Category: Discourse

Is it right for hospitals to insist on police reports before treating patients with gunshot wounds? A legal expert Tochukwu Onyiuke examines the position of the law on the matter.

An accountant Odiri Onosigho was shot by armed robbers at Festac in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State. He was with a friend identified as Michelle, who fled the scene only to return to see Odiri bleeding. Help did not come from commuters and other passersby. Michelle and some good Samaritans rushed Odiri to various hospitals but they rejected him because there was no police report. Shortly afterwards, Odiri lost his life.

The eighth National Assembly passed The Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Wounds Act (2017) into law.

The legislation is aimed at putting an end to the pervasive ugly situation where victims of gunshot wounds upon being rushed to hospitals or clinics for emergency treatment are required to produce a police clearance before treatment can be administered.

In some instances, in the process of complying with this unwieldy requirement as requested by hospitals and clinics, most of the victims bleed out and lose their lives. The frequency in the absurdity of this sad recurring situation propelled the National Assembly to enact The Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Wounds Act 2017, criminalising the refusal or delay in the treatment of gunshot wound victims by medical practitioners.

Enacting a law is one thing, enforcing and ensuring the strict compliance of the enacted law has sordidly continued to remain a huge challenge as instances of hospitals refusing to treat gunshot wounds victims are still being recorded. The blatant violation of the stipulations of this law is still being perpetrated. This is tantamount to saying that there is a low to zero level of compliance to this enactment by hospitals and clinics.

Origin of requirement

Before this monster of a challenge will be addressed in this discourse, it is pertinent to examine the genesis of this unsavoury scourge in the land.

The devastating Nigerian Civil War of 1967 – 1970 came and left with a plethora of woes. From the proliferation of arms and ammunitions to using of these arms to carry out nefarious activities especially armed robbery. Armed robbery was so rife in the 70’s and 80’s; several household names began to emerge from the depths of the underworld. This led to the promulgation of the Armed Robbery and Firearms Decree of 1986 to curb this growing mania.

A section of this Decree bothered explicitly on “Offences Relating to Sheltering and Treating Armed Robbers”, Section 4 of this Decree to be precise, whence it was stated that:

“4. (1) It shall be an offence punishable under this Act for any person to knowingly house, shelter, or give quarters to sheltering any person who has committed an offence under section 1(2) of this Act.

 (2) It shall be the duty of any person, hospital or clinic that admits, treats or administers any drug to any person suspected of having bullet wounds to immediately report the matter to the police.

(3) Any – (a) person who; or (b) hospital or clinic which, fails to report as stipulated in subsection (2) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this Act. 

(4) A person convicted of an offence under subsections (l ) and (3) of this section shall be liable- (a) in the case of an individual, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years; and (b) in the case of a hospital or clinic, to a fine of ten thousand naira and in addition the hospital or clinic shall be closed down.”

 

Hasty misinterpretation

A cursory glance at Section 4 (3) (b) of the above reproduced Decree will subtly suggest stiff sanctions for any hospital that fails to report gunshot wound victims.

The hasty misinterpretation of this Section of the Decree gave rise to the widespread misconception that gunshot victims have to provide police report before they get admitted into the hospital or get treated. This erroneous impression has lingered on for the longest time.

A thorough perusal of Section 4 (3) (b) of the Armed Robbery and Firearms Decree surmises that only wounded armed robbers are to be reported to the authority.

Although it will be sort of tasking to tell who is an armed robber from who is not, it was never the contemplation of any law to refuse treatment of any gunshot wound victim until police clearance has been obtained. Out of the overt compliance to the provisions of the aforesaid decree, the widespread of this misconceived perilous trend began its horrendous budding till this very day.

 

No police clearance requirement

Upon the advent of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act Cap R11 LFN 2004, it is clear to see that the provisions of the Armed Robbery and Firearms Decree of 1986 were retained verbatim.

However, it is worthy of note to restate for the sake of emphasis and public enlightenment that these laws never mandated hospitals and clinics to demand any form of police clearance before administering treatment to gunshot wound victims armed robbers or not.

