Lamentations of a ‘frustrated’ Nigerian Surgeon


The story below depicts how corruption in other institutions would never allow Nigeria’s health system perform optimally. I worked with the writer during my housemanship a couple of years ago. He shared this on Nigerian doctors facebook group. Kindly read on…

Ahidjo Abdulkadiri Kawu wrote;

“Colleagues,
1. I am a spine surgeon employed at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada Abuja as a consultant.
2. I was a fellow of Scoliosis Research Society at the New York Hospital for Joint Diseases, US in August 2010 under the tutelage of Dr Baron S Lonner.
3. At the completion of my training, Dr Baron S Lonner on my behalf approached Samantha Torres of DePuy Spine Inc US for donation of spine equipment to help operate indigent patients in Nigeria to put to practice all I have learnt with him.
4. On the 15th December 2010, DePuy Spine Inc US approved the donation of some spine items for use by me at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada.
5. I contacted my hospital management who informed me to ship the equipment to Nigeria.
6. My clearing agent Siklaw Global Resource Ltd after completing the Form M and risk assessment paid the custom duty on the 6th march 2011.
7. The equipment was shipped in to Nigeria from the US and arrived in May 2011.
8. On arrival, the O/C (Officer in Charge) Custom Services Mr Wakama GAP inspected the document and said that we must settle him before he release the good since the donated equipment has a value of about N50 million.
9. I instructed the clearing agent to refuse to part with any money.
10. In order to frustrate the release of the equipment he refused to examine or release the equipment till it incurred a demurrage of N27, 800.00. His Immediate boss intervene and directed him to inspect and release the equipment
11. In-order to justify his delay in inspecting the goods, he wrote a report that we undervalued the goods so as to evade payment of the requisite custom duty
12. Due to his greed; the need to justify his action and covered his crime he forgot that medical equipment and donated materials for humanitarian purpose do not attract any duty
13. This issue dragged on till 15th July 2011, when I wrote an official petition to the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Custom Service.
14. There was no response from the Nigeria Custom Service till October 2011 when I officially reported the case to ICPC for further action
15. In November, I was invited by the investigation officer from Nigeria Custom Service to tell my story
16. I was informed by the investigating officer that I have not done anything wrong and that the officer knows that too and that the equipment will be brought to the hospital for me.
17. Since November till date, the equipment is still at the storage which the Nigeria Custom Service has refused to release
18. I have discharged home to die many patients who would have benefited from this equipment.
19. I wanted the government to investigate this claim and appropriate sanction should be applied to this irresponsible officer whose greed has led to death of many indigent patients in Nigeria, yet I have not received any correspondence from them.
This is the story of Nigeria, where thieves have taken up our lives and greed is our religion”

Thank you for patiently reading through.

Many innocent Nigerians lose their lives because of ugly tales like this. Sometimes essential and emergency life-saving drugs are unavailable in the entire country because of the corruption and/or bureaucracy of the Nigerian Custom Service. Yet, import waivers are given to some allegedly corrupt entrepreneurs. How long would ordinary Nigerians continue to suffer from the institutional corruption continually being perpetrated by officers who are supposed to work for our welfare and national interest?

http://donlaz./2012/03/20/lamentations-of-a-frustrated-nigerian-surgeon/

He should not lament too much abeg.
How innocent are the so-called Nigerians with complacency?
He made a choice to do his business in Nigeria.
Those of us in the healthcare that shun ANYTHING Nigerian professionally are fools abi?
Nigerians deserve what they have.
If you can't beat them, please feel free to join them and DON'T complain.
Period!

NCS are corrupt just like the police.maybe you should have parted with the money the officer demanded from your agent to avoid all these wahala.Just my opinion.

Who knows,the officer may just be in need of those equipments one day.

Darui: Who knows,the officer may just be in need of those equipments one day.

Not at all.he only wants to frustrate the man till he parts with a large amount of money since he couldnt afford the little he asked for initially.

