FEATURE ARTICLE

Priye S. TorulaghaFriday, November 11, 2005
advertisement
[email protected]


ANNOUNCE THIS ARTICLE TO YOUR FRIENDS


CORRUPTION AND THE TWO-TIER HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN NIGERIA


igeria has a two-tier health care system: one for the leaders and one for other Nigerians. Like in the Animal Farm, the leaders receive the best health care that money can buy in overseas while Nigerians who cannot go overseas for health care must receive theirs in Nigeria. Although, there is no officially mandated policy that says the country's leaders must receive their health care needs overseas while other Nigerians must receive theirs in Nigeria, in practice, this is what seems to take place in the country. Perhaps, due to this unofficial practice, Nigerian leaders have refused to modernize the health care system.


This development could be attributed to the massive corruption that has eaten deeply into the social fabric of Nigeria, like cancer. In Nigeria, the leaders and public officials have turned the state into a money making scheme for themselves and their families. Hence, the primary purpose of being in government is to embezzle and become rich. The corporate existence of Nigeria is severely threatened by embezzlement and official misbehavior.

It is not an overstatement to say that the greatest threat to the national security of Nigeria is embezzlement. Embezzlement is the fuel that feeds and sustains corruption. Similarly, the greatest violators of the national security of Nigeria is Nigerian leaders. For purpose of this article, Nigerian leaders include political, military, police, and customs bosses, elected representatives, governors, senators, commissioners, directors, and high level federal and state bureaucrats. They are responsible for running the affairs of the nation and the states. They have been primarily responsible for emasculating the country through massive embezzlement of public funds. Some estimates put the total amount embezzled in Nigeria to about $400 billion.

Due to the massive looting of the public's treasury, Nigeria is a rich country that is poor and disorganized. It is unable to provide basic necessities such as electricity, drinkable water, health care, affordable housing, reliable public transportation etc. to its own citizens. Nigeria cannot even operate an international airline due to mismanagement emanating from embezzlement. While the few, due to their positions in government, enrich themselves, the majority of the people are forced to hustle for everything. As a result, people are turning against themselves, their families, and communities. They are also turning against their ethnic, political, and religious neighbors with wickedness and hatred unimaginable before. This jeopardizes the national security of the country.

advertisement

Indeed, embezzlement is a very serious crime, bordering on treason. It should be treated as a treasonable offence since embezzlement causes more negative impact on society as a whole than armed robbery or occasional interethnic and intra-communal fighting or the threat of a declaration of secession. For instance, when public money that is allocated for road construction is embezzled, it means that roads will not be built. Even if the roads are built, they will not meet expectations or acceptable standard of performance and or will deteriorate very quickly due to cheap materials and shoddy work done to compensate for the amount embezzled. In addition, due to poor roads, economic activities that would have helped to boost the country's well-being are thwarted. Without a buoyant economy, high unemployment is perpetuated and this leads to crime and social destabilization. When money allocated for education is embezzled, it translates to the fact that Nigerian children will end up receiving very poor education. It also means that public schools will be devalued as a result of poor maintenance while private schools built by the embezzlers will thrive. No wonder, private elementary and secondary schools are thriving while public schools look more like refugee centers. When money allocated for health care is embezzled, it means that less people will be trained as medical doctors due to lack of facilities. It also means that there will be insufficient medical equipments, drugs, doctors, hospitals, and health clinics. Translated, dedicated doctors and nurses, frustrated by perpetual lack of facilities, equipments, and drugs, will leave for greener pastures in overseas, thereby, adding further to the medical hardship of the average Nigerian. It is, therefore, not surprising that in the last 30 or more years, the health care system in Nigeria has been in a state of stagnation and decay.

Due to lack of development, modernization, and infrastructural rehabilitation, Nigeria's roads and hospitals are very hazardous to the health and lives of Nigerians. Yearly, thousands of people are killed and thousands more are maimed as a result of road accidents. Similarly, thousands of Nigerians die yearly due to lack of effective and efficient health care system. Quite often, Nigeria's hospitals are like death-inducing centers as many patients end up dying for lack of equipment and drugs.