For emphasis sake, this law states clearly that in Section 4 (2): It shall be the duty of any person, hospital or clinic that admits, treats or administers any drug to any person suspected of having bullet wounds to immediately report the matter to the police.

The hospital or clinic having commenced treating the victim is then obligated to inform the police of the incident. This position cannot be overemphasised enough, as the misinterpretation of the provisions of this law has led to the countless loss of lives.

 

Compulsory Treatment Act 

The promulgation of The Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Wounds Act (2017) sought to stem this societal menace by criminalising these unbridled practices by hospitals and clinics.

From the wordings of this 2017 Act, it posits unequivocally in its 16 Sections as contained therein the immensity of the importance of accepting and treating gunshot wound victims without police clearance and the requisite consequences for the affront to this promulgation. The jurisprudential postulate was to cure the menace where hospitals refuse gun-shot victims.

In the exposition of this legislation, the purport of the draftsmen having been elucidated and enunciated, this article intends to bring into vogue, further enlighten, encourage and remind medical practitioners of their first duty as a Doctor under the Hippocratic Oath which they all took before being accorded the title of medical practitioners which is to save lives first at all cost.

No legislation by any government anywhere in the world will place the life of its citizenry secondary to a police clearance or a police report as it is fondly called, considering the bureaucratic processes associated with going to the police.

 

Avoidable deaths due to misconception

It is disheartening to note that the misconstruction of the Robbery and Firearms Act has led to the loss of loved ones. In recent times, there has been an alarming spate and spike in the number of victims of violent crimes in the motherland. This is consequent upon the continuous rise of insecurity and widespread crime within neighbourhoods.

It can be said categorically that the victims of gunshot wounds are majorly innocent people suffering causalities from assailants. This presupposes that wounded innocent people will clearly require immediate treatment upon suffering injuries from criminals.

Family, friends or good Samaritans rushing victims to the hospitals are then faced then the huge mountain of being told to obtain police clearance before victim are to be attended mindless of the circumstances of the incident.

 

Instances of treatment refusal

To name but a few instances where the refusal of treatment by hospitals and clinics for want of police clearance has led to the loss of life and public outcry, sometime in July 2019 at Abuja, a member of the National Youth Service Corp Precious Owolabi who was a reporter for a popular television station in Nigeria was hit by a stray bullet in the course of his duty.

Upon being rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, the demand of a police clearance reared its ugly head and the Precious Owolabi’s life was ended abruptly.

Also in January 2021, David Ntekim – Rex, a 22-year budding I.T Engineer and computer expert was shot by robbers in Lagos. In the flagrant violation of the provisions of The Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Wounds Act 2017, both the law enforcement and medical personal at the scene of the tragic event carried on as onlookers, stood by and did nothing until the bright future of the young man was short-lived pronto.

The list of gunshot wound victims who have lost their lives as a result of neglect and refusal of hospitals and clinics to treat is ever-growing. Medical practitioners are somewhat oblivious to the provisions of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Wounds Act 2017, which prescribe punishment for failure to comply with the law.

It may further interest you that this law is not restricted to medical practitioners alone. Section 2 of the Act states that: – ”Every person including security agents shall render any possible assistance to anybody with gunshot wounds and ensure that the person is taken to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment.”

The act imposes a clear duty to everyone to assist gunshot wound victims.

 

What the law says

In section 3 (1) & (2) of the Act where the fears of every hospital and clinic lies, is the Notification of the Police. The act provides that; ”(1) a hospital that receives or accepts any person with a gunshot wound for treatment shall report the fact to the nearest police station within two hours of the commencement of treatment.”

It is clearly understood to mean that after treating a gunshot wound victims for about two hours, the hospital can then notify the police about the situation.

Section 5 of the Act prescribes the punishment for hospitals that fail to make the report as required in Section 3. Having stated the above position of the law, it is imperative to state however that the mandatory imposition of this duty on the hospitals and clinics is stringent and over-demanding. The primary duty of the doctors is to save lives and not solve a crime.

