The death of elder statesman of PDP and Plateau State, Chief Solomon Lar, was received with shock. Again, Plateau has lost a worthy and illustrious son. As we tacitly understand, every dead man is a good man, so another good man is gone and the world is left with evil people. The very first civilian Governor of Plateau State didn’t leave mother earth without footprints engraved upon the sands of time; The Pankshin Dam, Langtang Dam, Cottage Hospitals scattered around Plateau and Nassarawa States as well as Plateau Radio Television Corporation, among others bear witness to his Landmark achievements upon the Plateau. Baba Lar is ostensibly believed to be the first and best civilian Governor of Plateau State but I guess we would leave that for time to tell better.

By fate or human design, Governor Solomon Lar has joined the league of Nigerians who died in foreign hospitals. As we mourn, we continue to ask ourselves a series of pertinent questions: must prominent Nigerians, or senior citizens (as some people would have it), be flown abroad for treatment of every ailment? It was like yesterday, Ojukwu passed on in a London hospital, Yar’adua in Saudi Arabia, Chinua Achebe, Stella Obasanjo and many others that make up the endless list of Nigerians who died abroad. Top on the survivors list who underwent medical health tour in recent times is her Excellency, Dame Patience Ebele Jonathan who wasn’t only cured but was dead and resurrected in a German hospital –based on her own story. Others who did not die but their health conditions improved, or better still managed in foreign hospitals include; Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State, Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross-Rivers State, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State and many others that frequently visit foreign hospitals like his Excellency of Plateau State. So we continue to ask ourselves again and again, is it that Nigerian Doctors are that incompetent, or is that the government has so much money to spend abroad? Who are the hospitals in Nigeria built for, or are they premeditated suicide grounds?

The death of elder statesman of PDP and Plateau State, Chief Solomon Lar, was received with shock. Again, Plateau has lost a worthy and illustrious son. As we tacitly understand, every dead man is a good man, so another good man is gone and the world is left with evil people. The very first civilian Governor of Plateau State didn’t leave mother earth without footprints engraved upon the sands of time; The Pankshin Dam, Langtang Dam, Cottage Hospitals scattered around Plateau and Nassarawa States as well as Plateau Radio Television Corporation, among others bear witness to his Landmark achievements upon the Plateau. Baba Lar is ostensibly believed to be the first and best civilian Governor of Plateau State but I guess we would leave that for time to tell better.

By fate or human design, Governor Solomon Lar has joined the league of Nigerians who died in foreign hospitals. As we mourn, we continue to ask ourselves a series of pertinent questions: must prominent Nigerians, or senior citizens (as some people would have it), be flown abroad for treatment of every ailment? It was like yesterday, Ojukwu passed on in a London hospital, Yar’adua in Saudi Arabia, Chinua Achebe, Stella Obasanjo and many others that make up the endless list of Nigerians who died abroad. Top on the survivors list who underwent medical health tour in recent times is her Excellency, Dame Patience Ebele Jonathan who wasn’t only cured but was dead and resurrected in a German hospital –based on her own story. Others who did not die but their health conditions improved, or better still managed in foreign hospitals include; Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State, Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross-Rivers State, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State and many others that frequently visit foreign hospitals like his Excellency of Plateau State. So we continue to ask ourselves again and again, is it that Nigerian Doctors are that incompetent, or is that the government has so much money to spend abroad? Who are the hospitals in Nigeria built for, or are they premeditated suicide grounds?

Despite having numerous medical doctors, Nigeria has a very bad record in the health sector; it has one of the highest occurrence of infant and maternal mortality, incidents of malaria and that of HIV. And need I mention that we are still battling to kick polio out of the country when many other countries have long forgotten about the disease? If I remember clearly, barely a year ago, Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, after approving funds for the upgrade of Rivers’ State hospitals in terms of facilities and manpower, declared that they are working on law that would prohibit Rivers’ indigenes from seeking medical attention abroad because their hospitals would soon be upgraded to maximum capacity. It is also on record that some Nigerian Governors and ‘Senior Citizens’ still patronize Nigerian hospitals. In November 2011, when I visited a friend of mine in Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Nassarawa State, he narrated his encounter with Senator Abdullahi Adamu who came and was tested with some sophisticated equipment which the Senator donated to the Hospital while he was Governor of Nassarawa State. So far, I have not heard of him flying abroad in search of finer health yet. There are so many other ‘senior citizens’ who would rather be treated in Nigerian hospitals but we are aiming at a situation whereby no one will go out of the country to seek medical attention because all our health needs are met here in this country. Yes! It is possible. How many prominent Europeans, Americans, and even people from other African Countries visit Nigerian hospitals? Today President Nelson Mandela is lying critically ill in a South African Hospital, even though many hospitals in advanced countries would scramble to have the honour of treating him, and that makes a lot of sense to me. Agreed we cannot compare ourselves with advanced countries but our pride of being the ‘giant of Africa’ shouldn’t be only on the lips. How can you own a restaurant and then go about buying food in someone else’s restaurant?

Here, in this country I have seen cases of sick people who were supposed to be flown abroad but were later treated at half the price or even less at another hospital in Nigeria. Our Doctors are not that bad for goodness sake. They probably need more equipment and more training which the government is sometimes reluctant to give. Sometimes, it is just sheer neglect by our leaders. For example, The Aso Villa hospital is one of the best in the federation but you often find its supposed beneficiaries flying abroad in event of the smallest of illnesses or discomfort. After the Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, was attacked last year by some hoodlums believed to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram Sect, the next thing we heard was that he was flown abroad for medical check-up, that is just how ridiculous it can get.

If their claim of loving this country and its people is true, then our leaders should not find any amount as being too exorbitant to invest in our health sector, after all, health is wealth. Receiving treatment at home or abroad will not save a soul if that soul is destined to pass-on but, in my opinion, it is more honourable for one to die in his own home. Baba Lar has left indelible footprints in Plateau State and Nigeria at large, and as we mourn, we should consider the imperative of revamping our health sector.

By Bizum

Bizum is a political analyst and social affairs commentator who writes for ViewPointNigeria from Jos.

count | 90

Now that another prominent Nigerian has died abroad – by Bizum Yadok