When deaths emanating from road accidents and lack of health care are combined, it means that hundreds of thousand of Nigerians die due to direct and indirect effects of embezzlement, annually. It is, assumable, under the circumstances, to say that embezzlers and their families cause thousands of deaths in Nigeria. They are also responsible for thousands of people maimed due to road accidents.

Thus, despite the severity of the negative effect of embezzlement, no embezzler has ever been charged in Nigeria for committing a treasonable offence against the state even if the person had embezzled billions of dollars. On the other hand, Nigerian leaders have never hesitated to arrest and charge politically active but patriotic Nigerians for seditious and treasonable offences. Prof. Wole Soyinka, Dr. Edwin Madunagu, Dr. Tai Solarin, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Anthony Enahoro, etc. have been muzzled up by Nigeria's security operatives for threatening the national security of the country, but not embezzlers. Alhaji Asari Dokubo has been added to the list of Nigerians who have been charged for committing treason. Look at the speed in which Alhaji Dokubo was arrested and charged? At the same time, look at the speed in which the former Inspector General, Tafa Balogun, is being charged? Who has done more harm socially, the former Inspector General or Asari Dokubo? Up till now, the former IGP has not been tried, hence, he is dribbling the legal system. When dealing with cases of embezzlement, the federal government, including the Economic and Financial Crime Commission )EFCC), seems very cautious in the way suspects are pursued. Arrests are never rushed in cases involving the crime but anyone charged with treason, regardless of the flimsiness of the case, is immediately arrested with total disregard for civil rights of the person. In fact, throughout the history of the country, those alleged to have violated the national security of the country have always been rushed to detention even on mere allegations.

On the other hand, embezzlers who have wrecked the country go about without any fear of arrest or detention for committing treason.

One major glaring factor in the thinking process of Nigerian embezzlers is the total lack of compassion for other members of society. By embezzling massively, they make it exceedingly difficult for the average Nigerian to survive. The pattern of embezzlement seems to indicate that embezzlers compete among themselves to be the best at the game.

Interestingly, even family members now compete, hence, the first wives, sons, and daughters are competing with their husbands and fathers.

Nigerian embezzlers have no compassion at all. They know that health care is very important in maintaining and sustaining life, yet, they loot money allocated for health care or allocate very little money for it. Instead of building ultra-modern health care system in the country so that everyone could benefit, they loot the money, as if health care is not important. However, when they and members of their families get sick, they fly overseas to receive the best medical treatment while leaving other Nigerians to the mercy of nature.

Thus, the passing away of the First Lady in Spain reinforces this negative pattern of behavior among Nigerian leaders. Nigerian leaders always go overseas for medical treatment. In one hand, they claim to be patriotic and do not mind arresting, imprisoning, and killing other Nigerians for violating the country's national security, yet, they constantly violate Nigeria's national security by refusing to modernize medical facilities in the country and always going overseas for medical treatment. One could recall that Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, at the time, Nigeria's head of state, went to France for medical treatment.

Are Nigerian leaders not aware that going overseas for medical treatment is the surest way for any foreign power to penetrate the national security of the county? Are these leaders not aware that putting oneself at the mercy of a foreign medical team is the surest way for a foreign country to gather critical intelligence on the medical and mental state of a leader? Are these leaders not aware that foreign intelligence operatives can pretend to be medical doctors in a foreign hospital in order to cause medical harm to a leader? Are these Nigerian leaders not aware that medical information is as important as military information, in terms of international relations? Are these Nigerian leaders unmindful of the fact that they are insulting Nigerians by going overseas for medical treatment instead of building modern hospitals in the country so that everyone could receive excellent health care? By going overseas, are these Nigerian leaders telling Nigerians that they are better or more superior, so, deserve to get the best medical care in the world while leaving other Nigerians to make do with little or nothing at home?