Compelling every clinic to report every gunshot wound victims within two hours of commencement of treatment is over labouring the doctors. What if the treatment is not concluded under two hours? What if the hospitals do not have any spare person to send to make the report at the nearest police station?

 

Consequences of violation

Moving forward with the postulates of the legislation, Sections .9, 11, 13 & 14 prescribe specified punishments for violating the provisions of the Act i.e. prescription of punishment for any violation of the provisions of this Act.

Section 9 of the Act provides: A person who commits an offence which leads to or causes substantial physical, mental, emotional and psychological damages to the victim, commits and offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not more than 15 years and not less than 5 years without the option of a fine.

The Act further provides for restitution for victims who suffer from this scourge.

Section 14 (1) & (2) of the Act states: ”(1) In addition to any other penalty under this Act, the High Court shall order a person or a corporate body convicted of an offence to make restitution to the victim by directing that person or corporate body to pay an amount equivalent to the loss suffered by the victim. 

“(2) An order of restitution may be enforced by the victim or by a prosecutor on behalf of the victim in the same manner as a judgment in a civil action.”

Within this law, the family or even the victim has a cause of action against the hospital and clinic as the law imposes it as a duty. 

From the foregoing, it can be seen clearly that restitution does not only come to the picture for the victims if the inaction of the hospital and clinics lead to the death of the victim.

A victim of a gunshot wound may seek restitution if he is denied treatment from any medical practitioner or any person at all if any of the provisions of this Act is breached. To further buttress the afore-stated position, Section 11 of the Act prescribes an Offence for Standing By.

The Act posits: Any person or authority including a police officer or other security agent or hospital who stands by and fails to perform his duty under the Act which results in the unnecessary death of any person with gunshot wounds commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N500, 000.00 or imprisonment of a term of five years or both.

 

Hope for a new dawn

Having delved into much emphasis and details on the clear positions of The Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Wounds Act (2017), I hope that a new dawn will begin in our hospitals and clinics as regards treating gunshot wound victims without demanding a police clearance or any other frivolous requirement. Also, I beseech the general public not to shy away from rendering the necessary assistance to any victim of gunshot wounds out of fear as the requisite protection from any form of harassment has been enshrined in the Act.

Finally, it is the position of the writer that the Nigerian Medical Association shall reach out to its members, in view of the provisions of the law authorising hospitals and clinics to treat gunshot wound victims, to sensitise the medical profession of the development, in the hope that in a not too distant future, stories of people losing their lives to this scourge will be a thing of the past.

• Onyiuke is a partner in Accendolaw law firm, Lagos.

By Folake Olaoni

The Lagos State Government, through the Urban Renewal Agency (LASURA), has paid N39.8million rent for the families displaced by the re-development of Isale-Gangan Phase One and the Adeniji Adele Housing Estate on the Island.

Their weak buildings were pulled down to prevent a collapse.

LASURA General Manager, Ajibike Shomade, said the dilapidated state of some of the buildings on the Adeniji Adele estate led to their demolition in July 2014.

This resulted in the displacement of 30 families, for whom LASURA implemented a resettlement plan.

She said 12 of the affected families opted for annual rent payment by the state while the others chose to be resettled.

She added that Adeniji Adele Housing scheme phases 1-4 were proposed for re-development through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

“In a similar vein, the Isale-Gangan project was conceived during Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola’s tenure and was projected to be a systematic urban upgrade and renewal for the affected area which would advance the Lagos mega city status.

“After the contract award for the construction of Isale-Gangan highrise apartments had been concluded, some of the affected families had to be relocated and were moved out of the area to make way for the first phase of the project development which has been substantially completed,” Shomade explained.

She said nine of the affected families of lsale-Gangan opted for payment of annual rent in lieu of accommodation, adding that they last received payment in January 2017; the 12 families of Adeniji Adele last received payment in May 2017.

The General Manager said each of the families was paid N2.3million for their three years rent from 2018.

She thanked the affected families for their patience and urged them to continue supporting the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration towards the timely completion of the two projects.

One of the leaders of the Adeniji Adele Residents Association (phases one to four), Alhaji Giwa Bioku, thanked the government for the gesture and prayed for a quick completion of the projects.

