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How medical staff in Umaru Shehu hospital helped kill accident victims recently

Published

2 years ago

June 21, 2023

Ochuwa Ibrahim

How medical staff in Umaru Shehu hospital helped kill accident victims recently

By: Bodunrin Kayode

So many issues that my binoculars have picked in the last few months of advertent silence but could not be reflected here now. However, this one has to do with what I will describe as “medical rascality” from a secondary hospital facility leading to the death of accident victims. That to me is why I needed to dissect the issues involved before the anger of the residents in Borno state against Dr Philibus and his management team dies down.
The increasing “professional arrogance” and downright ineptitude of some practitioners of the medical profession in Borno is beginning to stink unto high heavens. How on earth will accident victims from a scene in front of the Airforce base be rushed to a secondary hospital like Umaru Shehu and they are turned down? It’s sacrilegious that medical practitioners regardless of rank could dump their oaths in the alter of any guise or excuse and refuse wounded patients access to treatment. What happened some weeks back in maiduguri is an abominable act for any trained medical personnel not to have the milk of human kindness inside him or her. No wonder Governor Zulum vowed on his visit to the facility that heads will surely roll for such a wicked wrong doing.

And that was what was exactly displayed by staff of the Umaru Shehu ultra modern hospital recently to a good Samaritan who witnessed a head on collision between a commercial tricycle known as Keke napep and a passenger bus which was rushing to meet the eight O’ clock deadline for the Maiduguri Damaturu road to be opened to commuters by the military. The military closes the highway every day by 4pm till the next morning when it is opened. When open, some of the commuters speed as much as 150/180km per hour to get to their long distance locations in time loaded with so many passengers.

The Samaritan one Comrade Umar Mukhtar who bloodied his car for common humanity had decided to put the most vulnerable of the victims from the crash into his car and drove them speedily to the hospital named after the first Professor Emeritus of medicine in Borno, Umaru Shehu. Obviously hoping to get treatment for people he had never known in his life but he was turned down. He was so emotional about saving the lives of these two ladies even though they were not related to him. Eye witnesses said he had to virtually beg for them to be taken in immediately but they were abandoned on the bare floor by stone hearted medical personnel he met in the accident and emergency (And E) unit. He went to the office of the principal medical officer (PMO) Dr Philibus but he was not on seat. Got his line and called him but with the arrival of the man of the facility, the answer was a double no. He started shedding tears that even the so called well trained Philibus had joined the band wagon of ineptitude professionals which Governor Zulum has vowed to weed out. Here is his edited narration in a petition to the state government over the wrong attitude displayed by Dr Philibus the principal medical officer of the facility and his medical staff who stood for him before he was called to the scene.

TO THE GOVERNMENT AND GOOD PEOPLE OF BORNO

“Tears are still running from my eyes as am typing this messages.A serious accident never seen just happened in front of me today at about 4:50pm at the NAF Base gate along Kano road Maiduguri Borno State capital.

” The accident involved Hummer Bus with full passengers and Keke napep carrying 3 passengers and driver. The accident caused death and severe injuries. I had parked and rendered assistance as usual. The drivers were unconscious as they had Head injuries.

“The 2 women also had multiple fractures in the mouths and head bleeding and mentioning the name’s of their daughters, husband and their son to come for their aid.

” As we rushed them to the A&E at Umaru Shehu Ultra Modern Hospital (USUMH) unfortunately, they refused to attend to us and referred us to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH). We asked for Ambulance to rush them to the UMTH they said they don’t have power to give us ambulance. We went to Chief Medical Director’s (CMD’s) office he wasn’t around I called him twice no response. That’s how the first woman by name Ya mallam died on the floor. Later when the CMD came he still asked us to go to UMTH. We asked if he can assist with ambulance because they were bleeding. He said the ambulances were faulty. I was able to ask some staff in the hospital, they said the ambulances are working only that he doesn’t want to give so we still had to carry them in our personal vehicles to UMTH.