Frustrating does not evn do justice to what dis corrupt custom man has done.But painful enuf dat is wat genuine importers pass tru everytime wen clearing goods

~Bluetooth:


NCS are corrupt just like the police.maybe you should have parted with the money the officer demanded from your agent to avoid all these wahala.Just my opinion.

sorry bluetooth, your opinion is bad. How lond would we continue like this in this country. Until we blowup cases of corruption like this. We wouldn't move ahead.
YES ! Some prices have to be paid.

JUST HIRE BOKO TO GO AND HARAM D IDIOT CUSTOMS MAN OR BRING YOUR GOODS THRU COTONOU NEXT TIME
COS TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME

its quite unfortunate when you hear things like dis. but to me sha no be news na normal thing. the customs are very corrupt, no wonder many of them are very rich. me sef won go join customs.

There are some paramilitary that are so much worse than the police.
we cry about the police because they collect the least amount. with 500 or 1k, even 200 will settle some small police excesses.
Paramilitaries like: FRSC, LASTMA, Customs, Immigration, VIOs, etc are so worse in corruption. They will not ask of the bribe directly, but that's exactly what they want.
The fact that those equipments are medical equipment is enough for the customs officer to check it properly and carry out necessary checks
One of that officer's children will die of similar sickness the machine is meant to cure

@op
Sad.

Callotti:
He should not lament too much abeg.
How innocent are the so-called Nigerians with complacency?
He made a choice to do his business in Nigeria.
Those of us in the healthcare that shun ANYTHING Nigerian professionally are fools abi?
Nigerians deserve what they have.
If you can't beat them, please feel free to join them and DON'T complain.
Period!

Your opinion is bad. Those of you who "shun ANYTHING Nigerian" are certainly not "fools" and have a right to make that choice. But others have a right to stay to try to help "the so-called Nigerians". No matter how bad any system is, you will find high-minded people like this who do their best against all odds. The man did the right thing by refusing to give the bribe and escalating the matter. Stay away from Nigeria all you like, that is your prerogative, but please allow the man to "lament".

Does customs officers are just udated and not pratrotic,even to export out of Nigeria,something that will bring foreign exchange is a big problem.They frustrate you,you need to know a big man to help you before you can export a legal commodity.

Your friend should approach the newspaper houses and make as much scandal from it as possible. He should also check back at customs instead of waiting for them to deliver it to his hospital. I totally support him for not giving bribe. This story should also motivate other nigerian professionals abroad to make a move to better nigeria no matter how little.

oiseworld:

sorry bluetooth, your opinion is bad. How lond would we continue like this in this country. Until we blowup cases of corruption like this. We wouldn't move ahead.
YES ! Some prices have to be paid.

My opinion may be bad but it doesnt stop the fact that corruption may never stop in Nigeria.What the guy is passing through abounds everywhere even the police and judiciary that would have brought sanity into the system are not spared of the corruption.I just opined that it would have been better if this guy had bribed his way out to save him all the problems he's into now.One or the other,you will always do stuff against your will ina shithole like Naija.

guy abeg join dem, dis na naija nt US

Hmmm, has God abandoned Nigeria? Some posts here are rather baffling.

Callotti: He should not lament too much abeg.
How innocent are the so-called Nigerians with complacency?
He made a choice to do his business in Nigeria.
Those of us in the healthcare that shun ANYTHING Nigerian professionally are fools abi?
Nigerians deserve what they have.
If you can't beat them, please feel free to join them and DON'T complain.
Period!

bullshit

Callotti:
He should not lament too much abeg.
How innocent are the so-called Nigerians with complacency?
He made a choice to do his business in Nigeria.
Those of us in the healthcare that shun ANYTHING Nigerian professionally are fools abi?
Nigerians deserve what they have.
If you can't beat them, please feel free to join them and DON'T complain.
Period!

this is the kind of rubbish mindset that will never make Nigeria move forward. So in your opinion, every nigerian is a criminal ba? and 'nigerians deserve what they have' right? pray you dont end up in a helpless situation where the powers that be have doomed you to your fate because of their greed. 'nigerians deserve what they get'..wtf

~Bluetooth:


NCS are corrupt just like the police.maybe you should have parted with the money the officer demanded from your agent to avoid all these wahala.Just my opinion.

