I must confess that the nearest I have seen the current governor
of Lagos State Mr. Babatunde Fashola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria was about two
years ago at the Supreme Court of Nigeria’s complex in Abuja when he witnessed
the swearing in of some newly elevated lawyers to the title of Senior Advocate
of Nigeria. We only exchanged very distant gestures of greetings which began
with my telling him good morning sir and he in turn responded thank you.
I have also in the last couple of years written several articles
but only commented about Lagos issues only about thrice the last of which was
my strong condemnation of the Lagos State governor for reportedly sacking
hundreds of medical doctors under the Lagos State civil service for daring to
proceed on strike to press home demands for enhanced pay packages and better
working environment.
In that article, I castigated governor Fashola for been insensitive
by ordering the mass sack of striking doctors even as he air lifted his father
who was reportedly ill to take the best medical treatment abroad.
From the above, readers will appreciate the fact that this is not
a paid write up even if the title may sound patronizing.
Governor Fashola did something in late December 2012 which gave
rise to the title of this piece in which I am now narrating how he stole our
hearts.
The Lagos State governor ended last year on a good note as
one public office holder who understands that power is nothing if the suffering
of a citizen in need can not be ameliorated even when we have the resources to
achieve the resolution of such distress situation.
The act of charity that was done by the Lagos state governor was
his timely intervention in donating N4.5 million to the ailing ace Nollywood
Actress Miss. Ngozi Nwosu who is critically facing health challenge of kidney
related issues. Ngozi Nwosu, the talented amazon who has featured prominently
in several home movies and television soap operas has being bed -ridden
with kidney related ailments for some months and has frantically searched for
N6 million to enable her undergo foreign medical treatment and she could only
raise N2.5 million.
The timely intervention of Governor Fashola with the much needed
cash donation was one killer punch that has engraved his name in the footprints
of time as one kind public office holder who is ready to wipe away the tears of
the distressed members of the society.
Tu Face Idibia, the reputable talented musician who has won
several laurels for his beautiful songs has once released a song in which he
rightly enthused that “power is nothing if the people’s suffering is not
solved…”
Few hours after we ended our Christmas Mass at the Saint Joseph
Catholic Church, Uwakonye-Aniche, Aro-Umuduru Autonomous community of
Arondizuogu in Onuimo local government council of Imo state, I received a news
alert on my facebook wall that Ngozi Nwosu was critically ill and that she was
practically begging the Nigerian elite to come to her assistance because she
does not want to join the growing list of actors and actresses in Nigeria that
have passed on to the great world beyond due to pathetic health challenges
which they could not resolve for lack of financial resources.
At this point, my mind went straight to the philosophical story
written by Sam Anokam for Daily Sun in which he stated the obvious that “Angel
of death has visited Nollywood”.
It was from the beautifully written story of Daily Sun of December
8th 2012 that I learnt that at the last count about 10 actors and actresses,
both popular and obscure (to quote Sam Anokam) have passed on to the great
world beyond. Just before the year 2012 ended and approximately three weeks
after the above story was written the number of actors and actresses that died
in 2012 increased to eleven with the passage at the University of Ibadan
Teaching hospital of the popular Yoruba Actress Miss Bisi Komolafe. She
reportedly died from complications associated with pregnancy even though no
confirmation has emanated from the hospital on her precise cause of death.
In what could pass as the litany of woes that befell the film
industry in Nigeria, the media has reported that the following Actors/Actresses
have died in 2012. They are; David Ihezie; he was a veteran actor, who died in
his Enugu base after a short battle with Arthritis on January 19. He was in his
70s; Brown Atienwen; popular Benin-based seasoned Nollywood actor and staff of
the Edo State’s Ministry of Arts, Culture Tourism, died at the University of
Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). He was unable to pay the sum of N150, 000 for a
major operation. The cause of his illness was unknown. He died in October.
I am told that Governor dams Oshiomole of Edo State was so
enraged at the news that the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of
Culture could not raise the money to save this Benin based talented actor who
died because he couldnt raise a pittance of N150,000. The Governor compulsorily
retired the indicted permanent secretary.
Other Nigerian talented actors and actresses that died from
seemingly surmountable health challenges in 2012 are Mr. Pete Eneh; who
died, according to media reports, after suffering from protracted illness,
which culminated in the amputation of his leg. The actor, who was diabetic,
sustained some kind of injury last year, which degenerated to a sore and
refused to heal. He spent three months at the hospital before he was advised to
amputate the leg to avoid the infection spreading to other parts of his body.