There is no logical way to explain why Nigerian leaders prefer to go overseas for medical treatment instead of building modern hospitals in Nigeria other than to say that they are suffering from embezzletitis. Embezzletitis is a chronic disease associated with embezzlement. They prefer to go overseas and spend exorbitantly since the money is a looted wealth and they do not have to account for it. Moreover, they want to show off to other fellow embezzlers about their own financial prowess. Thirdly, embezzletitis has a way of beclouding the thought process.

It is like an addiction, hence, embezzlers think like addicts. For instance, despite the fact that for over four years, Nigerians have been complaining and protesting loudly against public officials traveling overseas frequently, high-level federal and state officials, including commissioners, governors, representatives, and local chairpersons continued to travel overseas on monthly basis. If they do not go to London, they end up in the United States or South Africa. Even the arrest of Governor Joshua Dariye of Plateau State in London did not deter them. In Bayelsa, people were really disgusted by the fact that their governor was actually spending more time in foreign countries than in the state, yet, the governor continued to travel out almost on monthly basis. Finally, the traveling caught up with him and now, he must answer questions in a court of law regarding money laundering charges, in London, his most preferred destination. Now that Bayelsa State governor is facing charges, corrupt Nigerian public officials have realized that they could be arrested for embezzlement and money laundering if they travel to Britain or the United States, as a result, have decided to stay home, for now.

Nigerian leaders seem to behave like drug addicts due to embezzletitis. As a result, they find it exceedingly difficult to hide their stolen wealth. They begin to show off their ill-begotten wealth as soon as they loot by building and buying huge mansions and expensive cars. By so doing, they openly inform everyone that they have embezzled and have acquired new socioeconomic status in society. Like drug dealers, embezzlers like to compete among themselves. When one of them buys a property in an up-scale neighborhood, whether in Abuja or Lagos or Port Harcourt or London or New York or Hollywood or Paris or Washington DC or Maryland, or South Africa, others immediately rush in to do the same, regardless of the need. When one of them establishes a private university, other embezzlers too want to do the same. Increasingly, private universities are cropping up everywhere in the country. When one of them goes for plastic surgery, others immediately follow, in order to show-off their newly reengineered bodies.

The wives, husbands, children, and relatives too become addicted to the act, as soon as one person in the family commits embezzlement. They find every possible reason to justify the criminal act. Some even kill in order to be where they are. Embezzlers prefer to invest outside rather than in the country. They are pathologically fearful of a potential peoples' revolution or some kind of a military coup, so, they take the money out of the country for safe keeping in a foreign bank. It is not surprising that embezzlers have a tendency to keep millions of cash in their homes, just like drug dealers and 419 operators. They do so since it normally takes awhile for a looted money to be laundered through the banking and real estate systems.

Embezzletitis seems to induce a state of extreme self-centeredness and wickedness. Thus, embezzlers do not care whether millions of people suffer or die. Like drug dealers and addicts, embezzlers only think about themselves. This is why Nigerian leaders prefer to steal the peoples' money and refuse to build and modernize medical facilities in the country. Similarly, like addicts, they believe that they have a right to receive the best medical care in the world while other Nigerians have no such rights. Like addicts, they try to justify their actions, no matter how ridiculous such justification may be. Some embezzlers are alleged to be building private refineries and medical facilities in other countries. Some are no more content with flying in commercial airlines and are buying "medical planes" that could make it possible for them to fly direct to any overseas destination without having to go through commercial airports.

Now that the war against corruption is being internationalized with the support of Britain, United States and the United Nations, Nigerians should launch legal suits to claim properties that were built or acquired through looted wealth both inside and outside the country. For example, Nigerians in the United States, using various national organizations, should endeavor to sue to claim money or property built with looted Nigerian money. If Nigerians in Switzerland, France, Britain, Germany etc. do the same, embezzlers would realize that the era of embezzlement is over. Similarly, Nigerians should join legal forces to sue their state officials for alleged misuse of public funds. They should not be afraid to contest the right to any property that was built with looted wealth from their states. Additionally, Nigerians with computer and internet skills should try to scout the internet to find out who has embezzled or laundered illegally begotten wealth and publish such findings for public education. Other Nigerians should petition foreign governments in a determined effort to make sure that embezzlers are prevented from traveling overseas. The declaration by the EFCC that some state governors will forfeit assets worth $17 billion abroad is proper and necessary.