“I cried over why a hospital like USUMH in the center of Maiduguri lack not only the Medical facilities but kindhearted management. I have all the pictures and videos for record purpose.” He said.

In his petition to Governor Zulum, Comrade Umar lamented that the security blockage the Nigerian Airforce component base had placed on their side of the road was another major setback for commuters plying that route which is the only functional route leading out of the state.

He went on: “The worse part of this is that the road is where this type of accident use to happen on a daily basis . Therefore, we call and appeal to the state government and all relevant authorities to stand and take urgent action on these by coming to our rescue to open this road closed by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) over a decade now.

“This is the only entrance to Maiduguri but it has become a death trap. The danger caused as a result of the shut down of the other length of the road is worse than Boko Haram itself. We don’t know why Nigerian Air Force still don’t want to Open this road. We all know that Boko Haram saga has become history.

“The number of people dying in accidents on the road daily are in thousands and it has crippled many. Are we all going to die before the road will be open? Enough is enough!

” So we advise as concerned citizens, Let NAF open this road as a matter of urgency and let them move to their permanent site at Auno and allow people to live long before their natural deaths. Let them close this gate and use their other entrance inside the Airport.”, said Comrade Umar Mukhtar.

On seeing the petition milling around the online space, Governor Babagana Zulum acted swiftly by first empathizing with the two ladies especially the one who died on the day of the crash by attending the funeral. After the burial of the two ladies who were obviously All Progressive Congress (APC) party stalwarts, he stormed the Umaru Shehu hospital to find out why they treated the women like animals instead of helping them to stay alive. After his tour of the facility which he felt had failed him in spite of all his efforts towards fixing the battered health sector, Governor Zulum called for a probe of hospital staff over the viral video showing accident victims rejected
He actually said he wanted the culprits tried charged and punished within 24 hours. But senior officials in the Ministry felt Philibus must pass through the service rules before being sacrificed for his negligence.

“Zulum, directed the Ministry of Health to investigate and fish out medical staff on duty for allegedly rejecting victims of accidents rushed to Umaru Shehu Ultra Modern Hospital that very day. He gave the directive recently at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital. ” said a statement from the government house.

“The governor’s visit to Umaru Shehu Hospital was in response to a video clip which went viral on social media showing how some medical personnel allegedly rejected accident victims brought to the hospital on a date and time that will be determined by investigators.” said the release.

What happened is “inhuman and unacceptable” Zulum said as he addressed health workers at the hospital.

“A situation where patients are left crying for help, yet a hospital rejects them? We will not allow such a situation to repeat itself. I see no reason why disciplinary action will not be taken against the erring staff in this hospital”, the governor declared.

“If any medical doctor or any personnel in any of our facilities is not willing to attend to patients without cogent reason, he or she should equally be fired without hesitation”, Zulum said.

He added, “Within the next 24 hours, the Hospital Management Board and the Ministry of Health should investigate the incident and ensure disciplinary measures are enforced against all those on duty that refused to admit victims of the accident brought here.”

Governor Zulum noted that the state government has invested heavily in the health sector, including the welfare of the medical officers, across the state, and he called on medical officers to reciprocate the gesture by providing quality healthcare services to all patients without discrimination.”
Meanwhile Ya Kime the prominent female politician that died in the accident in company of her colleague politician Ya Zara have since been buried according to Islamic rites.

How medical staff in Umaru Shehu hospital helped kill accident victims recently

Columns

Simon Bako Lalong: Where Are The 400 Deutz Fahr Tractors? (1)

Published

4 days ago

March 9, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Simon Bako Lalong: Where Are The 400 Deutz Fahr Tractors? (1)

By: Balami Lazarus

As young schoolboys in Zaria, we were privileged to spend our time interacting with our peers within and around the academic environment of Ahmadu Bello University (A.B.U.) main campus at Samaru. This period gave my peers and me a wide range of exposure to various facilities, faculties, departments, schools, colleges, and units of the university. Being boys full of life, adventures, and events, we were not bored with their academic programs but more interested in their social and practical activities.