The amputation took place on Wednesday, October 24, after all efforts to save
the leg was unsuccessful.
Enebeli Elebuwa; died in an Indian hospital in New Delhi. He had
spent two years bed ridden and unable to raise the needed finance to proceed to
take good medical treatment abroad since the health sector in Nigeria is in
shambles. Ironically, this profoundly gifted actor Elebuwa was behind a popular
advertisement in which the Federal ministry of culture and information was
advising Nigerians some years back not to travel enmasse abroad in search
of greener pastures [Andrew please don't check out].
It was reported that Mr. Enebeli Elebuwa's health deteriorated
when he couldn’t afford to receive medical attention. It was also gathered that
the stroke came as a result of uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes mellitus,
which also affected his brain.
The shocking news of the serious health challenge facing Miss
Ngozi Nwosu came at a time when those of us holidaying in the South East and
especially in Imo State were bombarded with the unfortunate news that Governor
Rochas Okorocha was in confrontation over right of way with the Senator
representing Owerri Mrs. Chris Anyanwu.
We were about figuring out how this needless public show of shame
between governor Okorocha and Senator Anyanwu could be settled when the
cheering news was again received that the Lagos State governor Babatunde
Fashola has donated N4.5 million to Miss Ngozi Nwosu to enable her take the
best medical treatment abroad.
Most of us who were in the South East for the Christmas break then
heaved a sigh of relief that at last we have a cheering news to take our
attention away from the quarrelsome duo of governor Okorocha and his party
member, the APGA produced Senator Chris Anyanwu.
Looking at the entire scenario from a larger picture of the
donation of this life saving cash to the ailing Actress Miss. Nwosu by Fashola,
a lesson to be learnt is that for once, politicians in Nigeria now have a good
example of the Kind of Charity and humanitarian activity that they can emulate.
Former American President Mr. Bill Clinton in 2007 wrote a 240
pages book on the thematic issue of charitable activities.
Clinton appropriately titled that book as “Giving: How Each of
us can change the World”, and in this book written in simple grammatical
expressions and language, the former American President who is now an Iconic
figure around the World challenged the elite around the world to make doing
work of charity as their first nature.
Clinton wrote thus; “Like many people who are fortunate to live
full, rewarding lives, I reached a point in my journey where, apart from taking
care of my family and being with them and my friends, what I cared most about
was doing what I could to make sure people younger than me don’t die before
their time and aren’t denied the chance to find their own fulfillment. After I
narrowly escaped what could have been a fatal heart attack in 2004, I felt that
way even more strongly”.
Bill Clinton’s wife Mrs. Hilary is another human being that God
endowed with a heart of Gold because she has lived and continues to live a life
of humanitarian services to the less privileged.
In the book by President Clinton titled “Giving: How each of us
can change the World”,
he offered reasons why each of us should extend our good hearts of human
kindness to the needy.
He wrote thus; “Because we live in an interdependent World, we
cannot escape each other’s problems. We are all vulnerable to terror, weapons
of mass destruction, the spread of disease, and the potentially calamitous
effects of climate change. The fact that one in four people who die this year
will succumb to AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, or infections related to dirty
water casts a pall over all our children’s future”.
The singular good act of charity done in late December 2012 by
governor Fashola in the form of giving N4.5 million to Miss. Ngozi Nwosu has
endeared him to the hearts of millions of Nigerians.
Two things easily come up for cross examination from the sickness
of Miss Nwosu which can only be treated abroad for which she does not have the
resources even with her longstanding services to the Nollywood film industry.
The two issues are the need for Nigeria’s health sector to be
fundamentally transformed so that distressed Nigerians can get solution to
their health challenges locally at affordable cost. The second issue
is the need to pay commensurate wages to talented actors/Actresses and for
them to invest their resources for the rainy days.
A situation whereby some of our best Actors/Actresses are paid
pittance for their beautiful work should be condemned and the Regulatory
authorities must wake up to enforce legal frameworks to protect the copyrights
of these rare talents because it is only in Nigeria that such profoundly
endowed actresses/Actors are neglected up to a point of destitution.
* Emmanuel Onwubiko; head, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF
NIGERIA blogs@www.huriwa.blogspot.com.
7/01/2013
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