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What Is A Nigerian’s Life Worth? By Bashir H. Adamu mnia
A few weeks ago, an incident happened that got me itching to write. I made some notes, jotted down a few lines and never got to publicizing them - something I’ve been doing a lot of in the last few years of our ‘democracy’. Another Incident happened lately, however, which got me yearning again…to share my thoughts; in the hope that others may benefit from them.
The first incident was an accident that occurred right in front of my house at about 11.30 pm involving two motorcyclists. I was in my living room about to drive out for a few bits and pieces nearby when I heard a loud noise not unlike that of a handgun. As I peered out of my gate there I saw 3 bodies in the middle of the road covered in blood, with limbs hanging at grotesque angles. I thought they had been shot, and not knowing whether the “gunmen” were still lurking in the vicinity, I was at first careful to stay behind my gate (which anyway is of open metal grille and hence not much of a cover). It however provided my gateman and I the opportunity to see what was happening on the street (note I did not use the word guard – for in reality he cannot guard against modern-day marauders). The loud sound I had heard turned out to be the sound of the two colliding motorbikes, and the three bodies were the consequence of the collision. A fourth man was in the side drain on the opposite side of the street.
What first struck me was that motorists were just casually using the lay-bye in front of my house to navigate around them and thus continue with their journeys. I promptly instructed my gateman to block the route with a wooden bench and to cut down branches from a nearby tree which were laid on the two approaches to the accident spot in order to slow down motorists. Not long after some motorcyclists stopped (as they always do) to help their colleagues.
Being rather squeamish I could not get to touch, or even look closely at those mangled bodies. One had a dislocated hip and three fractures all on one leg. His foot was dangling next to his shoulder, while his head was covered in bruises and blood. Yet another had two holes in his forehead as if a power drill was used on him. This particular detail was given me by another person, for I could not stand the sight – what could I do? I had this pressing need to help but could not overcome my phobia for such gory sights. I then decided I could at least be of help by calling up the Police and Road Safety ambulance service. Was I serious?
I usually store ‘emergency’ numbers for just such a day in my mobile phone and address book. I promptly made a call to a police officer I knew, relaying the exact situation and the need for an ambulance and emergency medics - was I in my right mind? Did I think I was in Palestine? (You’ll later understand why I say Palestine, not the US or Europe). Actually I’d spent the December holiday season watching DSTV, mainly documentary channels showing Emergency Rescue and Treatment Centers. I definitely know that must have influenced my thinking on that night. My policeman friend promised the Police would be there.
Fifteen to twenty minutes later - no policemen. I called someone who has friends in the Road Safety Corps. He placed calls, got back to me with the message “it was late night and they had closed; no chance of an ambulance”. I’m absolutely sure if there was a market on my street that night they’d be at work until the last vehicle passed by. I called my policeman friend again; he told me a message had been relayed to the nearest police station. Oddly enough, usually there is a vehicle patrol on the junction fifty meters from the accident scene ALL DAY, and as far as I remember at night as well. That night, no patrol in sight – perhaps there were pressing issues elsewhere? Even policemen need a little nap at night don’t they, after all they are human. I also notice these days night patrols wind down with drop in traffic. The reason is not hard to guess is it?
Alas, about thirty minutes later, there arrived two motorbikes with three or four policemen. I did not know they were policemen for I do not recall seeing uniforms. They could have been ‘Okada’ men (or ‘achaba’ as they are called in Kano) like all the others around. One of them was wearing what seemed like a gown and donned a woolen hat as protection against the harmattan. He later said he was off-duty. I did not notice their arrival or presence until later, for I had by then concluded there was no use waiting for the police or road safety officials, and had gone to fetch the keys to my cars. There was a consensus to convey the victims to the nearest hospital. I offered one of my saloon cars to transport the injured to hospital. The two okada ‘passengers’ were taken away in it. The third - who had already started gasping for breath – was taken away by the only motorist that had stopped at the scene, a man of Lebanese father and Nigerian mother who lived on the same street, who offered his Peugeot 505 car. May Allah bless him. The final victim was transported in my official Peugeot 406 (after all it belongs to the people, I thought). I also got two neighbors who offered to drive the cars. God bless them all.
