By Kayode Ketefe
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Patience
Jonathan
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The recent disclosure by the
First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, of her health challenges which so much
aggravated that she was operated upon nine times within a month while she
remained unconscious for seven days, was such that attracted empathetic
emotions across the land and beyond. Any human being who undergoes such
agonising ordeal deserves our sympathy, support and prayers.
The ever-religious Nigerians
were however unhappy that they, among other things, were denied the opportunity
of full intercessory prayers while the First Lady’s ordeal lasted.
This was because the presidency
shrouded the whole affairs in secrecy right from the outset. Correct
information was never given out, what we had instead was a cautious ejaculation
of doctored news from the government’s propaganda machinery.
We were initially
told the First Lady had travelled abroad to rest, this later changed to “a
routine medical checkup”. Then, when the First Lady could not return till about
seven weeks later and the media had already started a count-up of her absence,
it became obvious that some measures of cover-up were actively been deployed
and rumours, expectedly, continued to mount.
It was such rumour that the First
Lady was at pain to debunk when she said that her serial operations in the
German hospital had absolutely nothing to do with cosmetic surgery but was
dictated by clinical necessity. If there had been transparency in the affairs
from the beginning, there would have been no need for such denial.
The belated revelation of the
First Lady at the thanksgiving prayers in Abuja where she made the disclosure
was nonetheless masterfully crafted. Imagine her saying “I was dead for
seven day!”
Nothing could be more moving! The statement succeeded,
in spite of its scientific inaccuracy, (for you cannot be clinically dead and
come back to life). We were all thrown into collective empathy on the plight of
our beloved First Lady. The inescapable fact still remains that the issue
should have been better managed.
In the olden days, rulers
especially in this part of the world, were conceived as God’s ordained
representatives on earth, therefore, the mythical picture of immortality of the
ruler had to be sustained at all cost; the bubble should never burst that the
King is after all a mere mortal.
In Yoruba land for instance,
the King does not perform all mundane affairs of other beings; the king
does not sleep, the king only rests his eyes (Oba nreju) and of course,
he does not die, he only join his ancestors, etc.
But this is the twenty first
century and we are operating a democracy anchored on the principle of elective
representation. The notion of any ruler being immortal and transcendental is
therefore archaic and anachronistic. There is really nothing to hide in a
president or his wife being sick any longer, we are all human beings with all
the natural human susceptibilities.
Modern day concept of
governance thrives of openness and transparency, and the culture of full
disclosure. Any person who aspires to rule in a modern democracy should know
that what would otherwise have been his private affairs and that of his members
of his immediate family would be subject to public scrutiny. That is why
the game of initial and non-disclosure of the full facts surrounding the First
Lady’s heath leaves much to be desired.
Diseases and ailments are
things to which no mortal is immune and there was absolutely no reason why
Nigerians should be kept in the dark on this matter right from the outset.
The
former President Umar Yar’Adua did not particularly set a good example in
the regards as he not only actively concealed the nature of his aliment which
began to deteriorate progressively until he literally died on the throne.
Only
God knows the exact length of time Nigeria was in undisclosed interregnum when
the powerful members of the cabal kept the mills of lies and creative
propaganda whirling.
Around the same time the former
President was actively concealing the severity of his ailment, the late human
rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN ,who was never a public office
holder and had every right to keep issue of his terminal (cancer) disease
secret, nevertheless, chose, apparently because of his social visibility, to
make the ailments known to the public.
When
Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State abruptly
travelled abroad, the whole of his state, nay Nigeria, was in absolute darkness
on the status of his health for about 140 days he spent abroad.
He
only came back to disclose he had been battling with nose cancer during his
absence. The cancer is now cured, no apology tendered for the concealment.
Let our leaders learn how to
put the whole cards on the table as regards their health and that of the
members of their immediate family, there is really nothing to hide and I
believe Nigerians are not so-hard hearted as to join them in solidarity, well
wishes and prayers.
It is even when there is active
concealment or subtle distortion that that the mill of rumours would keep
running and things like these are capable of alienating the ruled from the
rulers.
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