God go punish you people with this type of mind set

Callotti: He should not lament too much abeg.
How innocent are the so-called Nigerians with complacency?
He made a choice to do his business in Nigeria.
Those of us in the healthcare that shun ANYTHING Nigerian professionally are fools abi?
Nigerians deserve what they have.
If you can't beat them, please feel free to join them and DON'T complain.
Period!

You are a very sick person in a sick society
Major reason lot of people don't want to return to Nigeria
Keep it up

Am ashemed of some responses here, are these words from the so called leaders of tomorow that will change nigeria? It is easier said than done.

please ask the surgeon to call this number "berekete family" 08033221149 ask to speak with "ordinary Ahmed"or public complaints commission 07058791209

Re: Lamentations Of A ‘frustrated’ Nigerian Surgeon by Callotti: 3 hours & 7 minutes
He should not lament too much abeg.
How innocent are the so-called Nigerians with complacency?
He made a choice to do his business in Nigeria.
Those of us in the healthcare that shun ANYTHING Nigerian professionally are fools abi?
Nigerians deserve what they have.
If you can't beat them, please feel free to join them and DON'T complain.
Period! kiss

(Report Post) (Quote Post) Like
Re: Lamentations Of A ‘frustrated’ Nigerian Surgeon by ~Bluetooth(m): 3 hours & 1 minute
NCS are corrupt just like the police.maybe you should have parted with the money the officer demanded from your agent to avoid all these wahala.Just my opinion.

i cant believe Nigerian are talking like this. it shows u have corruption in ur blood streams. so its a good thing that people are dying becos of 1 person/group of people's selfishness?i just hope u dont fall into wrong hands urself one day.
@ Dr, try to write or get across to the org in the US. maybe they can write or communicate with our govt directly.afterall its for the good of this country.

@Poster
Welcome back to Nigeria. We had a similar exeperience shipping donated medical items for use in Enugu in 2009. We have a customs system that is totally hostile to doing good customs duties. Each and everyone of the officers think you should 'settle' them, but in charity work, there's usually no budget for bribing people along the way.
Welcome to our World of corruption in Nigeria.

[s]He should not lament too much abeg.
How innocent are the so-called Nigerians with complacency?
He made a choice to do his business in Nigeria.
Those of us in the healthcare that shun ANYTHING Nigerian professionally are fools abi?
Nigerians deserve what they have.
If you can't beat them, please feel free to join them and DON'T complain.
Period! [/s]Just listen to yourself

if found to be true, the customer officer should be dismissed and tried for manslaughter!!!
unfortunately he might get the goodluck treatment, go and sin no more!

thanks for sharing ur tale....and @callotti, even though every one is entitled to their opinion, yours is a very very wrong position that has no good in it.

~Bluetooth:


NCS are corrupt just like the police.maybe you should have parted with the money the officer demanded from your agent to avoid all these wahala.Just my opinion.

Retrogressive

[quote author=Callotti]He should not lament too much abeg.
How innocent are the so-called Nigerians with complacency?
He made a choice to do his business in Nigeria.
Those of us in the healthcare that shun ANYTHING Nigerian professionally are fools abi?
Nigerians deserve what they have.
If you can't beat them, please feel free to join them and DON'T complain.
Period! [/quote



If you are in the import and export business, I'm not sure such will be coming out of your mouth!

We (importers) loss heavy sum one way or the other to these useless group of people, and you think it's good for hard working people of this country that have chosed not to steal like our government officials?

May God forgive you and your "pikin talk".

balium: its quite unfortunate when you hear things like dis. but to me sha no be news na normal thing. the customs are very corrupt, no wonder many of them are very rich. me sef won go join customs.

balium: its quite unfortunate when you hear things like dis. but to me sha no be news na normal thing. the customs are very corrupt, no wonder many of them are very rich. me sef won go join customs.

may u neva get there! We already hav more than enuff problems with too many pple like u there. U can join otunba gadaffi's shit business! Yeye dey smell!