President Olusegun Obsanjo, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the EFCC alone cannot completely wipe out corruption. The war requires the total support of the Nigerian people. It is fervently believed here that the anticorruption war is more likely to be successful using legal means. The Jerry Rawling's rout, as suggested by some writers, is not very suitable in Nigeria, taking the country's politico-military history into consideration. A legal approach is bloodless and is not likely to lead to violent counteraction. However, a Jerry Rawling's approach can lead to a bloody counteraction, if it fails.

The president needs to write a bill and the National Assembly needs to pass it as a law banning any public official from traveling overseas for medical treatment. If the president fails to do so, Nigerians should put pressure on him and the National Assembly to do so. This is intended to encourage Nigerian leaders to invest more in the medical arena in Nigeria. It is unthinkable for an American or a British or a French or a German leader to receive medical treatment outside his/her country. It should also be unthinkable for a Nigerian leader to receive medical treatment outside Nigeria.

A law should be passed, treating embezzlement of public funds as a treasonable offence. This means that anyone caught or arrested for embezzlement, if tried and found guilty in a court of law, would face severe punishment. Indeed, embezzlement is a treasonable offence due to the severe pain that it inflicts upon society. It is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Nigerians every year, the stunted economic growth and the perpetual political instability. Dr. Tonye David-West, in his interesting article, "My Mansion in Potomac, MD 20854," narrated the story of a Kogi State governor who almost wiped out the entire treasury of the state, thereby, forcing the state to be in the red by N63 billion. Due to the deficits, the state university was recommended for closure by the National University Commission. Doesn't such a crime merit being categorized as a treasonable offence? Of course, it merits such consideration, however, Nigerian leaders would not place embezzlement as a treasonable crime for fear of entangling themselves. Thus, throughout the history of Nigeria, it is always the politically powerless and or dis-enfranchised who are always charged for treason. Hence. Asari Dokubo is charged for treason while the politically powerful can go about showing off their looted wealth.

The president and members of the National Assembly should work together to pass a law that allows for a grace period in which embezzlers can turn in looted wealth. This means that any embezzler who voluntarily surrenders his/her looted wealth would be forgiven within a specified grace period. In order to accept the offer, the embezzler must surrender all documents pertaining to the looted money and properties. Those who fail to turn in their looted wealth within a specified period will face the full wrath of the law and serve time in prison if found guilty.

A law also needs to be passed banning anyone with a looted wealth from running for any political office. Ordinarily, it is impossible for an active or retired military officer or a civil servant to become a millionaire. Therefore, anybody running for office must totally declare his/her assets and explain how any wealth was obtained

Embezzlement and corruption have forced many Nigerians to become professional refugees in foreign countries. Every day, a Nigerian is scheming to run away from the hell caused by embezzlers. Frustrated and helpless, Nigerians are increasingly turning to prayer to save them from the crocodiles who call themselves public officials and contractors. In particular, when Nigerians turn to their ancestral forces for assistance, it means that they can no longer take it anymore. It appears that the prayers are beginning to bear fruits as embezzlers are being caught one after the other. In other words, some Nigerians would say that embezzlers and their families are beginning to receive the kharmic consequences of their behavior. Some Nigerians would say that God/Allah/Chineke/Chukwu/Akwa Abasi/Olorun/Oluwa/Tamarau/Woyingi etc. is beginning to punish them for their sins. Some Ijaws are likely to attribute the development to Egbesu's effect.

Thank heavens, there is an equalizer in the world. The equalizer is death. Death has a way of humbling everyone, including the high and mighty who think that they are above others and have a right to inflict undue pain and suffering to millions of Nigerians through embezzlement of pubic funds. Therefore, going overseas for medical treatment while leaving millions of people to suffer at home does not guarantee escape from the claws of the great universal equalizer. One by one, they are either being caught or silenced in perpetuity by the great equalizer. A two-tier health care system is a violation of human rights of the people of Nigeria and should cease to exist.