By Paulinus Nsirim

 

 

Rotary International operates a time tested Four-Way Test: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships and Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Rotary Club is very particular, especially when giving out its awards, that whoever has been endorsed by its Directors for recognition and decoration, must be seen to have excelled in upholding the tenets of the Four-Way test, when such a person is put to public scrutiny and assessment.

Having been deemed to have passed the Four-Way Test in his leadership of Rivers State for the past six years, therefore, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike on Friday, May 7, 2021, received the  2019/2020 Good Governance Award for his sustainable projects, from the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt.

Presenting the Award to Governor Wike, Vice President of Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, Rotarian Obiageli Ejezie said that the Rotary Board of Directors had approved and endorsed Governor Wike as best suited for the 2019/2020 Good Governance Award, for his very laudable sustainable projects for Rivers people, especially in  urban renewal and excellent infrastructure delivery.

Most importantly, she said, Governor Wike was proactive, firm and determined in the way he handled the COVID-19 pandemic and saved the lives of many indigenes and residents in the state.

“Many laudable and sustainable development projects of your government are scattered across Rivers State and we note particularly, your projects and achievements in the areas of urban renewal, road maintenance, construction of flyovers, education, health care and others.

“The proactive manner Your Excellency has managed the COVID-19 pandemic has been serving the desired purpose of saving the lives of a considerable number of residents. ”

She also informed Governor of the intention of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt to build a skill acquisition centre in Trans-Amadi, Port Harcourt where youths and widows will be trained.

For the records, Rotary Club started with the vision of one man, Paul Harris. the distinguished Lawyer and Attorney from Chicago in the city of Illinois, USA on 23 February 1905, and the primary purpose at that time was to bring together, business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service, promote integrity and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace around the world, through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

Those who are conversant with the operations of Rotary Club, will attest to the fact that it is a cautious and conservative group, which tends to avoid things that are political and is one of the most highly principled and respectable, non-political and non-religious organizations in the world.

Read Also: Wike reviews Rivers curfew from 7pm to 6am

 

Everything about its activities and operations, including the conferment of awards, are done with painstaking investigation, comprehensive assessment and resolute conviction, devoid of any ulterior or self aggrandizing motives.

It is against this very internationally acclaimed reputation and impeccable operational backdrop, that one must access and appreciate the decision and endorsement by the Rotary Board of Directors to confer the 2019/2020 Good Governance Award on Governor Nyesom Wike.

No doubt, this award ranks as one of the most prestigious in the burgeoning gallery of awards which Governor Wike has been confered with over the years, for the incontrovertible fact that it underscores the suggestion that the great work the Governor is doing, resonates quite impressively with a solid and reputable organization like Rotary Club.

It also underscores and consolidates the resounding national tribute and eloquent testimony which have come from all walks of life, including peers and even the opposition, recognizing Governor Wike as indeed, one of the truly great leaders of this generation.

Receiving the 2019/2020 Good Governance Award, from the Vice President of Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, Rotarian Obiageli Ejezie, who led others leaders of the association to the Government House, Port Harcourt,  Governor Wike used the opportunity to comment on the burning issue of national Security;  a matter which is very dear to his heart and quite central to the objectives of Rotary International, in their mutual desire to advance understanding, goodwill and peace in Rivers State and Nigeria.

Addressing the delegation, Governor Wike, who wondered how long the APC federal government will allow the needless killings and abduction of innocent Nigerians to continue, said: “There can’t be good governance without security and this is based on rule of law. All of us are living witnesses in 2015 when it was alleged that the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, could not perform. So Nigeria needed a change. What has happened to the change? They have taken Nigeria back by 50 years,” he lamented.

While stressing that it is no longer acceptable for Nigerians to wake up daily to such ugly news of killings because they expect the government to guarantee security, Governor Wike assured however that his administration is doing everything possible to secure life and property of all residents in the state.