That was not all though. When the first car was loaded with its passengers, a policeman was asked to join them. That was when I first realized there were policemen at the scene. I enquired about their vehicle only to be shown two motorcycles. Now when the third man was to be driven off in the 505, the remaining policemen started arguing amongst themselves over who should accompany the vehicle. Meanwhile the injured man was gasping for breath and was on the verge of death. I had to shout at them to get in the car! I mean really shout as their drill sergeant would - reminding them that “a life was at stake and what the heck did they think they had been sent down to an accident scene to do”? It was only then that one of them got into the car and they drove off. By then I seemed to have asserted some authority as for the next trip there was no argument.
In Nigeria we all know the danger of arriving at an hospital without policemen in case of an accident. One can die right in the hospital, in front of the emergency staff. if there was no policeman to confirm that ones injuries were not sustained “illegally” – and I leave illegally to the reader’s imagination!
I staid up till about 1.30 in the morning waiting but the cars did not return. I retired instructing my gate man to collect the keys on their return. It was then it dawned on me that indeed I had been watching too much television. No wonder we were always warned against too much TV in those days! Fact is, in Nigeria, it would not matter if you arrived hospital with your intestines in your hands, or your brain in a butter cup (if that were possible), you don’t get to be attended in any “emergency” unit unless you had money for the “drips and drugs”. Quite in contrast to what I’d been watching on DSTV. Quite unlike Palestine, where for the last four to five decades it’s virtually been a war situation, they have ambulance services and emergency centers where the injured can get the immediate attention they deserve. Once more, May God bless the man with the 505. I refrain from giving his name for I do not know whether he’ll appreciate it (I am sure he did it for humanity, not for glory). I learnt later in the morning that he spent over thirty thousand naira that night in treatment, ‘allowance’ for the policemen, and even one of the doctors. I was told that for almost fifteen minutes the first two patients to arrive hospital were not attended to until this man arrived with the third. Reason? They had no money to pay for the services. Happily, I also heard that by morning three of them had already come round and had identified themselves and families.
Eyewitnesses to this accident later confirmed that the motorcyclist who received the worst injury was at great speed, was overtaking a car and had no headlight at all! Serves him right? The other unfortunate man did not see him at all; after all the on-coming car’s headlights were in his eyes. He literally did not know what hit him! See what our recklessness can cause? Where are the law enforcers? Kano these days seems to be a lawless jungle as far as traffic regulations are concerned; to the extent that there is a popular anecdote that “only visitors stop at traffic lights, true Kano people don’t”. A driver I once employed (for a few days only) said all he knew about negotiating junctions was that the first car in had right of way! And he had a driver’s license!!
The second incident which inspired me to write is the recent senseless and brutal killing of Hajiya Sa’adatu Rimi, wife of Alhaji Abubakar Rimi – former Second Republic Governor of Kano State.
I’ll not dwell on the details of this event for the fact that I was not a direct witness; furthermore, we all have heard and read several media reports on it. This condemnable act and tragic event however struck me as having some relation to the one I’ve narrated above considering the parallel lessons that can be gleaned out of them.
The lessons?
The key lesson to be learnt here is the apparent lack of value that Nigerians, and Nigerian governments, put on the lives of their citizens. I mention Nigerians because the Government is run by Nigerians, not Ghanaians or Liberians. We are the Government! This important fact must be stressed; therefore government failure is our collective failure. I also use plural “Governments” because the issue -sanctity of our lives- is not the responsibility of just one level of government in this federation. All the three tiers are responsible.
Having said this, I’ll highlight some specific areas that impact on sanctity and preservation of life, drawing from my observations of the events that prompted this article;
Emergency services - The Nigerian governments at all levels do not give priority to important social services such as emergency medical rescue, ambulance and fire services, etc. We all saw the result in the latest plane crashes across the nation, the most revealing of which happened at Port Harcourt. Volumes have been written, citizens have shouted themselves hoarse over these matters, but do those concerned listen? Let them not. A day shall come!
This lack of emergency response services is critical, and I daresay no one is immune from the current crime wave (whether for money or politics). The sooner people in charge do something the better, for our collective good.
Could Mrs Rimi have gotten immediate, top rate emergency surgery if she had been discovered early enough? Could her killers have been accosted by a police patrol anywhere in Bompai, the neighborhood of the DIG’s residence and majority of Kano’s police installations? Or had they signed off at 2 a.m. like the patrol on my junction on the night of the motorcycle accident? Could she have been able to dial 999 for emergency help? Certainly not, considering that these days we are served with an array of mobile numbers for various police posts which at times cannot be reached because either the police stations do not have power to keep their batteries charged - like all the rest of us; or they are simply “out of GSM service area”. Or perhaps simply the policeman has gone to the loo. By the way which post would one call if, for example, one is being robbed on the highway between Kano and Zaria – Na’ibawa or Samaru police station? Who can even remember all those numbers anyway -especially in such an emergency? Certainly not your average person – perhaps math professors?
