COCKMENTRY

The recently concluded FIFA U-17 world club that took place in Nigeria was a big success judging by Nigerian standard and probably fair in the books of FIFA and foreign observers and journalist. The TV coverage was something that really amused me and I was very happy that we could local broadcast the competition to the entire country and indeed the world perfectly and with very clear signal. Though the broadcast rights generated a lot of controversy between NTA, DAAR communication and BON/OSMI .Daar communication was quick to let us know that it actually secured FIFA’s nod to broadcast the matches played in 5 centers on behalf of FIFA to the world, while NTA/BON/OSMI only secured the rights to beam it to Nigerians only. Daar’s broadcast of the competition shows that we are locally ready to showcase matches played in our league to our TV regularly and we can feed any foreign nation with signals from various stadiums across the country. The broadcast was flawless and I give kudos to DAAR communication that took it upon itself privately without government intervention to shoulder the broadcast responsibility, though the FG’s last minute intervention of upgrading NTA’s equipment from standard to High definition was another example of our unpreparedness. It actually didn’t materialize because they didn’t make it before the commencement of the competition. The matches were exclusively and comprehensively broadcasted all across the nation through BON/OSMI where the former is the association comprising of every TV station in the country including AIT which is an affiliate of DAAR communication. The difference between the matches showed on AIT and other BON/OSMI affiliated station is the commentary. Over the years, commentary of football matches involving Nigeria’s national teams on local TV were done by a prominent Nigerian who has over the years been the voice of football matches commentary. This commentator/s are affiliated to NTA and with the length of time spent on the job one would have thought they would have mastered the act over the years compared to western commentators or even their South African counterparts. Nigerian’s across the country weekly watch the English Premier League which is one of the best televised league/sport in the world are very familiar with world class match broadcast and reliable commentary. A good soccer fan will agree that you enjoy watching a soccer match with a good commentator anchoring the match. The commentator is like the manual book of a Soccer match, he/she is the guide of the viewers and he/she helps in identifying the players on the pitch and also helps in interpreting several laws and rules that guide the game when situation arises. Commentator’s gives in-depth analysis of teams and supply RELEVANT information to the viewers about the match and other factors related to it. Good commentary entails the commentator to give news of what is happening off screen to viewers who are focused only on the pitch cameras showing the actions on the pitch and also supply developing information from the side line and the fourth official. All this happen behind the camera and viewers can not see this because the cameras a mainly focused on the pitch unless an outside interference causes the cameras to focus elsewhere.

The commentators in the BON/OSMI studios are well know names in football match commentary and they have over the years failed to improved on their beer-palour commentary of matches broadcasted on BON/OSMI affiliated TV stations. Matches shown on AIT network has a foreign commentator and judging by the way he pronounces the names of Nigerian players and other teams one will know they are professionals. The commentators adds more fun to the match by his accurate and very relevant approach and information of the match been played. They accurate pronounce our team list and have a good and RELEVANT knowledge of every single player in the competition. They also have RELEVANT knowledge about history and culture of each host city where matches are played. All these facts are mentioned while matches are going on without deviating from the match itself. Our local commentators full all IRRELEVANCE, they don’t have an idea about other teams and when it comes to matches about Nigeria they discuss the match like a beer-palour setting. They run commentaries like they are been forced and they invite talk about irrelevant issue when the action in the game is not at its peak and quickly switch back to the match ONLY when Nigeria in attacking its opponents or in danger. Issue that does not concern the match are been freely discussed on air with their invited inexperienced co-commentator. An example was match involving an African country whose neighbors geographically are engrossed in a civil war, the commentator was discussing about the political issue of the country in relation with its disputed neighbour while the match was going on. This local commentators raise their voice on if the action is on the part of Nigeria and are completely quiet if its not favouring Nigeria .A match was played before the just concluded CAF champions league match involving Heartland of Nigeria and TP Mazembe, the commentator was actually analyzing the yet to be played CAF champions league match with his fellow co-commentators instead of focusing on the match at hand. Our commentators are killers of football matches and atimes you fall asleep just by listening to them doing damage to the action taking place on pitch. The football terms they use are only found in Nigeria Sports Dictionary, or how do you interpret words like “longish ball”, ”thorough pass” ,”a chester/header”. We did well in area of broadcasting the event to Nigerians and to the world and organization was good compared to what we know Nigeria for, though I have different view about our participation judging by the composition of our team which was rocked by age scandal, but I can still tell that with more hard work we can host any FIFA organized competition at any level ,but we really need to do away with these old commentators who refused to change and train new people to handle this very aspect of football match viewing.