“But thank God that in our state, we are doing everything we can to protect lives and property. For us, we believe that everybody has a role to play in this country. This is because when Nigeria is bad, Rivers state will be bad since we are all component units of the country. But as a government, we will continue to partner with voluntary organisations like Rotary club to improve the wellbeing of our people.”

Governor Wike then lauded Rotary Club of Port Harcourt for the initiative to build a vocational centre to train Rivers’ youths and widows in different skills, which is quite in tandem with the Youth and Women empowerment initiatives of his administration and announced a donation of N65 Million to support the  scheme in Rivers State.

Governor Wike is not a man who seeks or is easily swayed by awards, but when a universally renowned institution like the Rotary Club, decides to honnour you with an award, it then becomes obvious that you must be doing the right thing, at the right time and in the right place, to ensure the promotion of peace, goodwill, enduring development and  harmonious co-existence for your people.

Governor Wike is indeed working and Rivers people, including the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, are seeing it, clearly, boldly and without any prejudice or propaganda.

 

• Nsirim is the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Rivers State

 

The Lagos State Government has promised more support to the Lagos State Fire & Rescue Service in terms of equipment, capacity building, allowances and other resources.

This will further boost their morale for enhanced service delivery.

The agency joined the rest of the world to celebrate International firefighters Day.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Dr. Omobolaji Tajudeen Gaji, said this while receiving the management of the agency, who visited him on International Firefighters Day.

He acknowledged the efficiency of the agency, saying it has set a pace that others follow.

Director, Lagos State Fire & Rescue Service, Mrs. Magaret Adeseye said: “the agency will remain committed to responding promptly to distress calls at all times and further promote a safety culture with values of collective responsibility against the one man show syndrome of the past”.

According to her, in the last two years, the agency has re-strategised and adopted a holistic approach to fire safety campaigns by reaching out and engaging the public to adopt positive attitudinal behaviour, create community networks, increase youth involvement and expand their knowledge on potential threats.

While urging residents to report fire incidents promptly, Mrs. Adeseye said such practice will yield prompt response from the agency and prevent destruction of lives and property during fire incidents.

 

By Makut Simon Macham

In the past six years, Plateau State under the leadership of Governor Simon Bako Lalong who clocks 58 today has been enthralled by purposeful driven governance, developmental projects under a serene and placid atmosphere. In all ramifications, his 58th birthday is a worthy and fulfilled milestone which should be commemorated with pomp and wide jubilations.

The reasons are instructive and obvious. For more than two decades in politics, Lalong has been playing active roles in the development of Plateau State. His stint in politics right from 1999 when he was elected into the Plateau State House of Assembly and later became the longest serving speaker in the State, up to 2015 when he was elected the Governor, have been trailed by amazing footprints and legacies.

Governor Lalong exudes uncommon attributes and leadership skills which include humility, discipline, forthrightness and tolerance. He abhors bigotry under any guise. His passion for peace has even been misunderstood by some as a weakness while the discerning praise him as a bridge builder and Apostle of peace.

He took over Plateau State in 2015 when there were religious and ethnic tensions especially in Jos as a result of ethno-religious crises. But today as a result of his non-partisan and forthright approach to issues, the tension and apprehension has since been diffused and many of the old barriers dismantled.

To tame the orgy of violence inherited, Governor Lalong established Plateau Peace Building Agency to promote the culture of dialogue, forgiveness and conflict prevention that has gingered peace and harmonious coexistence among the diverse ethno-religious groups in the state.

Presently, there is clear evidence that the situation has improved tremendously over the last five years with better community relations and less tension and fear. Plateau State is again the melting pot of Nigeria and the Home of Peace and Tourism.

It is strongly believed that at 58, Lalong’s leadership skills have similarities with those of the global acclaimed visionary leaders such as Nelson Madela who strongly believed in peace as a tool for development.

Lalong has been exploring all plausible avenues to consolidate on the prevailing peace. Apart from supporting security agencies, Operation Rainbow, a hybrid force established by the state government was strengthened by his administration with a clear mandate for intelligence gathering and response to pave the way for community policing.

