Sometime last week, the Nigerian social media was awash with a viral video of ‘Honourable’ Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, a member of the House of Representatives who threatened and assaulted a Bolt driver, Stephen Abuwatseya. The video captures a heated exchange between the lawmaker and the Bolt driver, who had driven to Ikwechegh’s residence to deliver a service.
Abuwatseya had told the lawmaker to come out of his premises to collect his parcel, and since he had not accorded him the overbearing ‘worship’ doled on politicians, this had irked the lawmaker.
“Do you know where you are? Do you know who I am?”
The driver’s response? “I don’t want to know, just pay me and let me go.”
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As the exchange escalated, the driver asserted his right to be paid, stating, “I did a job for you and you have to pay me, sir.” In response, the lawmaker reportedly refused payment, accusing the driver of “great disrespect” and allegedly calling him “very, very stupid.” In the video, Ikwechegh not only struck the driver three times, but also went ahead to make an alarming threat, reportedly saying, “I can make this man disappear in the whole of Nigeria and nothing would happen.”
This disturbing abuse of power is from a first-term lawmaker representing Aba North/Aba South federal constituency of Abia State.
Ikwechegh has since apologised to the entire House and Nigerians, citing provocation as the reason for his actions, while adding that nothing justifies his behaviour.
“I just want to state that I am human. Even though things were said – those things I regret. I apologise to all Nigerians. Regardless of the provocation, there is no reason why I should have acted in that manner. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to all Nigerians to let what has happened remain in the past,” he said.
I disagree. The only thing the lawmaker is sorry for is being caught on tape. Had there been no video, he would have denied any allegation and maybe Stephen Abuwatseya would have truly disappeared.
This is similar to what transpired on Friday, the 1st of November, 2024 in Kano. A young medical officer was on call at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano. She started work at 4pm, attending to patients in the Emergency Paediatric Unit (EPU), Special Care baby Unit (SCBU) and those in the paediatric wards. A man comes to the EPU with his two-year child. His complaints? Fever, neck pain and swelling. Since there is an ongoing diphtheria outbreak, the doctor examines the child and places him on antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medicines resuscitative measures. The father goes out to purchase the drugs and gets all except one – IV erythromycin. He complains to the doctor who tells him that it is available. Due to the diptheria outbreak, KNSG has made available the medication free of charge at all government hospitals.
On this fateful day, the medicine was kept in the matron’s office under lock and key, and because it was a Friday evening, the doctor asked them to wait until another nurse could get access to the office. Meanwhile, the child was already prescribed another broad spectrum antibiotic: IV Ceftriaxone pending the availability of the erythromycin.
The patient’s relatives, unhappy with this explanation, made a few phone calls, one of which was to the Kano State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Amina Abdullahi ‘HOD’. A few hours later, the commissioner and her goons arrived at the EPU.
The doctor was administering calcium gluconate to a patient when Hajiya Amina came and started her verbal assault. She demanded to know what was happening. Did the doctor know her job? Why was the drug not readily available?
To all the barrage of questions, the young doctor kept mute. She continued her work, slowly injecting the patient in front of her. Her silence further infuriated the commissioner, who said, “Why won’t you answer? Do you know who I am? Even if you are His Excellency’s daughter, I will make sure you lose your job.”
The doctor finally fled the scene when other patients’ relatives started raising their voices and pandemonium broke. In her call room, she made calls for help: to her head of department and her husband. The commissioner’s goons followed her to the room and proceeded to bang the door, demanding for blood.
No help came from hospital officials. No security came to her aid.
Around midnight, her husband arrived and took her home to safety.
The Nigerian Medical Association, Kano State chapter, has since demanded for the commissioner’s resignation and called for an immediate withdrawal of the services of all the doctors working in state government-owned hospitals.
The commissioner’s response? She denied it all and even justified her actions by saying, “Everybody knows the wickedness of doctors to poor people.” She said this in Hausa language. I doubt her ability to communicate in English language.
Had there been a video of the verbal altercation by the commissioner, she would have since issued an apology. But alas, there is none. All we have are eyewitness accounts that corroborated the doctor’s story.
This disturbing abuse of power is an affront to the dignity and rights of all Nigerians. This madness must stop.
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