Matthew ‘Matie’ Stepanek was an American boy – Poet, who died on the 22nd
of June, 2004 at the age of 13. At that young age, he had seen enough of
the world to understand and to write: “unity is strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”
He was clearly echoing the wisdom of the aged, for Publilius Syrus (85-43 BC),
the Latin Writer said, “Where there is unity, there is always victory.”
Rynosyke Satoro, a Japanese Writer (1892-1927) couldn’t agree less when he
said, “Individually, we are a drop, but together, we are an ocean.” Here at
home, an African Proverb says, “If you want to go quickly, go alone, if you
want to go far, go together.” God Almighty underlined the eternal truth before
any man did in Genesis 11: 6 where He said, “Behold, the people is one, and
they have all one language, and this they begin to do, and now nothing will be
restrained from them which they have imagined to do.”
Master Jesus Himself, knowing the potential power of unity and harmony in
the Church to gloriously actualize the purposes of God on earth, cried unto the
Father again and again in His High Priestly prayer in John seventeen that God
would make His Church one, just like Himself and the Father are one. But the
Church of Christ in Nigeria today does not care a hoot about unity, it is not
on their agenda at all. Is the Church through the unfolding denominational
walls, frustrating God’s purpose in our nation? Can we say Nigeria at 63 is
fulfilling the desire of God for her? The Word of God arrived in Nigeria in
1841 when various Missions set up bases in different parts of the nation, and
since then, you would agree with me, that it is difficult to say the main purpose
– which is world evangelism and that every Saint should make heaven, have been
the focus of the Church several decades after.
It is natural that where you see disharmony, you will find suspicion,
bitterness, defilement, evil speaking, misgivings, distrust, pride,
selfishness, malice, false accusation, hatred and even blasphemy. The Church
which should be the Light of the nation is now embroiled in rivalry and very
unhealthy competition.
This brings in the whole idea of the visible Church and the invisible
Church. Nigeria’s problem today is the visible Church. The invisible Church is
perfect, it does not need the CAN, and it does not need any ECWA, Anglican or
Roman Catholic. It is perfect because it is the Church in the heart of God. The
visible Church is ECWA, Anglican, Baptist, and Methodist, name them. This is
deep theology, I mean ecclesiology but we need to get it cleared. The
challenges facing us today will not be solved by politicians or yet, the
visible Church!
In a bid to drive this message home, we deemed it suitable to reproduce
our interview with the Most Revd. Josiah Idowu Fearon (first published in
Volume 11 No 2, 2015) where he spoke exclusively on the need for the adherents
of the two leading religions in Nigeria i.e. Christianity and Islam especially
the ones called into politics among them to imbibe the leadership styles the Scriptures
and the Hadith preach strictly, hence, that it is the only panacea to
overcoming the three hydra headed monster militating against our development as
a nation namely: corruption, insecurity and religious extremism, manifesting in
all forms of terrorism in the last three decades. He posits further that, that
is the only key to improving the wellbeing of the citizens of the nation.
As we observe another Independence Day celebration, our focus in this
Edition is Health Care Delivery in Nigeria. Critics report the following as
percentage of Federal Government spending on healthcare delivery in recent
years: 2019, 4.75 percent; 2020, 3.83 percent; 2021, 4.18 percent; 2022,
4.76 percent; and in the current year 2023, 5.75 percent.
Those who are clever with figures say that this budgetary allocation
provides only N9,000 of health care for each Nigerian in the year 2023 budget.
Just one diagnostic test can wipe off the entire amount, even needing more, especially
if you are dealing with a major health crisis. That is not to talk of treatment.
In a document titled ‘Situation of Women and Children in Nigeria,’ the
United Nations Children's Emergency Fund reported that there is 576 child
mortality per 100,000 live births in Nigeria. Former Nigerian Minister of
Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, once tried to explain the cause of the high
maternity and infant mortalities in Nigeria. He admitted that, “the area where
you have this high maternity mortality is the rural areas, where they have zero
access to healthcare and where many people are actually excluded from the
healthcare service delivery (facilities).”
Other reports indicate that Nigeria loses 140 pregnant women every day,
just as yet another report indicates that, out of 195 countries, Nigeria
occupies the shameful number 163 position of the Global Health Security Index.
Our crew was privileged to have a one-on-one discussion with the Medical
Director of a leading reproductive Health Care Delivery Practitioner in West
Africa, NORDICA FERTLITY CENTRE in the person of Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, a
thoroughbred Gynecologist who has been involved in putting smiles on the faces
of couples with difficulties in conceiving in their marriages. He spoke with
COUNTDOWN’s Taiyelolu Ojo on factors that lead to infertility. The successes achieved
so far in the past 20 years of establishing the Fertility Centre and his
commitment towards reversing the current trend of medical tourism in Africa.
Unrelenting, the group has also recently opened a highly sophisticated Fibroid
Centre in Lagos, where every aspect of fibroid issue is being taken care of
without necessarily having to go through any form of surgery (invasive,
minimally invasive and the non-invasive). It is indeed good news and a relief
to patients who hitherto couldn’t access such facility without going abroad.
In our discourse with Elder Isaac Okpanachi Esq. the Cock indeed has come
home to roost, things are no longer at ease and it is high time for us all to
locate our rightful standing before it is too late.
It is a must-read for every believer at such times as these in our
corporate existence. The edition is indeed a bumper one. Thank you for allowing
us to serve you with yet another edition.
Happy Independence Anniversary.
Editor @ Large, Voume 19 No 1
October 2023
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