EDO FOR SHOW

I stumbled on a rally staged by the Action Congress in Benin Edo state where the entire PDP elected chairmen and their entire councilors decamped to AC, the entire PDP machinery and chieftains defected to AC. The women leader, youth leaders and personal and official assistants of the former governor were also among the decampees,it was a total exodus of PDP members from the umbrella party to the broom party. I was amazed and shocked when the names and status of the decampees was read out loud by the overzealous moderator in a widely publicized event with a mammoth crowd at the venue. The governor was present and looked like it was his birthday. The new members from PDP looked a bit confused and their followers were there to cheer them up. It was a major blow for the PDP because the event showed that the PDP has lost all his members to AC in Edo state. Edo state used to be a comfortable haven for PDP in the past and opposition parties never really existed in the state. When the new members were called to make speeches on their new status as AC members they had nothing important to say. Judging by the body language and the pointless speeches made by the new member, you do not need an herbalist to tell you this people are in AC to gain the power they lost when Osunbor was kicked out of the government house. Edo has been a stable state since Igbinedion, though he never brought any meaningful development to the state, and the choice of Osunbor was a big mistake because he was never the people’s choice and even PDP party members in the state never supported his anointment by almighty PDP. The point of this article is how long will the smile on the faces of the AC members in Edo and that of the governor last? An example was that given by the former state chairman of PDP who also was among the decampees, in his speech he said they have been oppressed for to long and they needed freedom. Freedom from whom? his party has ruled the state for ten years and he has gain from and I believe his still gain from the PDP led Edo government. Another female chieftain new member who used to be a female PDP leader also said she and the entire Edo women are free from oppression victimization. They all took turn to speak about liberation. The governor danced and jumped through out the occasion and I wonder how long will the dance last. The case of the decamping chairmen and councilors can be understood because most of them are having problem with the state legislative arm and they need to join the AC to escape been suspended or removed. The entire occasion was a show of shame on the part of the Edo PDP and AC. It showed that politicians in Edo are all money seeking hawks. The AC has always been a party the envy and I believe the new members are wiser than the entire AC machinery in Edo. Edo people are watching their state becoming a one party state because of change in government. Why has anybody in the arena failed to see that this PDP decampees are in AC to continue to enjoy the central government they lost through the court verdict that removed PDP from power. Edo people failed to realize that this new members are in the party to continue the political ambition which was thwarted when Osunbor left. Oshiomhole is not a seasoned politicians and I believe he doesn’t know what tune his dancing to today. In what capability does AC in Edo want to admit these new members? How do they want to control the chieftains of PDP currently camouflaging in AC colour. What role will big shots and people who have lived maximally take in the fragile Edo Politics? The AC recently rebuked the PDP for celebrating the movement of some opposition members into PDP in a Northern state; their spokes person tongue lashed the PDP for making merry when the decampees were admitted into the PDP. The show of shame in Edo is the worst have ever seen in recent time. During the welcome speech of the governor, he talked a lot about Godfatherism and he tongue lashed ANENIH and other Godfathers in Edo. His speech was censored by NTA were I was monitoring the show whenever he talked about serving and past PDP stalwart in the Country. Although he never mentioned Anenihs name but he really dealt took him to the cleaners. The governor didn’t lay emphasis on the new members and his speech did not address the new members, he didn’t formally welcome them and he poured all praises on the crowd and working executive of AC in the State. Like the speaker before him Tom Ikimi, the governors praised and pledge his support for the President and federal legislative arm of the federal government. The crowd at the venue didn’t really reflect the large population of the state and it was dominated by PDP innocent members in the state who are as confused as their decamped chieftain whose main change is to survive under the newly Oshiomhole led AC party. At the end of the show, a reporter asked one of the AC Chieftain at the show how the party will fair with the new members without muscle flexing, he smiled and said everybody knows his duty and everybody will do what his elected to do. But those who left their lucrative post in PDP will not settle for sitting on the bench after been in power for 10years.Lets cross our hand and watch the EDO show as it unfolds. The recent resignation of PDP members present in the kitchen cabinet of Oshiomhole is a tip of the ice berg of what to come, as the Oba of Benin is now been dragged into this power brawl blowing across EDO

HOSPITALITY AND HOSTILITY

It’s no news that the president of the largest Black Country in the world and a top oil exporting country which also doubles as the giant of Africa prefers foreign health care to the one he provides for increasing population. President Umaru Yar’Adua recently took a trip to Saudi Arabia for medical check, rejecting treatment from the National Hospital run by the federal government, and various private health institutions in the Country. This came after his controversial journey to Germany sometimes last year for medical treatment. This act is a very good example of the rot in our health institutions, no thanks to the same government that should be responsible for our welfare. The message is that if you don’t want to die or get miss-diagnosed like Chief Gani Fawehinmi did, you need to look else where for good health care. Mr. President has shown and demonstrated that no matter how complicated your ailment is, you can get good treatment only abroad.

The rot in our health institutions is visible for all to see and Mr. President should have re-branded it by paying visits to one of the government’s hospital whenever his ailment arises.