Institute of Agricultural Research (I.A.R.), Division of Agricultural Colleges (D.A.C.), and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and other related units are where we were more attracted to because of their implements/tools and equipment. The tractors and their components, like harrows, ploughshares, and harvesters, have awakened the aspirations of some of us to be agricultural experts, farmers, and university dons in agricultural sciences, and others as researchers.

Agricultural tractors have been one of the most important machines in the cultivation of commercial and mechanized farmland, providing food/cash crops and agro-allied raw materials for industries and factories, hence the economic development of Nigeria.

Therefore, tractors like Massey Ferguson, John Deere, Ford, Fiat, and Styre were common sights for us.

When I decided to do some investigations on the whereabouts, or to say disappearances, of the 400 Deutz Fahr tractors belonging to the state government and the people of Plateau State. It was really not easy for me because individuals who were in the stream of affairs, past and present, are not willing to speak on this matter. And I began to suspect there was connivance/conspiracy in the disappearances of these tractors by some collective individuals.

Questions are being asked over and over by the citizens of Plateau State about the 400 Duetz Fahr model tractors made in Germany, which were procured by the state government during the administration of former Governor Simon Bako Lalong (2015-2023), whose tenure was nothing to write home about except for his poor performance in governance. Unlike the beginning of the good governance of the present administration of Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.

In the course of my investigations and findings, I was told that the one and only person who had asked questions severally and was still speaking on the matter was one Ehis Akugnonu of JFM 101.9 FM. Jos (aka Osama), whom I met on this matter, our discussions lacked adjectives to qualify the disappearance of the 400 Deutz Fahr tractors on the Plateau, a state blessed with fertile land for farming and production of food and cash crops in all seasons.

Agricultural programs have always been the priority of the government, both state and federal. Institutions of learning—universities, institutes, and other research centers—are not left out of the scheme of agricultural activities. Individual and organized private sectors are also playing significant roles in the development of the nation’s agricultural economy, adding value to the agricultural food chain.

Former Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State procured the 400 Deutz Fahr tractors to boost agriculture to enable farmers to cultivate more farmland through the utilization of these tractors. Surprisingly, they were never distributed to farmers in the 17 local government areas. Sources within Government House Little Rayfield Jos told this writer that “there was a clandestine arrangement that played out in the disappearance of the 400 Duetz Fahr’. In simple arithmetic, if and only if these tractors were distributed to the 17 local government areas, each would have gotten 23, leaving 9 tractors for other purposes, but the disappearance has dampened the spirit of the state farmers. “No single individual is happy about this matter.”. We will continue to ask questions until these tractors are brought back to us’. Said a concerned citizen.

Recently, the Executive Governor of the State, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, in his good governance programs, procured 200 new tractors of the Massey Ferguson model that were immediately, without delay, distributed to organized farmers’ groups across the 17 local government areas. This gave hope, wiping away tears on the faces of small and medium-scale farmers on the Plateau.

In tidying up this write-up, I was informed that the disappearance of the 400 Deutz Fahr tractors paved

way that saw the carting away in a thievery manner and the gleaning of government house items at Little Rayfield Jos. While fingers are pointing to Senator Simon Bako Lalong on the whereabouts of the 400 Deutz Fahr tractors worth hundreds of millions of naira, which could have changed the agricultural landscape of Plateau State.

Balami, a Publisher/Columnist

08036779290

Simon Bako Lalong: Where Are The 400 Deutz Fahr Tractors? (1)

Columns

Simon Bako Lalong: Where Are The 400 Deutz Fahr Tractors? (1)

Published

1 week ago

March 3, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Simon Bako Lalong: Where Are The 400 Deutz Fahr Tractors? (1)

By: Balami Lazarus

Therefore, tractors like Massey Ferguson, John Deere, Ford, Fiat, and Styre were common sights for us.

