What Does All This Mean?

I've been trying to process a few things since Thursday 5 December, 2013 as I watched President Jacob Zuma on a cable network make that fateful announcement about the passing on of Mr Nelson Mandela. I know exactly where I was and what I was doing when my attention was drawn to Jacob Zuma looking more presidential and sober than I had known him in the media. Shortly after the speech, the whole world seemed to have been woken up by some "cock crow at dawn" event at a sunset! In my entire life, I've never witnessed a human so revered by a cross section of the society. From the United States of America to the Middle East and from Africa to Asia; from all religious faiths to humanists and atheists, condolences and kind words poured in for one man. Country after country announced days of mourning and national flags to be flown at half mast. It was more like the coming of a deity than the passing of a mortal. Madiba redefined greatness and widespread acclaim in life, and even more at death than any humans in recent history.

Mandela stood for Human Rights and was ready to be imprisoned or even give up life itself to assert that Human Rights were not candies that could be handed out free by some generous merchants. No, Human Rights are inalienable. Human rights are birthrights and are not conferred by any persons or institutions. It is the right to the dignity of life itself. Mandela spent 27 years of his life in prison affirming such Rights until the oppressive forces realised the futility of apportioning or rationing Rights. We are born with Human Rights. This post is therefore dedicated to a man whose life, struggles, failures and successes typify our humanity, and how our Rights are at the core of essence of living. Many of our careers in the contemporary society reflect our attempt to correct a shift from the core. If there were no breach of rights to dignity and respect, we would not need to manage sexual violence and the sequelae of sexual assault/rape.  If there were no breach of rights, we wouldn't be talking of torture, assault and murder charges, and the need for forensic death investigation in such regard; if there were no breach of rights, there wouldn't be corruption and other forms of misappropriation of resources which deny ordinary people some means of decent living. If there were no breach of rights, people would live up to their responsibility and our institutions would work. If there were no breach of rights, the principles of equality before the law wouldn't apply and there wouldn't be any class system that would make some more equal than others.  If there were no breach of rights, Mandela wouldn't need a 27 year sojourn on Robben Island to make a decisive statement.

As we reflect on what all this means and why one man has appeared larger than life even in death, we can determine to commit to any noble cause that outlives us; a cause that seeks for greater good; a cause that upholds the sanctity of humanity; a cause that seeks the best in others; a cause that appreciates diversity as an expression of the beauty of colour and variety; a cause that defies stereotypes and prejudice; and a cause that embraces workable compromise, reconciliation and peace.

Madiba, with all the frailty of human nature and imperfections therein, lived his life in the pursuit of such a noble cause. A befitting respect  and tribute to this icon will be to live a life that respects, upholds and defends Human Rights.

Self-Destruct Mode: When Public Interest Takes a Backseat in FG-ASUU Face-Off

I hereby reference two of my previous blog posts: http://uwomeze.blogspot.com/2013/08/strikes-in-health-and-other-sectors.html and http://uwomeze.blogspot.com/2013/07/strikes-in-healthsector-when-patient.html to indicate my general disposition to strikes in the public sector. The following may be of interest to researchers:

1. Do we know the number of students who have lost their lives or maimed due to the disruption of their stay in school?
2. We need to find out the opportunity cost of many students who will never return to the universities anymore because of a change in circumstance occasioned by being out of school for up to six months.
3. There is also urgent need to quantify the economic loss, physical and psycho-social burden parents and caregivers have borne for this period of time their children have been out of school.
4. Some academics may also be interested in determining the socio-economic and security impact on the society due to about six months of having a teeming population of jobless youth roam the streets in search of nothing.
5. Of course, it is imperative to forecast what all these anomalies portend for the future; some of the problems are just brewing at the moment to be served tomorrow.

All the issues we discuss here are all related to health.  The WHO definition of health is insightful: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. It is not difficult to connect the dots; there is some sickness around. We have to be concerned about the health (complete health) of those making decisions on our behalf.  We must also examine the health of their decisions, and we have to evaluate the impact of these decisions on the health of the public. In the current FG-ASUU face-off, and many other strikes in the public sector (ongoing and threatened), there appears to be a clear lack of health fitness certificate.

