Health, naturally, is the basis for life and many regard it as the starting point to generate wealth. Humanity has been associated with health throughout the ages. When the garden of Eden was created, two major issues were paramount before the Creator when he deposited the first human being in the garden. The Creator ensured that the environment was healthy and also ensured that adequate security was in place. So, the first family had a healthy and secure enviroment as a habitable garden, with clear instructions on which animals to eat and those to completely avoid.
Unfortunately, in Nigeria, the security of the larger environment (country) has been shaky for many years despite the committed efforts of security agencies. In the shaky security enviroment, many deaths have been recorded, many have been maimed, children turned to orphans, and many women made widows. In all, hundreds of thousands lives have been lost to the insecurity in the country.
Last week, the greatest wave of fear and apprehension gripped the entire world including Nigeria when the minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, announced that the deadly Coronavirus disease had evaded the alledged tight health security to enter Nigeria through the “porous” Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, carried by an unnamed Italian citizen aboard an international plane. The Italian, who was based in Lagos, had on arrival travelled to Ogun State for a brief business before surrendering himself for medical examination, which confirmed that he was a carrier of the Coronavirus. The first question is, why is the country health managers shielding the identity of the ltalian? afterall the Ebola candidate Mr Sawyer was made known to everyone.
In all, 39 persons have been quarantined in Nigeria, while thousands are already dead in China, ltaly and other countries. The number of victims continue to grow.
Nigerians are not unmindful of what happened in 2014 when a Liberian passenger entered Nigeria via the same porous airport carrying the deadly Ebola virus disease. In that instance, many Nigerians died, including Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevo (aged 57) of First Consultant Medical Centre, Lagos.
The medical world still remembers the feat of the Nigerian government and are in awe of the resilience, determination and patriotism that surfaced to quash Ebola in the country.
This time around, the leadership has changed but the people have not changed. The Coronavirus, which is far more contagious than previously thought and can spread via simple cough or sneeze, has taken centre stage. By this, our health security is once again being tested and we must show the world that exported the deadly virus our resolve to overcome the challenge.
Even at that, we must question the genesis of the virus.
The Chinese are known for eating all sorts of animals even those disallowed by their creator, such as cockroaches, bats and pangolins or scaly anteaters; these are mammals of the order Pholidota. (Read Leviticus Chapter 11 verses 1-47 ). The Holy Book records every disobedience and the resultant effects and punishments they would attract from the Creator. (Leviticus Chapter 26 verse 20-22 and Deuteronomy Chapter 28 verses 22).
Such repercussion was inflicted on Nigeria when a certain tribe desired consuming rats and incurred Lassa fever. However, even as the issue was on the front burner, another dimension has been added to the discussion with the disclosure by the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commisdion (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, that the Coronavirus was another ingenious way of perpetrating corruption. He was quoted as saying Coronavirus was the creation of a corrupt mind. Said he, “Someone sat in the laboratory to create the virus; the creation of the Coronavirus is coming from a corrupt mind.”
Indeed, if the killer virus was man’s idea, then the mind that thought it up must be evil.
According to the Web dictionary, a virus as an “ultramicroscopic (20 to 300µm in diameter), metabolically inert, infectious agent that replicates only within the cells of living hosts, mainly bacteria, plants, and animals: composed of an RNA or DNA core, a protein coat, and, in more complex types, a surrounding envelope; a viral disease.”
Magu’s insinuation needs to be investigated and thourouly verified by international health organisations. Many medical researchers believe that the real truth of the Coronavirus is yet to be disclosed by the Chinese government.
A time was when the computer virus was created and dispersed into the computer world thereby creating a chaotic world situation ,just as the Coronavirus is ravaging the health security of the world.
What’s happening at Immigration HQ? (2)
Before 2015, the Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters was a sham. Hawkers arrived the headquarters earlier than the uniformed personnel. Some openly sold their wares either in the car park using the open boots of their cars or carried their wares in Ghana-must-go-bags from place to place. Some officials posted to man security of the park charged the hawkers a levy. The situation in the headquarters was almost like what was obtainable in the police headquarters, where suya sellers and ‘market’ ladies paraded every floor selling their products uninhibited, before the Boko Haram bomb blast. Security agencies’ headquarters should be so designated. Immigration, Customs and the Police were in a terrible state before the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari and his security leaders. It was Buhari’s body language that helped to bring sanity, though the body language has faded away now. Nonetheless, the man at the head of Immigration, lbrahim Babandede, still held on to the original effective Buhari body language.
Babandede has drastically transformed the entire Immigration headquarters. At the gate, the initial single lane has been dualised for better traffic flow, with streetlights that help to brighten the entire premises. Apart from the beautiful scenery, which enhances productivity on the part of the personnel and relaxed mind for visitors, driving into the headquarters, one immediately gets the impression of the mind of the Comptroller-General. He is a well-travelled man, with wealth of experience and exposure. As the head of the organisation, Babandede is leaving no one in doubt of his vision for the NIS.
A drive around the headquarters shows that vacant land has been occupied with the constructions of mega projects. Apart from the classy auditorium with capacity for over 500 people, a modern shopping mall named “Immwwa” has been built, as well as a modern central store and workshop.
Despite the harsh economy, Babandede also figured in the welfare of his personnel by constructing junior officers’ quarters, with a transit camp for personnel. Departing the Immigration headquarters, one is left with the question: “Was Babandede the first Comptroller-General of Immigration? How come he is achieving these outstanding feats as if there were no former Comptroller-Generals before him? It was my driver who asked the question used for the caption, when he was dazzled by the transformation and he asked: “What’s happening in Immigration?”
•Concluded