The Governor’s regular consultation with stakeholders in the state including members of the State House of Assembly has led to many positive developments. For instance, the passing of the anti-land grabbing law which criminalises forceful occupation of land by some unscrupulous elements, has since stemmed the tide of land grabbing in the state especially in the Northern zone of Plateau State.

To some people, an ideal leader looks like a superhero –strong and brimming with confidence. But humility holds greater power, albeit silently. Studies on humility in leadership have posited that humble leaders make the best leaders and easily disarm even their opponents.

One of the virtues you cannot take away from Governor Lalong is humility. In spite of his position, his sense of humility is not only attractive but infectious. He treats everyone with respect regardless of their position, role or title, making him a quintessential leader who gives his all to a course he believes in.

The Governor has continued to demonstrate his affection for his people, task after task, no matter the cost. In spite of the economic crunch in the country, his administration since coming on board decided to complete all the abandoned projects inherited from his predecessors.

Governor Lalong equally initiated and completed many projects with others still ongoing such as the mega projects dubbed “Lalong Legacy Project” which are mostly in health and educational sectors in the 17 local government areas of the state.

The Governor recently assured of completing the projects when he said “Having inherited quite a number of abandoned project and completed many of them, I don’t intend to leave any project uncompleted. The legacy projects will be completed before the end of my tenure God willing.”      Governor Lalong’s Rescue Mission is fundamentally about service and fairness in distribution of scarce resources and development projects across the three geo-political zones of the State.

Above all, his cognate experience and exposure as the longest serving Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly; Chairman, Conference of Speakers Executive; Lawyer and Activist; Community Development Specialist among others prepared him for governance early.

To set his administration apart from the previous ones, the 1990 law graduate of the prestigious Ahmadu Bell University Zaria created an ICT Agency christened “Plateau Information and Communication Technology Development Agency” PICTDA.

He recently declared thus: “Our goal is that before we leave office, we would like to have most, if not all our governance processes driven by information and Communication technologies”.

The prevailing industrial harmony on the Plateau is as a result of cordial relationship with the state civil servants. In the past six years, workers have been receiving their entitlements as and when due.

When it comes to payment of salaries, pension, gratuity and other emoluments, Governor Lalong stands out nationwide. This has earned him the indelible name of “Governor Alert” bestowed on him by no other than the state civil servants.

The Governor recently told the civil servants that his administration was working towards acquiring land in all local government areas of the state to build affordable housing for them.

The vision of the governor to transform Plateau State into an industrial hub is manifested in the high number of MoUs his administration signed with both local and foreign partners to resuscitate moribund government owned industries such Jos International Brewery, BARC Farms, Highland bottling Company among other which have been lying comatose for a very long time.

Another main thrust of Governor Lalong’s administration is the provision of qualitative education for its citizenry. In the tertiary section, he injected life into the State owned University, Plateau State University Bokkos which was gasping for breath before his election as the governor of the State due to sheer neglect and reckless abandonment driven by politics.

Apart from this, other tertiary institutions such Plateau State Polytechnic, College of Education Gindiri among other were also given a new lease of life.

It comes as no surprise that in the course of his service and purposeful leadership over the years, his colleagues in the 19 Northern States unanimously elected him to be their Chairman.

Since his election, Lalong has been providing purposeful leadership, championing the cause of the North and intervening in critical national issues.

Apart from this, Lalong had won several laurels, received commendations and got a pat on the back for excellent performance both at home and abroad.

Speakers at a launch of a book on Disaster and Conflict in Abuja recently showered accolades on Governor Lalong for his peace efforts that have restored confidence and mitigated human disasters associated with violence and conflicts in Plateau State. The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Special Duties Senator George Akume at the occasion said Governor Lalong has proven to be one of the few examples of leaders in Nigeria who can be relied upon to galvanise people to live in peace and harmony in spite of their diversity and differences of faith, ethnic and political differences.

While felicitating with the governor on the occasion of his 58th birthday and wishing him many more years of selfless service to Nigeria and humanity, it goes without saying that this humble visionary achiever, peace Ambassador, dependable ally, compassionate personality and fearless intercessor is set for greater impact in Nigeria in the years ahead. For remaining steadfast and relentless in the pursuit of happiness for the entire people of Plateau State and the Northern region, he has demonstrated his love for country and capacity to devote his life for a better Nigeria.

