Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie has spoken of his sadness over the reported hospitalisation of Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan, in a Germany hospital.
He sympathised with President Goodluck Jonathan and his family on the incident but criticised the poor state of the healthcare in the country, urging the government to replace its “lavish spending” with infrastructural revamp of the troubled sector.
“Food poisoning, strictly looked at in other civilised nations, is an ailment associated with kid-glove medical practice in the 21st Century,” Okojie said in a statement emailed to THEWILL from the United Kingdom, where he is attending a church programme.
“It is uncomplimentary of the Nigerian Government that the country’s first lady would need overseas treatment for a matter as minor as alleged food poisoning. This is sad indeed.”
He appealed to the Federal Government and other relevant agencies of government to be quick and effective about improving the standard of healthcare in the country.
“We thank God for the advancement of technology in our time in this century. But we must urge our government to join in this race of advancement instead of lavishing money on irrelevant things and discouraging those Nigerians who are ready to use their wealth and talents to improve the lot of the common citizen,” he said.
“It is never too late to begin to encourage full participation of the private sector in the improvement of the healthcare system in Nigeria. Private sector participation should be open and unbiased and must not be subject to any form of political and tribal sentiments.”
Okogie wished “the first lady and permanent secretary of Bayelsa State speedy recovery from her ailment and quick return to her dear nation, Nigeria.”
previous post