Why can’t we have a ‘999’ service like all countries of the world including those poorer than us? This is the year 2006 for heaven’s sake! I recall a time when the old P&T had this service, and the Nigerian Police had crime labs. The police answered the 199 calls and you could even check the time of day on a certain 3 digit number (was it 194?) What is going on? The GSM services pretend to have emergency numbers but we know better. Vmobile serves only Lagos and Abuja – see what I was talking about? Who says ‘Big Oga’ cannot break bone at Mokwa or Mubi?
These days I even see top officials with emergency ambulances in tow. Well equipped and professionally manned emergency hospitals within reasonable distances are more reliable than any fancy ambulance, and this includes air ambulances that could be summoned by the rich to fly abroad. This is not about how much money one has! Money has its limitations, as does the ailing human body. There is real and present danger! Anything can happen anywhere, and especially with the campaigns approaching, our big shots should realize that a heart attack, sudden stroke or an assassins bullet do not give any warning. Neither is one given a choice of time or location. I repeat, it can happen anywhere. So if we think providing these services only in posh vicinities such as Abuja and Lagos, or making personal and private ambulance arrangements is the best solution, whilst leaving the majority of other Nigerians at the mercy of “circumstances” then we need a big rethink. We all know what is good for the goose, is also good for the gander.
I remember when Gen. Joe Garba died a while ago a Nigerian newspaper lamented that the late General had seen his London based doctor three months earlier, and had been due for another appointment six months hence. He died in between. Any need to elaborate? My thought then was that the writer should have lamented the lack of facilities at home that Joe Garba could have benefited from, as well as other Nigerians who cannot fly to London.
On the other hand let us assume there was such a facility available, and a ‘Big Oga’ on a journey needed emergency care and was rushed there. Suppose he was alone without any one to identify him as a big man, and no immediate cash. Would he have been attended to, or would he have been ignored like the four ‘okada’ accident victims narrated above because he was thought to be ‘an ordinary poor man’? What if he died as a result of their negligence? Those medics would be wise to pack their stuff and await their sack letters. But then who is the loser? The dead don’t come back to life. Now imagine the person was Nigeria’s equivalent of Einstein or Winston Churchill. Someone really useful to our society.
The majority of our people need a change in their response and attitude to emergency and the value of human life. Recently, a presenter of a social commentary program on Kano’s Freedom Radio even opined that we value the lives of our goats and sheep more than the lives of our fellow humans, citing the fact that we insist on compensation when our animals are knocked down by a vehicle, but not when a dead child was involved. Many more examples abound relating to Nigerians’ disregard for life and the dignity of corpses of the deceased. I’m ashamed to highlight them here. This illustrates the fact that we need to also have a complete change of attitude to handling of emergencies – the police and the health institutions are key in this regard. We need to show more concern for human suffering. The attitude of our health professionals makes me wonder whatever happened to the Hippocratic Oath. Sacrificed for money?
I recall some years ago when I happened to be at the NITEL main exchange in Kano to sort out the usual billing problems with the Exchange manager when a man rushed into his office asking for the Fire Service’s telephone number. The manager casually replied that he did not have it, and suggested the man should enquire in the general office. I got curious and asked the man why he wanted the number, to which he replied that there was a fire at the Bata junction. Now anyone in Kano knows what that meant. It was akin to a fire at Ojouelegba in Lagos. I quickly remembered that I had the number in my car, rushed out and got it. What surprised me was that everyone went back to normal business immediately after, until I asked the exchange manager “don’t you think you should have this number too?” To which he replied “ah yes, please let me have it”. Now, I wonder what this ‘Nigerian official’ would have done when the telephone exchange of a major commercial city like Kano went up in flames under his charge, and he did not have – at the spur of the moment – any means of calling the Fire Service. I said to him “in my opinion this number should be prominently pasted on all the walls of this exchange”. I don’t know whether this was done, for the wireless services have since freed me of NITEL’s tyranny and spared me visits to the exchange.
