As Nigerians prepare to go to the polls next month; thinking about the presidential candidate to vote for, I would advise that they go for a candidate with a pedigree; a candidate who built institutions and facilities; a candidate with ideas.
When the tiff between the Lagos State government and the Federal Government started in 1999, many had thought that the state government under Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu would not be able to do anything meaningful, especially with the decision of the Federal Government to withhold the Lagos State allocations but the ingenuity of one man with his team made a difference.
The then governor, Tinubu, out of nothing made sure that the residents of Lagos were not denied basic amenities. The provision of such basic amenities is probably the reason I’m alive today.
I relocated to Lagos in 1998 after I concluded my SSCE education, I did a lot of jobs to survive so that I will be able to continue my education, and finally, I had an opportunity to work as a clearing and forwarding agent under one man called Mr. David Olaiya at the Nigeria Ports Authority, Apapa, Lagos. I knew this man through an area brother at Orile Agege sometime in January 2002. My boss had an engagement at the NPA Port Harcourt, River State on January 20th, 2002, and I had to travel with him.
After clearing all our goods, I was instructed to lead other drivers to Lagos and I had to drive one of the cars as well. We left Port Harcourt on the 28th of January, 2002 on getting to Sapele, it was very late in the night and we decided to sleep to continue the journey the next day (29th January, 2002).
We continued the journey the next day as agreed. Unfortunately for me, getting to Ore, Ondo State, I was involved in a very fatal accident that almost took my life. An eye witness said the vehicle I drove somersaulted more than seven times. To cut the long story short, I was taken to the Ondo State General Hospital, Ore in a critical condition without any serious care because the hospital did not have what it needed to handle my condition.
I was in a deep coma. One of the nurses advised my boss to take me to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) if he wanted me alive because the Ondo State General Hospital did not have the capacity to handle my situation. Fortunately for me, the hospital management arranged for a vehicle (ambulance) to transport me to LASUTH, where I was in a coma for two weeks but I was told that getting to LASUTH on the 29th of January, 2002, there was a crisis in the State (Ikeja Cantonment Bomb blast) and the hospital’s emergency ward was jam-packed.
The LASUTH management transferred me to the surgical ward, where I was given proper care with modern facilities that were provided for them by the Tinubu administration.
I can still remember the senior doctor that was always examining me then Dr. Lawal, I think he was the one who headed the surgical department at that time. After two good weeks, I came back alive; I was able to recover from the coma.
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The lesson I want us to learn from my testimony is that out of the 36 states in Nigeria, only Lagos State had a standard public health institution, which was owned by the state government at that time. I am very sure that people who are old enough to remember and made use of LASUTH can testify.
Let’s not forget that my accident did not occur in Lagos State, but in Ondo State but the state didn’t have what it take to save my life. We should not also forget that other states received allocations from the Federal Government like Lagos State but the Tinubu administration used its own to develop Lagos State under the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If Lagos State health institution had been like other states, I would not be alive to tell my story today. I know there are many people like me today who enjoyed the development brought by the Tinubu administration to the state in particular and Nigeria in general.
I can categorically say that most of the developments happening in Nigeria today were copied from the Lagos Master Plan.
I can also say with all humility that I have never met or seen Asiwaju before but the good work of Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration when he was a governor of Lagos State saved my life.
•Olumide sent this piece from Abeokuta South Local Government, Ogun State.