Government hospitals around the country has turned to hostels or camps where sick people are given beds to die on, it has become a place to spend your final time on earth if you are poor. Our hospitals have virtually nothing, the pharmacies are there to sell pure water in form of drips, and drugs are not included in the hospitals shopping list. Attitude of nursing staffs in these hospitals kills faster than any ailment, they are the ones that will dictate who lives or who dies in their wards. The ethics of Nurses that work in these hospitals are questionable, they operate like they are trained to take care of prisoners of war. They seem to unleash there anger of poor pay, inadequate working environment and poor working condition on their patients.

The issue of decay in government hospitals and lack of medical equipments and shortage of medical personnel’s in these hospitals has been in the news for decades, most of us pay lips service to issue and few of us has physical and recent experience of it. I used to believe the decay has been blown out of proportion or the case was not has bad has it’s been represented in the media and from peoples experience. Have always subscribed to the private health sector and I have never used any of the governments hospitals until recently.

A family member was admitted into one of the public hospitals in southwest Nigeria, the hospital is not run by the state or federal government, and it is managed by one of the first Christian body that came to Nigeria pre-colonial era. The hospitals philosophy of treating patients first before demanding for money makes it look like a free hospital though it is not. The charitable action of the hospital by taking care of patients before demanding for financial settlements made it a beehive for people from the nooks and crannies of the state. The hospital is well stocked in terms of drugs and you can virtually find all prescribed drugs in their pharmacy. The environment is well planned though human interference is causing havoc in the premise. Majority of its patients are middle class earner and less privilege and it also cater for the rich and mighty. Its fees are relatively good compared to what you get in private hospital which provides the same treatment at exorbitant rates.

The main reason of this write-up is the hospitality and hostility observed in this type of health institution and other government owned ones.

It has come to a stage that government trained nurses that work in this particular health institution has turned services rendered to people as privileges, they treat patient like refuges, and most of government owned hospitals are refined refuge camps. The nursing staffs of these hospitals are very arrogant and have no professional ethics. They shout at patients when talking to them. They attend to patient like they are in a veterinary hospital.

A visit to government owned hospitals across the southwest states shows how fast the sector is crumbling. Relatives of patients are subjected to carrying their sick relatives who cannot walk person themselves from doctors office to anywhere around the hospital that the patient has to go. I saw people backing elderly ones from laboratory to theater rooms, pregnant women unable to work are carried by their spouses. This health institutions lack basic medical facilities to cater for people, and their staff are not even willing to work diligently due to their cry of been underpaid. Only a staff nurse attends to patients in 10 rooms present in the ward where my relative was admitted. The same staff nurse is responsible for all patient admitted into the ward, she is responsible for their care and any mistake by her cannot be rectified quickly because the doctor visits once in a day and it’s always in the morning. I have personal witnessed cases where the staff nurse on duty will prescribe wrong dosage of drug. There was a case where the nurse asked me to get a 300g drug for my baby instead of 100g, it was the timely intervention of my wife who happens to have a very good knowledge of medication, she was quick to challenge the nurse on the age and dosage consumption of the little baby which turned out to be a mistake on the nurses part. My brother’s son wasn’t that lucky or should I say was lucky, he got a wrong measurement of drug administered and had his body covered rashes. The staff nurse thought administering higher grams of medication in the absence of the recommended lower grams will do no harm. We both got lucky in both cases, but many patients have lost their life and loved ones in similar and other relative cases.

The present neglect of our health institutions by the executive arm of the federal and state government is a warning to the entire populace to look else where for qualitative health care. Surgeons and medical directors of our government’s hospitals are now liaison officers for foreign hospitals. We all know the saga of a Lagos teaching hospital medical officer and a patient who was directed to a hospital in India for surgery on her daughter, she felt she was extorted by the Lagos hospital medical officer. The medical officer of the hospital did not deny in his interview with the press that they suggested overseas surgical treatment to patient and even help them in making payment to the India hospitals. The woman in the report published by a major newspaper in Nigeria, said she met several Nigerian women with their children recuperating after surgical session mostly cases of hole in the hearth and other heart and respiratory system related ailments. She further praised the professionalism of the Indian health officers, she also talked about the advance medical equipment in the hospital and how neat and safe the atmosphere in and around the hospital was. She also said the cost was bearable compared to what you get in Private hospitals in Nigeria.

The idea of not been able to care for ourselves and running oversea to get medical help is disgraceful, it shows how far we are behind the world. If India with her very high population could take care of its civilians and also has time for Nigerian patients what then can we do? The various government health policies are business oriented and it’s only the money to be gained in executing the project comes to mind not the purpose that the institution will serve. It will not be a welcomed idea if our health institution goes the way of PHCN, NITEL/MTEL, NPA, NRA, and POLICE FORCE.