As you deservedly celebrate this glorious day, may God Almighty who has richly prospered you and ordered your every step in this past half century, continue to bless you with good health, wisdoms and knowledge to serve and fulfill the purpose for which you were created.

• Congratulations to Governor Alert! 

By Nnedinso Ogaziechi

“Madam Speaker and Madam Vice-President” were the opening words of United States’ Joe Biden as he read the speech marking his one hundred days in office recently. He was ecstatic at being the first American President to say those five words. America has however not fully lived up to its global political position in terms of gender parity in politics but the journey can only move had begun.

It is surprising that in its 245 year history America had never elected a female President. The closest to the seat luckily is now Kamala Harris the Vice President.  It is equally telling that the world just celebrated the 100th anniversary of women’s voting rights. So the journey has not been easy but elsewhere in the world, women have become Presidents, Prime Ministers and other heads of governments.

In comparison to America’s lagging behind politically with gender parity, Nigeria is the giant of Africa socio-economically but not politically in terms of gender parity in politics. Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first elected female President in Africa in 2005 after the civil war and was re-elected in 2011.  Joyce Banda became Malawian President in 2012 after the death of President Mutharika. The Central African Republic had Catherine Samba-Panza elected in 2014 as transition president and stayed till 2016. Mauritius, Gabon, South Africa, Burundi and Ethiopia have had female honorary and interim female presidents.

Nigeria has not really experienced the gender equity and inclusiveness that can develop the country since its independence. There has been no elected governor.  Other African countries are ahead of Nigeria in this sphere even when Nigerian women are breaking grounds in the academia, corporate world , global economies and institutions. Presently, of the 43 Ministers in the country, only seven are women. Nigeria has paltry 6.9% women in parliament as against South Africa’s 42.1% and Rwanda’s 61.1%. Ethiopia has a balanced cabinet of 50% each, South Africa too had done the same in 2019. Nigeria obviously has enough qualified women to either vie for elective positions or be appointed to positions but it seems that the gap has never been filled satisfactorily. We still see the tokenism in both elective and appointive positions for women.

Many people believe that the exclusion of more women in the political space in Nigeria is traceable to a number of human factors that have seemingly not been addressed seriously.  Women might not have the magic wand but they definitely bring diligence and a great sense of duty to service.

The Roundtable Conversation was privileged to have sat at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) with former President Olusegun Obasanjo (GCFR) who is known to have taken the road less traveled in Nigeria’s political history with the appointments he made during his eight year tenure. In his words, he head-hunted the women he appointed as Ministers, heads of agencies and chairpersons of boards. He was the first to appoint the first female  Media Spokesperson, the late Remi Oyo, the first female Finance Minister and Minister of state, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Nenadi Usman, First female Transport Minister, Kema Chikwe, first female Minister of trade and Industry, Chief Nike Akande, first female Minister of Solid Minerals, Oby ezekwesili and many others.

The remarkable thing about most of his female appointees is not just that they all performed creditably but that they went on to make global impact. Today Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is Director General of World Trade Organization (WTO) but sits on the boards of many global institutions and corporate bodies like twitter. Amina Mohammed is United Nations Assistant Secretary General, Dora Akunyili made an indelible mark in her fight for fake and counterfeit drug manufacturers and marketers as NAFDAC DG,  Oby Ezekwesili went on to the World Bank as Africa Region Vice President and is now a global citizen due to her records and advocacies for civil and women’s rights.

The Roundtable Conversation knows that it is not yet uhuru as regards gender parity in Nigerian politics but finds former President Obasanjo’s bold step in giving these women the opportunity and support to disprove the wrong view about the capcity of women to lead.

TRT: What informed your decision to appoint so many women during your tenure as president to areas women never got the opportunity to serve in?