I also wonder, do the politicians and high and mighty ever stop to think what will befall their beautiful mansions when a fire ‘decides’ to visit them? Or do they think they are immune? Perhaps they assume only thatched houses in the village catch fire eh? Perhaps their supporters and bands of ‘yan banga’ will be there to form a bucket chain like it used to be decades ago. But let’s even ask – where is the water source? Perhaps if there was a borehole nearby. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Not anymore the fire hydrant. Old hat! The hydrant in front of my house was yanked out a couple of years ago by a contractor working for the – better believe it – Water Board itself! He was contracted to lay a new pipeline, and on reaching the hydrant decided it was a waste of time and resources to connect through the hydrant, so off it came, chamber and all. I salvaged parts of it for keeps in my ‘museum’ for my children to learn about the past.
Secondly, Prevention Systems need to be strengthened. By this I mean issues relating to strict licensing of vehicle users after the necessary tests, vehicle roadworthiness tests and certification, strict application of traffic rules and regulations etc. Not more than twenty to thirty years ago all these were enforced, albeit with varying effects. These days we have the Road Safety Corps, VIO’s, the police Highway Patrol and so much more; but surely the system has collapsed judging by what happens on our roads. You only need to travel at night and see how vehicles of all dimensions – from bicycles to 30 ton trucks and tractors - go about without front or rear lights - without a care! The worst that could happen to them is a “fine” of twenty naira at the next checkpoint, and off they go to kill as many people in their path as they possibly can. This does not happen in neighbouring Niger Republic, where the Gendarmes would firmly and promptly seize the erring vehicle.
The Road Safety Corps mount checkpoints mainly on market day, ‘fining’ drivers who don’t wear seat belts, yet later you see the same vehicles jam packed with passengers- even in their boots - like Sallah rams. I often imagine what would happen to passengers of buses without rear lights, whose legs I see sticking out of the boot, should another vehicle crash into them in the dark. What blew me over was the day I saw Peugeot 306 with Police markings on the highway between Bakori and Malumfashi in Katsina State with 3 policemen sitting in the boot facing me as I was overtaking them. I pointed a warning finger at them, and they waved back merrily thinking I was greeting them. Poor sods! As I overtook them I also noticed 4 in the back and 3 up front, which made 10 policemen in a 5 passenger vehicle! So who shall now enforce our laws? This is a clear indication of what the Nigerian Police Service has become. Discipline, morale and commitment no longer subsist.
Notwithstanding the total abdication of many responsibilities by the police, there is so much that the Road Safety Corps needs to do to protect citizens’ lives that I shall digress too much if they were all to be discussed. The bottom line, however, is that they need to be more proactive and more creative in the area of accident prevention – for example they should get involved in the physical development process of our towns and cities in order to reduce dangerous junctions and blind corners that the corner-shop-craze has visited upon us, much as the fire services are, or used to be, involved in building planning approval. On highways they must stop all those dazzling dozens of lamps on buses and trucks that blind and confuse motorists. Some look like on-coming trains, or even UFO’s, rather than road vehicles. We desperately need to see results rather than jingles on radio during holiday seasons.
I should not conclude without mentioning the hazards that Nigerians face as a result of lack of proper identification. Just imagine if the motorcyclists involved in the accident I narrated had not survived to identify themselves. Fact is they had no papers on their bodies or their vehicles. Again I compare us with our neighbors, Niger Republic, where the remotest villager or nomad carries proper identification – the “identité nationale”. This is usually requested at relevant times and locations by their law enforcement agents; and their citizens – and indeed those of most other francophone countries around us - have become accustomed to carrying it. An important example for us, only if we care!
All the observations made here are necessary social services that we should seriously and immediately begin to put in place; for our collective good. I dare say many of the ‘important personalities’ that trouped to Alhaji Rimi’s house had at one time or another had the chance to do something or the other about these problems. Why hasn’t progress been made? Perhaps they were busy promoting themselves rather than institutions. To conclude this article, I call on the powers that be to please allow the development and strengthening of our institutions for the much needed social services to be delivered to the majority of Nigerians, rather than squander resources on promoting self and cronies. Institutions that would endure and outlive their creators. That is the difference between our present leaders and those of the first republic. Their enduring legacies are still there for all to see. What is the present leadership planning to leave behind for our progeny? What would remain in 20-30 years time? At current rates I shudder to think what. We need an urgent change. A revolution – for the people! Isn’t that what democracy is about?
Bashir H Adamu mnia Kano - Nigeria
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