The Democracy Observer-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (DOGFRN), Chief Patrick Eholor has decried the decision of the Ministry of Health to purchase Covid 19 vaccines with millions of dollars, stating that the money could be used for far better purposes that will make the country the envy of nations.
Eholor, who is also the founder and chairman of One Love Foundation, a human rights organization, also stated that doctors, nurses, other health workers, teachers and lecturers are grossly neglected for the sacrificial duties they perform for Nigerians.
He included security agencies like the army and police, and wondered why they are made to live in very squalid conditions, with poor salaries while they slave for the country.
He said better salaries and working conditions for these line of workers would go a long way in changing permanently the story of Nigeria for the better.
He spoke to journalists in Benin thus “Nigerians are led by a very irresponsible government that doesn’t know what it’s doing. This government operates the policy of copy-and-paste, by imitating the west. How can the Minister of Heath agree with the west to buy a vaccine with trillions of dollars when we are not able to solve an ordinary problem.
“I am not saying that there is no Covid 19. I will be naive to say that. But our living conditions and the western living conditions are obviously not the same. Covid 19 is synonymous with malaria fever. I am not a scientist, but I know this. Our country has not been able to deal with malaria fever for over 50 years. There should be no need to buy vaccines for Covid 19. I think the money should be used to find a way to deal with our malaria fever which is killing thousands and thousands of Nigerians every year.
“We don’t even have a record to know how many people die of malaria fever, typhoid fever, Lassa fever or common cold. There are more serious issues than the Covid 19 they are rushing to do. So I disagree with them.
Armed Forces Remembrance Day
The military has not been treated fairly in this country at all. If you go to the barracks, there is no electricity. Generators will be there making noise, so if they have a situation, they could be caught unawares in their sleep. The government should be responsible and respond to the needs of our military men and women who have done so much for us in the times of trouble.
That is why I could not celebrate the Armed Forces Remembrance Day. There is nothing to celebrate. But I have kudos for them because the sacrifices have been enormous.
The government should upgrade the status of their barracks, they should pay them very adequate salaries, compensations and encourage them so they they can deal appropriately with this Boko Haram.
Our Health Workers
We can also look into the issue of our nurses and our doctors. The money that we are using to buy vaccine can be used to pay them very adequate salaries and give them compensation. How can you pay doctors N35, 000, less than 200 dollars?
American doctors are making over 1.2 million dollars a year, Australian doctors are making a minimum of 1 million dollars a year, British doctors are making about 800,000 pounds a year. Our doctors are underpaid. Our teachers are underpaid. We should focus on what is really important in this country. We should reduce the jumbo pay of the legislators, who are legislooters. They are not doing anything for us. We are not focusing on the real thing. If Nigeria will focus on these areas, it will be the best country in the wold.
If we pay our lecturers well, and pay our doctors well, and put more money into our educational system, if we sponsor scientists and they discover vaccines from our herbal medicines, you can be sure it will kill any disease. Look at the Chinese people today. They brought the Covid nonsense on us, but are using their local medicine to protects their people. Even our dogonyaro and malaria medicines, I can tell you that if we use it adequately, it will go along way as a cure for Covid and it will disappear. But because of the deceit, because of the lies, they don’t even know what they are doing.