By Austin Ogwuda
“I always tell this country, we are a shameless nation”.
These were the words of the revered Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Prof) Epiphany Azinge while playing host to the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Institute of Trypanosomiasis Research (NITR), Dr. Joachim Ajakaiye who paid him a courtesy visit.
Dr. Ajakaiye had told the monarch that NITR’s mandate is to develop appropriate technologies and employ research tools and processes towards the elimination of African Trypanosomiasis (AT), onchocerciasis and their vectors – tsetse and black flies.
He said that the Institute
with headquarters in Kaduna, Zonal Offices in the six geo-political zones and the South South Zonal Office in Asaba had in the past carried out extensive control intervention of AT in the three senatorial districts of Delta State in collaboration with some critical stakeholders and expressed confidence that, if sustained, the collaboration would significantly benefit the rural communities, the State and its contiguous neighbors by improving early diagnosis, reducing healthcare costs and creating jobs.
He disclosed that the State Ministry of Science and Technology had agreed to partner with the Institute for the establishment of its proposed Diagnostic Centre at the Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, assuring that the Institute would fully take charge of the construction, equipping and staffing of the Centre.
The monarch was however not enthused and responded this way:
“Mr DG, there always comes a time when a leader must stand up and show leadership, demonstrate leadership and make a difference. I believe that time has come, under your watch, to stand up and make a difference. You can run away with the issues around your mandate and make that difference.
“There’s work to be done. Is it because the Bill Gate Foundation, amongst others, has not veered into this? The one they’ve done it’s as if they’re achieving a lot of success on that. I always tell this country, we are a shameless nation.
“The money we fritter away; the money we lavish through nebulous ways, corruption, amongst others, is much more than what Bill Gate is bringing to Nigeria. Why must we rely on donors to address some of our basic issues?”.
Continuing, he said, “We are rich enough both in human and natural resources; more than enough to take care of our challenges. Mr DG, this is the time for us to take the bull by the horn.
“For me, from 1947 till date, we shouldn’t be talking about eradication, we should be mopping up in areas where you still have issues. We should be talking about total elimination at this point in time, almost 80 years after. That is what it should be. That’s why in the developed world, wherever they know they have ailments they attack them frontally. U.S and Europe, they are not sleeping over cancer. At any point in time you see them investing in research.
“I’m happy, though, that something is coming up in Delta, particularly at Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; we want to see that as a veritable instrument for addressing this issue and vigorously too, hopefully to make a turn around of the whole matter. Having said that, I want to welcome you. I believe I have sufficiently challenged you; I have sufficiently provoked your thoughts. There is really work to be done.
“More often in Nigeria, what we glamorise is the title of office, we don’t face the challenges of the office. We are not students of history because time will always fly past, the next thing you will ask yourself is what have I been able to achieve on the saddle?
“If you challenge yourself of what you are capable of achieving on the saddle, then that will propel, motivate reinvigorate and energize you to achieve the best you can, not for yourself but for the country”, the monarch further stated.
*Credit: Gallant Reporters
*The Asagba of Asaba in a group photograph with the DG and his team during the visit