In tidying up this write-up, I was informed that the disappearance of the 400 Deutz Fahr tractors paved

Balami, a Publisher/Columnist

08036779290

Simon Bako Lalong: Where Are The 400 Deutz Fahr Tractors? (1)

Columns

My Binoculars: A tribute to a former Controller of customs Borno state Joshua Angbalaga

Published

2 weeks ago

February 28, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

My Binoculars: A tribute to a former Controller of customs Borno state Joshua Angbalaga

By: Sam Kayode

Indeed Angbalaga was a reporter’s delight. Firm yet welcoming. His demise is a sudden blow to some of us who have basked in his warmth and detribalized nature. He was of a different make from the generality of uniformed personnel some of us are used to, sharp witty with a strong ability to interface from one generation to another. He was a trained sociologist from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria where he graduated in 1984. Taught for sometime at the FCT which gave him the unique ability to understand his generation and all the ones after his.

His training as a customs official since 1988 had taken him to many States including the commercial capital of Nigeria Lagos and many other cities. Controller Joshua Angbalaga was easy going and kept an open door for most of us journalists who came into contact with him through exclusive interviews. He was open minded and was ready to tolerate most of our young colleagues who sometimes displayed slight intolerance for uniforms at news conferences because of the insurgents lurking around.

In Controller Joshua Angbalaga buried today in lafia nasarawa state, I have a personal loss of a man who was an exemplary news maker. He was a public figure who had immense knowledge about the weaknesses and strengths of the gentlemen of the pen. He was a good representative of his controller General. He understood the body languages of most of our intolerant younger colleagues and gave his subordinates in the office then a standing directive that any time any of us comes to see him, we must not be kept waiting unnecessarily if he is free. He was far different from previous controllers who had come and treated reporters like condemned criminals who should never be allowed to come close to the controllers office upstairs.

Some of them in sister agencies especially the ones in the immigration service gave standing orders that journalists should be turned away from the gate as if we were insurgents. This was because some of them were never financially transparent as we learnt from their boys so we understood why they were so vehement at stopping journalists from conducting their constitutional activities. A lot of Angbalaga’s paramilitary colleagues marveled at his dexterity with the gentlemen of the fourth estate.

Our paths met in April 2017 when he reported to Maiduguri as controller and Borno/Yobe area Commander of the Nigerian customs. That was three years after I reported in Maiduguri as correspondent of the nation newspaper.
From then on we continued to work together with him and his entire management team in making expected progresses within the war theatre.
We had several news conferences with him especially on how he had been able to make tremendous progress in turning things around in spite of the insurgency which was at its peak by then. Angbalaga was a rare news maker in uniform because of his belief that none of his officers were too rotten to resist reforms. They were all in sync with his policies to make the state better than he met it. When it was time to go, he left maiduguri on transfer to Abuja where he later retired in 2020. He was involved in stopping a lot of contrabands including hard drugs which is the main fuel keeping insurgents at alert.

On retirement, we kept our communication intact and friendly. Oga Angbalaga was a very studious officer who had already prepared himself for leadership roles by completing his master in public administration in 2000. Feeling a bit bored and not tired in retirement, he went back to school for his PhD program in University of Abuja. He told me recently that he was close to finishing his course work and was kicking to go to the next challenge as God directs. We bantered on the phone while I wondered if he was going back to teaching but he laughed and asked for Gods will to be done. We had a one hour call last year with an invitation to me to visit him during the last yuletide 2024. So with a promise that I would be in lafia to see him for the yuletide, we rounded the call. But due to certain conditions not under my control, that was the last time we would talk as friends. I missed the trip due to I’ll health. Controller Angbalaga is no more as the Lord wills. He has answered the solemn call of nature which sends all mortals back to their creator regardless of age, status, character, race or creed. Death has shown that it’s a leveler of all mankind and my friend oga Angbalaga as I used to call him lived a forthright life before bowing to immortality. May the Lord console his friends at Mount St Gabriel Makurdi, St John Bosco Doma, the entire family of the Nigerian customs service, immediate family and the entire eggon nation where the Lord used him to touch several souls before his passage.
Have a nice sleep oga Angbalaga. From Biodun as you used to call me.

My Binoculars: A tribute to a former Controller of customs Borno state Joshua Angbalaga