TheCable

A few minutes ago, I heard over the news that a lawmaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria passed on last night in the United Kingdom (UK). How many foreign leaders come here to die? I guess she died because they stopped attending to her, because United Kingdom is very busy attending to its citizens. This should serve as a lesson to all of us. It is either we build world-class hospitals or we continue to perish as fools—beyond the shores of our country. We do have all it takes to litter Nigeria with world-class hospitals!

Entertainingly and wittily, for the first time—in a very long time, both the president and peasant are at home in Nigeria, using same healthcare facilities. Atiku’s son is on the inside of “Gwaglada” hospital in Abuja and the presidency is planning to move Abba Kyari to Lagos to be treated after being tested positive. The whole world is on lockdown, so the rich cannot fly away like birds. Whatever happens to Mr. President now, he will have to be treated in Nigeria. He cannot travel outside Nigeria.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus in Nigeria, I am yet to read or hear of any politician—who is distributing hand sanitizers and nose masks for free. This should let you know that our politicians do not like you. In fact, it is safe to say that they hate you with passion.During elections, when they are distributing Maggi, bread, salt…, this is what they are saying under their inhalation: “I hate you. You are a fool. You are empowering me to steal your resources for the next four (4) years.” If you were blind before, I hope what’s happening today is helping you to see.If you cannot see what is happening in our polity today, you are likely going to remain sightless forever!

In Nigeria, the rich and politicians are above the law. In an attempt for the Federal Government to stop the spread of coronavirus on our soil, Alhaji Lai Mohammed came out some hours ago that the Federal Government may end up deploying military and policemen to run after those—who do not want to submit themselves to be isolated or quarantined, but political leaders are both too big to either be screened or quarantined. How can lawless leaders raise law abiding citizens?

While Lai was speaking on behalf of the Federal government, we are told that Abba Kyari himself did not isolate himself—when he returned from Germany, exposing the whole presidency and many big men and women in Nigeria to the virus! Kyari is like other lawmakers—who did not submit themselves at the airport to be screened while coming into Nigeria from wherever they traveled to. They are clearly bigger than Nigeria!

Long before those who were coming from abroad flooded our country with coronavirus like “tokunbo cars”, well-meaning Nigerians called out the Federal Government for days to close all our airports, learning from the laxity of those who are today burying their citizens in large numbers while daily wrestling the demon spirit of coronavirus, but they turned their deaf ears to it, because of their children, fellow politicians…Lagos and Abuja probably airports were shut-down last night at 11pm, after it has become almost too late. For the umpteenth time, those they waited for are almost daily infecting our people with the virus! If we have shut-down all our international airports immediately after the first coronavirus case was recorded, we wouldn’t have gotten to where we are today.

Waiting till last night before shutting down Lagos and Abuja airports is an indication that we are not being fairly treated as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They insensitivelydelayed it because of a few privileged-people to the detriment of the rest of us. We are hypocritically making noise that we are fighting the virus while we are deliberately exposing our people to it at the same time by refusing to do what we are supposed to do. It is called hypocrisy!

What’s happening across the planet earth should teach us a great lesson in Nigeria. If coronavirus does not teach us anything as a nation, then we can never learn again. If the whole world isn’t on lockdown, instead of moving Abba Kyari to Lagos to be treated, he would have been winged to London. And instead of attending to Atiku’s son in Abuja, he would have been sailedand glided to Germany! This should let you and I know that there is no country like our own. There is no place like home. It’s high time we started to build a nation that works. It is high time we started to litter Nigeria with world-class hospitals. We do not need to pray for world-class hospitals, God has given us everything to make it happen.

God forbid that the virus gets beyond what we can control, we are definitely going to have a lot of crisis on our hands, because we do not have what it takes to handle it as other developed nations are handling it. Let no one lie to you. We do not have sufficient medical personnel. We do not have good hospitals like the ones you see in Dubai, London, Germany and many other developed countries. Before baba leaves power, I challenge him to build at least—each world-class hospital in every State in Nigeria. It can be done. We do have the resources to make it happen.