Conversation with the pandemic guru (II)

The days after my first conversation in early April with Professor Abdulsalami Nasidi were trying times all over the world. Despite the lockdowns in many countries the corona virus defied all entreaties as it continued to multiply causing the number of deaths to increase phenomenally. It was the same scenario in Nigeria where the grim statistics of rising number of cases caused the same grave concern and even gave sufficient reasons to the President to extend the lockdown for another two weeks on the FCT, Lagos and Ogun States. A good number of other states such as Kano and Plateau followed suit.

It was in that frame of mind that I accompanied Professor Nasidi this Sunday afternoon to ride along with Dr Mathew Ashikeni, a Director Special Duties in the FCTA on their inspection tour of the Karu General Hospital which is being prepared by the FCTA as additional isolation centre in Abuja. The Professor is part of the high-level advisory team set up by the Minister FCT to deal with the consequences of COVIG-19. The Advisory Committee headed by Dr Modibbo Umar, himself a former Minister of FCT, has been helping the FCT Administration to ramp up donations from banks, construction companies and other well spirited individuals.

We are now weeks into the pandemic era and many things we did not understand are now becoming clearer. For a start we know that we are dealing with an invasive virus yet to be understood and tamed by the medical sciences and the only panacea against it would be the social measures pronounced such as lockdowns, social distancing, wearing of masks and cleaning exercises. It was the same issues that we kept harping on in the vehicle that carried us from Wuse to Karu. We still have low counts of cases compared to the rest of the world. What do we do when the big figures arrive? Do we see an end to this pandemic? Hopefully the pandemic will end, but it would be a long drive uphill and to get there a vaccine which is not available now would have to be found against it.

We have to accept now that the virus is raging and taking lives in the USA, Europe and some Asian countries. The statistics here are still at the lower scale but it could go either way. Meanwhile we all have to prepare for the other way, the worst case scenario. It is in this regard that we doff our hats to the level of preparation in the FCT, particularly for the provisions of isolation centres with at least a thousand beds for eventualities of large number of cases. I learnt that the FCTA is the focus of a large number of donations from both the private and public sectors. It is the large donations of money and material that they are now funnelling into regeneration of their hitherto largely moribund hospitals and clinics.

I was taken aback by the human activity going on that Sunday afternoon in the Karu General Hospital. From the roundabout leading to the Primus Hospital one could see the extensive road rehabilitation going on within the entire neighbourhood. Tarring is ongoing on the double carriage way as well as the road leading to the General Hospital. The internal roads within the hospital have been tarred. As we were led into the wards where painters were busy at work putting the final coatings, we walked over the fine tile work that had just been completed. The wards were to all expectations completed with beds, mattresses, fans and air conditioners in place.

Professor Nasidi, ever fussy, and drawing from his long experience of containing epidemics, made changes here and there, to conform with a standard epidemic ward which the building supervisors got set to effect. From all indications the 300 bed should be ready within this week. These number of beds at Karu should complement those already at the other isolation centres at Asokoro, Idu, University of Abuja teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, to raise the total number of beds available in the FCT to about a thousand. I guess the next hurdle would be the gathering of the rest of the wherewithal including the personal protective equipment for staff, the testing equipment and the ventilators.

From my mail bag: A few days before the death of Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to the President, one of his contemporaries at St. Paul’s (now Kufena) College, Wusasa, Zaria, Barrister Abraham Yisa had written to set some record straight and to inform that they were praying for the good health of the great statesman. Abraham Yisa was my colleague at both Samaru and Kongo campuses of ABU, Zaria in early 1970s. Please read on:

My brother, friend and erstwhile Editor of the Campus Paper of the great Kongo Campus of Ahmadu Bello University, Gambo Dori, I was excited to read your Tuesday column of the Daily Trust Newspaper. I enjoyed the piece on Government College Keffi and the Kongo Conference Hotel. I will come back to the piece on Government College Keffi.

However, let me say a few words about the Chief of Staff to the President Alhaji Abba Kyari. I have read a lot of publications especially in the social media about Abba Kyari. There is a wrong information being dished out to the public about him that I think the wrong information needs to be corrected. I am “Set 67” of the St. Paul’s (now Kufena) College, Wusasa, Zaria where I met Abba Kyari already in form 2. Architect Revd. Canon Akin Olafimihan is the Chairman of “Set 67” Old Boys Association. Some weeks back, the Revd. Canon put on our WhatsApp Platform that we should pray for Abba Kyari for God to intervene in his health situation as we read that he was diagnosed as having tested positive of the dreaded Corona Virus (COVID-19) and had gone into isolation and then quarantine for proper medical attention. We prayed on the platform and I believe some of us also prayed in our family altars for his deliverance.

I am “Set 67” while Abba Kyari was “Set 66”. Abba Kyari was then called Abba Habib and we were in the same house which was originally School House and was years later renamed Kalejaiye House after the then Vice-Principal, Mr. Kalejaiye a strict disciplinarian. Among Abba Habib’s classmates and close friends were Dr. Bakare a Medical Doctor now in the United States of America and Chief Jonathan Jiya the erstwhile Managing Director of defunct Nigeria Airways Limited and now the Traditional Ruler of Essan Community in Niger State. The current Chairman of St. Paul’s Old Boys Association (SPOBA) Professor Ogbadu was a Senior Prefect in Kalejaiye House, the same house with myself and Abba Habib.

Now, back to Keffi. You were selfish in writing about Government College, Keffi without mentioning such other institutions in the North like St. Paul’s (now Kufena) College, St. John’s (now Rimi) College Kaduna, Government College Kaduna and Nigeria Military School Zaria that gave themselves healthy competition in sports and academic.

For records, these were excellent Institutions in the North that have produced leaders both at National and State levels in our great Nation. It was not only Keffi, even though I am mindful that your article was addressing Keffi. You mentioned Barewa College, why not others. Barewa College was Government College Zaria when we were students in St. Paul’s College Wusasa Zaria. Is it because we have not produced Head of State? I know Generals Gowon and T. Y. Danjuma amongst others were pupils at St. Bartholomew’s Primary School a sister Institution to St. Paul’s College in Wusasa.

Please keep our flag flying as you are doing a great job with your Tuesday column with the Daily Trust Newspaper.

Barrister Abraham N. Yisa (MON)