeted at oil company workers as one of the weapons of the militants in their ‘fight’ for justice, has now tragically spread to the purveyors of the brick and mortar business called journalism. The economically-motivated criminals in their warped opinion think that these poor poets are also princes of fortune because of the razzmatazz they see in the media.

    In 2010, the former Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists in Lagos State and the current Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, Wahab Oba, was abducted alongside his colleagues while returning from a meeting of the national executive committee in Uyo. They demanded the ransom of 250 million naira before they could be released. How ludicrous!

    In June this year, the News Agency of Nigeria correspondent in Imo state, Miss Chidi Opara, was abducted in her Imo residence and a five million ransom was slammed on her.

    Donu Kogbara, the popular Vanguard columnist who writes the sweet and sour column on Fridays, must have been thought to be a huge catch. She was the London correspondent of the Vanguard in the 1980s and 1990s and had worked with the British Broadcasting Corporation, Channel Four, amongst many reputable foreign media organisations. They had forgotten that she had once written of her state of homelessness when her father, Ignatius Kogbara, passed on. Her late dad was an INEC Commissioner and was housed in an official quarters where the columnist also lived with him. After his death, she was practically on the streets until the late Chinyere Asika took her in. Where then was the gold?

    The kidnappers have now expanded their coast to abducting the spouses of these impoverished gentlemen of the press. The latest victim being Toyin Nwosu, the wife of Steve Nwosu, the Deputy Managing Director of The Sun newspapers, who has now been released.

     I recall reading a humorous article of his where he complained that he was too ashamed to openly declare his assets as there was really nothing to declare. What was the logic then behind the kidnapping of his wife and the 100 million ransom being demanded? Is he worth half that much?

    These abductors have proven that they are rebels without causes as they are misdirecting their energies towards the wrong targets. The farce is that they may even be economically better off than their targets. Where then is the economic sense?

    • ADEMILUYI writes from Lagos

  • Calling new Immigration Chief

    Passing through the Nigeria-Benin Republic boundary in Badagry can be a nightmare for any traveller not familiar with the route.

    Last Tuesday and Thursday was not my first time of travelling to Togo and back by road, but I had expected that the situation would have improved since over four years when I did. But not much has changed.

    What is supposed to be the border post with clear demarcation of buildings and gates is an open land area with all manner of temporary structures occupied by immigration officers on both the Nigerian and Beninoise sides.

    Various barricades, some with ropes, are used by officials to supposedly check entry and exit of persons and vehicles across the two countries. With the lack of necessary infrastructure, what obtains at the border cannot in anyway be said to be thorough.

    The border is so porous that that no matter how hard the immigration officials try, they cannot, given the situation they found themselves working, effectively monitor who comes in or goes out of the country.

    Without any documentation, it is easy for anyone passing through the border to beat the official procedure and pay his or her way through, thanks to touts, especially on the Benin Republic side who are all over the border area.

    While my colleague and I on the trip had our passports stamped without paying any fee on the Nigerian side, we were lured into the Benin side by touts and ended up paying some illegal fees, instead of waiting for our taxi driver to drive us across.

    The touts were obviously working with the connivance of the officials. If not, I don’t understand why they and some corrupt officials should be allowed to exploit innocent persons openly without being called to order.

    Unlike the Nigeria-Benin border, the Benin-Togo boarder is well mapped out with tarred road and buildings for the officials to regulate entry and exit.

    On my return from Togo, I met Nigerian immigration officials operating in temporary shed and dilapidated structures as offices.  I could feel their frustrations about not having a conducive atmosphere to carry out their duties as they manage to work with the limited facilities they have.

    I learnt they have to make do with small generators fuelled by them at night due to lack of electricity supply.

    I notice on-going construction work at the border post, but I am not sure how long it has been on and how soon it will be completed. The border is yet another indication of dilapidation of various facilities in the country begging for attention.

    If we are really serious about ensuring the necessary immigration procedures at our border posts to check mate the influx of illegal persons, there is an urgent need to build the needed structures and properly equip the officials.

    The new immigration chief should make the Badagary border post a priority given the high traffic of persons on the West African route. It is a shame that Togo has a better border security post compared with us.

    Given our size and resources compared with our neighbours, our facilities should be the benchmark for others to emulate.

  • Fayose: How not to deal with civil servants

    Last Tuesday, Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, paid an early morning surprise visit to the state secretariat during which he locked out civil servants who arrived late for work.

    As usual, the governor’s media aides eagerly circulated pictures of the latecomers either kneeling or prostrating, pleading with their principal.

    Though he earlier threatened to punish the erring civil servants, the governor has mercifully forgiven them but warned that he will continue to pay surprise visits to government offices and schools to catch late comers who will not be spared henceforth.

    Generally, civil servants nationwide have been known to be lackadaisical about their work. It is either many of them report late for duties or close before the official closing time.

    Even when they report for work, not much is done due to the structure of the system that allows for workers to work at their pace, and the bureaucracy involved in penalising offenders.

    Unlike in the private sectors where productivity is the basis for payment of monthly salaries, many civil servants get paid for doing little or nothing. Since government pays the bill, the salaries of the civil servant do not depend on income generated by ministries, department and agencies.

    I remember being a holiday staff in a government agency years ago and being told to slow down on assignments given to me.  Left to me, the assignment could have been completed in a week, but I had the latitude to stretch it for a month which was the prevailing culture among the permanent staff.

    It is against this background that Governor Fayose has good reasons to be angry with the attitude of the civil servants who reported late for work when he called at the state secretariat. With the dwindling funds available to states which make it impossible for some to pay workers, it is necessary to ensure that civil servants take their work more seriously and justify their pay.

    But for the fear of backlash from workers unions, governments at all levels will not mind trimming the bloated civil service.

    Over the years, employment into the civil service has not always been on merit alone. Many got employed on the basis of who they knew in government even when there was no vacancy to fill.

    However, enforcing discipline in the civil service has to be done within the limits of the law and civility.

    But for the carryover of the military mentality which makes civilian governors want to behave like military governors, there is no need for Governor Fayose to turn himself into a school principal who needs to catch late comers.

    There are penalties for various offences within the civil service, however mild, which can still be enforced by superiors of the erring staff. All the governor need do is to make his position clear on compliance with the civil service regulations and not continue to reinforce the impression that he likes to play to the gallery.

    While he might not have forced the latecomers to prostrate or kneel down for him as shown in the pictures of his visit, the negative impression of the treatment the workers were supposedly subjected to is not in the interest of the governor.

    His media aides obviously wanted to score cheap publicity by circulating the pictures, but they now know better – the public is not as gullible as they think.