Obasanjo: “When I came into politics, the feeling within even my own party was that women are not good enough, women in politics were seen as women of easy virtue, the men were seen as those who can perform.  Well, I was born by a fantastic woman, I had a fantastic wife, my first two children were girls and I adore them and I know that they are not perfect but they are as capable to do anything as any man if not even better. So for what reason should I be in politics and look down on women?

After the election, we had a retreat and some women were there and I wanted names, the party gave me one woman’s name but I needed more and decided to head hunt personally. Those women performed extremely well.

Again, I wanted people say the reason for alleging that women in politics were prostitutes, my question was, if they are prostitutes, who made them prostitutes? Is the allegation not akin to the biblical Pharisees that hypocritically brought the so-called ‘adulteress’ to Jesus for condemnation without bringing the man along? Who makes women prostitutes?

So to me, I look for competence in any human being. For instance, as President, I had late Adamu Ciroma as Minister of Finance, fantastic and diligent but he did not know much about international finance and as at that time, Nigeria was in dire financial straits and needed somebody who understood international financial systems because our efforts to get some debt relief at the time could not be argued successfully by any international finance neophyte  so we had to approach the World Bank to release Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to us and was glad they did.

TRT: So, we have at least 15% of women Professors in the academia and they have been making progress but in politics it is still very difficult for women given the percentage of women in parliaments across the states and National assembly, it’s still difficult financially for women.

Obasanjo: Those are parts of the problems but the major one is not recognizing women for what they are – humans.  Physiological differences have nothing to do with mental and professional capacity. God himself charged man to be fruitful and multiply so the physiological differences are divine ways of enabling procreation. Apart from that, there are no major cerebral differences. In fact some women are more intelligent than some men and vice versa. Some men are actually less intelligent than most women.

TRT: So is gender exclusion more of lack of confidence in women or the ownership of the political space by men because most men see the brilliance and the readiness to serve by most women but still block them off surreptitiously?

Obasanjo: “Basically it is a socio-religious thing. The cultural belief is that women are inferior, in my culture for instance, there is the belief that men have nine bones and women have seven. Who did the counting (laughter)? The capacity of men and women to serve are the same but culture and religion are often manipulated by some people.

TRT: But Sir, you and some other men are from the same culture but seem to trust the fact that women have the same capacity to lead on all fronts like the men. Are you less of a cultural icon? Why are you different?

Obasanjo: Well there is culture, then there is greed, most men are greedy, women can be greedy too but men are often too avaricious.  Men always seek their selfish interests. But women are more loyal to issues that concern everyone including the men. They are more family oriented and patriotic than most men. But women must not wait for men to give them opportunities because it might never happen. They must step out and work to take their spaces.

My daughter Iyabo came to tell me she wanted to contest for a senatorial seat, I said, why not? Go into the field and try your best. She did and won. She personally made the decision and I supported her. So to bring the change we seek, women must form step out as teams and work with the men after all they are your fathers, sons, brothers, husbands (good or bad, laughter), uncles, nephews, partners, boyfriends and even business partners.

So for my daughter, I gave her the support. I could as well have told her to go sit down but I personally believe leadership is not about gender, it is about mental, professional and educational competences and these are not  gender based.

Men must learn to cage their subtle jealousies and egoistic beliefs about not wanting their women to be more in the limelight and successful than them. Men must realize that women are not slaves. The belief that women belong to the kitchen does not belong to the twenty first century. My prayer is that more men in the country realize that public service must be about competence and that is the only way to use our best to achieve development.

The RoundTable recognizes Chief Obasanjo as a strong voice in the country, continent and globally. His positive gender actions as president stand as his legacy and we believe that he has enough experience that the political elite can tap from especially with the renewed global consciousness for gender justice and its role in development.

If smaller African countries have passed electoral laws and made policies towards gender parity in politics, why can Nigeria with its population of  highly educated women be excluded from leadership and governance?

It amounts to cutting our nose to spite our face as a country to continue the male dominated political and leadership structures that have just earned Nigeria the poverty capital of the world tag.  As 2023 gets nearer, we hope that the political elite can learn from the former President whose patriotic zeal and commitment  to development have never been in doubt.

The dialogue continues…