After a protracted strike action by university lecturers and equally protracted negotiations which eventually culminated into a final and prolonged parley with the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, the general public heaved a sigh of relief that the matter would eventually be resolved. However, optimism gave way to despair and finally, the federal government came out with a marching order to lecturers to resume work or be sacked as widely reported in the media

Government action appears hasty and thoughtless, and ASUU’s posture tactless and self centred. One would have expected that having gone to this stage, any other matters arising would have been carefully managed, not necessarily in the public domain. However, one is compelled to remark that ASUU has betrayed some undue militancy and extremism in the current struggle. There is no way on the face of the earth one gets every demand; negotiation or renegotiation is a give and take affair. Notwithstanding any previous disappointments and frustrations, some element of trust and hope must be part of the ingredient for any healthy meal of agreements. It is not always on a piece of paper which is only worth the will to keep to such undertaking. This is acknowledged even in international diplomacy. It was an apparent public disrespect to the office of the President of Nigeria for ASUU to assert on seeing him again to present their final conditions before calling off the strike. If the President of the country has to entertain every trade union on their “strong feeling”, as the leader of ASUU indicated in his letter to the President, then there will be no other job for the presidency in a calendar year because there are well over 365 trade unions and professional bodies in the country lining up to meet with the President on one burning issue after another. The letter of ASUU to the President was quite unfortunate as it could be interpreted as essentially ordering the President and Commander-in- Chief of the Armed Forces to carry out certain actions within a stipulated time.We may have any issues with any persons occupying such position but respect should be seen to be accorded that office. ASUU leadership appears tactless and self centred in this context. 

Furthermore, ASUU cannot continue to live in the past and fail to appreciate that the future is damaged if we do not get out of a burning house with whatever we can salvage. The call should not only be on education but on all the sectors of our national life. What use is a “perfect” educational system when there is insecurity, poor infrastructures and pervading corruption in the land? The result is, of course, continuous brain drain which is a double loss to the country. There is, therefore, urgent need to have a bigger picture in mind when looking at this struggle. A narrow obsession over some items will result into digging into deeper holes and troubles. ASUU has made its point but the body must also realize that it cannot love Nigeria more than the rest of Nigerians.  If you are fighting for public good, you have to galvanize the general public to make it their own fight.  Students, parents and guardians are hurting but ASUU leadership does not appear to take such situation into cognizance. It appears to be all about “our members” and "our interest".  Where exactly are we headed with this kind of posture? Do the rights of students and their parents matter in all this? Who compensates the students, their parents and the general public for injury and losses suffered so far?

The federal government response to ASUU’s latest conditions appears hasty and thoughtless. It is an anti-climax to the long path which brought some glimmer of hope after the meeting with the President. This “fire for fire” mentality that has engulfed the entire polity needs to be urgently reviewed. The sack threat is a devaluation of the efforts of the President of Nigeria at resolving this crisis. Government needed to have taken a measured response in the current situation and by so doing ignite more confidence in Nigerians and in ASUU to the delicate issue that agreement reached with the State will be honoured. It is rather unfortunate that the level of confidence has so much degenerated to the extent that even a meeting and an agreement with the President of a country will require further revalidation. This only results into some vicious cycle of distrust upon distrust. Let us, for once, consider the public interest. We are losing the plot.

Meanwhile, moderate lecturers may need to find an alternative platform in dealing with the challenges of education and interrelated sectors in Nigeria. ASUU brand has suffered considerable damage and the mere mention of “ASUU” conjures up images of closed university gates and strikes fear in the hearts of students and parents. We cannot afford to continue on this self destruct path. The federal government and ASUU must realize we cannot place mere monetary value on people and on our future. It is not all about money and budgetary provisions. It is equally about people; about commitment to making a positive change as individuals; about sacrifice; about inspiring others to greater good; and about our shared humanity in preserving the sanctity of our existence. We must pull back and save whatever could still be salvaged. The damage on the students, parents, the public and the future is enormous. Does the current FG-ASUU face-off care about this?

Autopsy on the Body of Late Festus Iyayi: Process as important as Procedure

While discussions continue on a recent blog post about investigating the road traffic crash in which ex-ASUU leader and others lost their lives, it is gratifying to know there has been a recent call for autopsy on the body of the deceased as reported in the media: http://www.punchng.com/news/iyayi-asuu-suspects-foul-play-asks-for-autopsy/

However, it is equally important that the process of the autopsy be streamlined in accordance with existing mandate stipulated by law, so as to achieve the intended purpose.  In the media report referenced above, the following statement was credited to the spokesperson of Iyayi’s family: “Commenting on the development, Iyayi family spokesman, Prof. Robert Ebewele, said that the issue of autopsy was ASUU’s affair and that the family would go ahead with the burial already slated for the first week of December”. It is important, therefore, to observe that the issue of autopsy in this context is not only an “ASUU’s affair”, but also, more importantly, a public affair, a medico-legal affair, and a justice affair. The death of Prof Festus Iyayi and many other Nigerians, who lose their lives daily on our roads and in other circumstances, calls for death investigation under the Coroner’s Law.  The process of undertaking this procedure therefore needs to be followed in accordance with the law in the affected jurisdiction. The understanding and cooperation of the family in this situation will be important as any burial programme will have to align with the Coroner’s mandate for the autopsy and subsequent authorisation/permit for burial to avoid a potential Coroner’s Order for Exhumation in the event the body is buried without authorized autopsy.

