A President, His Health and His Nation's Health
Written by Alex Okumo Thursday, 19 February 2009 12:44
Long before the predictions of harsh economic reality for 2009 began to tumble in from all quarters at the dawn of the year, the signals were clear and strong that the global financial meltdown, as it has come to be known, would have very grave effects on the Nigerian economy. Though the economic handlers tried to paint a picture of financial security, the reality dictated by the plummeting price of crude oil at the international market was too obvious to ignore. It took ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo to drive home the point that there was no basis for the kind of optimism we were being fed with as he called on Nigerians to brace up for hard times that could last for the next five years.
There was really nothing new about the ex-president's prediction. What was curious about it is the fact that he failed to acknowledge his role in bringing about the hard times he so gleefully predicted. Let's not get it wrong here, it wasn't Obasanjo who ignited the crash in the global financial market that is taking its toll on the price of oil, Nigeria's major foreign exchange earner. But he cannot be excused from taking a sizeable portion of the blame for the severity of the hardship the global recession would have on Nigerians. And here is why: For the eight years he ruled Nigeria, the country enjoyed unprecedented and stable rise in revenues from crude oil. The price of crude oil rose from less than $30 per barrel to above $120 during his watch as president. The total amount that accrued to the Federation Account between 1999 and 2007 when he left office has been put at N33 trillion. Revenues from crude oil amounted to about 88 percent of that sum. Apart from a paltry $52 billion in foreign reserve, Nigeria could not boast of any savings or investments that we could turn to in troublous times like this. So the recession is hitting us without any mitigation whatsoever.
The global recession will not affect every country the same way. Some are bound to be more affected than others depending on their level of preparedness for a time like this by virtue of their savings for the rainy day or sheer ability to quickly rise up to the occasion by deploying people with the skills and know-how to creatively manage the situation. That was what made the difference between Egypt and the other nations in the Bible days. It is sad that in Nigeria one cannot see any Joseph among the people President Umaru Yar'Adua has assembled as ministers and advisers to help steer the ship of state in these troublous times. Though Obasanjo does not have anything directly to do with this, he cannot be completely absolved of blame for saddling Nigeria with a president that is more preoccupied with how to survive a debilitating ailment than state matters. Obaanjo's do-or-die politics contributed more than any election or Supreme Court ruling in getting Yar'Adua into office.
The president's health and his handling of the health sector constitute one of the greatest ironies of the Nigerian nation. One would ordinarily expect him to give utmost attention to the health sector with a view to raising the quality of health care services offered in the country so that he, and indeed ordinary Nigerians, would have access to the best of health care without necessarily traveling abroad. But there is nothing happening along that line yet. Rather we are being treated to a reduction of the budgetary allocation to the health sector for this year.
Perhaps, the thinking among our leaders is that quality health care is an exclusive right of the rich and powerful who have the means to jet overseas for medical check-ups. They seem to forget that the man who builds his toilet very far from his house runs the risk of soiling himself with his own waste on an evil day when he is pressed beyond control. May we not get to that point of disgrace before we learn to do what is right!
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