Meanwhile, it is needless to state the autopsy procedure itself must meet prescribed standards. This is not only for the index case but should also apply to all forensic autopsies because of inherent greater impact on the justice system and on public health and interest. If there were more Coroner’s Inquests in response to so many Coroners’ cases we are confronted with daily, perhaps the public and concerned institutions would have been strengthened with evidence (and not rumours or media sensationalism) to be able to hold to account relevant persons, bodies or agencies.  Death investigation at every turn must be dispassionate, factual, evidence based and professional.  The mere act of autopsy procedure without competent appreciation of all the elements of such an undertaking makes a mockery of the entire procedure and portends a worse form of injustice to the dead, concerned family and the general public. Therefore, in carrying out an autopsy on the body of late Festus Iyayi and in other forensic cases, the process is as important as the procedure and a compromise of one, defeats the purpose of the other.

As Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Investigates Prof Festus Iyayi's Death

So much has been written in the media about possible causes of recent fatal road traffic crash that involved the convoy of Kogi state governor. Prof Iyayi of the University of Benin was a known figure among the casualties. The state of Nigerian roads and human factors, which play major role in the incessant road crashes that have claimed more lives than natural diseases, was a subject of this blog under Traffic Medicine (http://uwomeze.blogspot.com/2013/04/traffic-medicine-1-managing-carnage-on.html and http://uwomeze.blogspot.com/2013/04/traffic-medicine-2-behavioural-factors.html). Since the death of Prof Iyayi and others in the crash, more Nigerians continue to die daily from needless and preventable crashes that hardly attract the attention of the media but those who work in hospitals can attest to the number of the dead and dying brought into the Accident and Emergency Departments on their way to the mortuary. It is a sorry sight to see the human waste on Nigerian roads especially involving the young and we appear helpless about stemming the tide.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) saddled with the responsibility of ensuring safe driving and accident prevention has openly declared their plan to investigate this latest crash involving the convoy of a state governor and a high profile university lecturer. Many have questioned the ability and credibility of the FRSC in recent times as the agency appears to be distracted from its main mandate of ensuring safe road for Nigerians and have embarked on many other ventures a lot of people feel are indicative of some loss of focus.

However, it may be important to point out a few things as FRSC undertakes this investigation:

1. Deaths in road traffic crashes are apparently unnatural and violent deaths, and fall within the cases investigated by the Coroner who presides over the jurisdiction of such incidents. It is therefore hoped the FRSC is working with the Coroner in the affected jurisdiction as road traffic crashes are medico-legal (forensic) cases. 
2. Environmental and human factors are valid considerations in such investigation. While much has been written about death traps called roads on our major highways, the public may not have paid enough attention to the human factors involved in causation of road traffic crashes in Nigeria. 
3. A good scene reconstruction will be critical to understanding this crash. It is expected that positions of the vehicles involved and the casualties would have been marked by the relevant authorities. It is therefore important that issues are based on evidence. There is a tendency to be carried away by sentiments and sensationalism usually expressed in some segment of the media. Such is not helpful in coming to some premise supported by evidence. Media "trial" and conclusions must be deemphasised if we are interested in 
4. seeking evidence based facts. 
5. Forensic autopsy should be conducted on all the dead victims. This is particularly vital to the investigation. It is important to exclude natural conditions or diseases that may have influenced the situation. Toxicology must be an essential ancillary to the autopsy to unravel any role some drugs or alcohol may have played in the crash. That a good number of drivers do abuse drugs or alcohol in Nigeria and drive under the influence is a known fact to the FRSC. It is therefore imperative that toxicological analysis be carried out on relevant biological specimens. A question one is yet to get an answer to is the legal alcohol limit in Nigeria. What blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is considered the upper limit, by law, in Nigeria? The FRSC may want to address this question since it has touted the use of breath-analysers on drivers in Nigeria. The principle of use of breath-analysers connotes a need for confirmatory blood test at some reading. What BAC will officials of FRSC be keeping an eye on Nigerian roads? 
6. Coroner's Inquest: A proper Coroner's Inquest should be conveyed by the appropriate authority, and all the pieces of information from the various investigations and witnesses are examined by the Coroner in a public forum. FRSC will be one of the government agencies to present their findings and at the end of the proceedings, a Coroner's determination will be made and verdict entered.

Like relations of deceased often wonder what value investigating the death of their loved ones will bring to them since the dead cannot possibly be called back to life. I usually respond that it does justice to the dead to be able to understand how death came about and to speak to their unique circumstance; it also enables loved ones, families and affected communities to come to closure and move forward; and it protects individual and public health as lessons from a particular death could potentially save others from a similar situation. Furthermore, it is a strong statement to the society that we place high premium on the life of every individual and there must be accountability and justice in the event of any loss of lives.