When the news of HIV broke in Nigeria in the late 1980s, it came with a lot of exaggeration. I was in secondary school in my hometown Nnewi in Anambra State then. HIV was portrayed as something that could kill within hours of infection. Consequently, in the South-East, it was momentarily given the Igbo name “echieteka,” which means “tomorrow is too far.” It is the name of one of the most venomous snakes because it was believed that its venom could kill one before daybreak.
We were told rightly that the major ways to spread HIV were through unprotected sex, blood transfusion, and the sharing of sharp objects like needles and syringes. But something strange was happening in the hospitals. Any time I had a reason to visit a hospital to take an injection, I noticed that the syringe was never unwrapped in my presence, and there were no signs of unwrapped covers of syringes around or in a trash can. I eventually asked one day and was told that the syringes were boiled after use, and that there was no risk of infection, as HIV could not survive high temperatures. Even though as a science student, I knew that viruses are weak once outside their host, I was horrified that something as cheap as a syringe could be recycled in a bid to save cost.
By the time I was in the university, I bought packs of syringes. Any time I went to a hospital and was told, after seeing the doctor, that I would get an injection, I would tell the nurse that I had my syringe. They would look at me like someone weird. But I would insist that my syringe be used. Years later when I could afford a clipper, I also bought one, even though I was told that the chances of contracting HIV through a haircut is remote.
But the issue of boiling disposable syringes that were cheaper than sachet water (popularly called “pure water”) was a pointer to how far our people could go to put cost ahead of safety.
Last year, I was on a visit to Canada and was invited by a friend who had a country home by a lake. He and his family would spend some days in the country home during summer. He had a boat by the lake right behind the house. He took the time to drive all of us batch by batch on the lake. But before getting into the boat, he would hand over the life jackets to everyone who would go on the ride. He would check like air hostesses do their passengers that each life jacket is properly fastened before taking off.
He knew that if anything happened to any of his guests, both the family of such a person and the government would hold him culpable, if it was due to human negligence. It would not be wished away as the way God wanted it.
Bad news is no longer news in Nigeria, but there are incidents that cast a depressing image about Nigeria’s attitude to safety. Last week’s boat tragedy in Anambra State and the fire incident in Docemo Street, Lagos State are typical examples of such.
The water accident occurred on Anam River and involved a movie team. The accident claimed the lives of five people, including that of the actor known as Junior Pope, whose real name was Paul Odonwodo.
Some hours before the tragedy, the actor had posted a video of himself on Instagram in a boat on his way to the movie location. He captioned the video: “See me lamenting….The risk we take to entertain you; crossing river 9ja yesterday with no life jacket…. Na wahooooo, Who does that ??”
The actor had no life jacket while riding on the boat. Reports say that there were 12 people in the boat which was returning from a film shoot. Out of the 12 people, only two were said to have worn a life jacket. Their boat collided with a canoe and capsized. Junior Pope was thought to have died and was taken to a mortuary. At the mortuary, it was discovered that he was still alive and was taken away. But the people first took him to the riverside for some rituals to be performed that would make him come back to life. Then they eventually took him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Looking at the whole incident, one could see safety lapses at every stage. First, how could a boat take off from the river bank without a life jacket on its passengers? Somebody who said he was the captain of the boat alleged that Junior Pope refused to hire a life jacket, saying that he had no money and that it was the producer who should pay for that. The producer was alleged to have said that Junior Pope refused to wear a life jacket because he claimed the life jacket was dirty.
What happened to him was not an isolated case. Every day, people take children, teenagers and adults across rivers and lakes, etc. with none of them wearing a life jacket. It happens in Anambra State, Delta, Benue, Bayelsa, Rivers, Niger, Lagos and other states. It is taken as a normal thing. The reason this issue is discussed with a sense of shock is because one of the victims was an actor.
Now that this has happened, the government agencies in charge of water travel would flex their muscles for a few weeks. For example, it was announced that the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau had launched an investigation into the mishap. A few weeks after – when the noise will have subsided – everything will return to how it was before the accident.
People from developed countries of the world would read the news and wonder how such deaths could occur in a country that has a government. How could a boat offering commercial services leave the shore without all the passengers wearing a life jacket? How could people be subjected to such a high level of risk?
There are Nigerians who have tried to argue that accidents occur even in the United States. But this accident and the fire incident on Docemo Street in Lagos Island were completely avoidable. The fire incident was caused by poor handling of a generator. A man tried to pour more petrol into the tank of his generator while it was still on. That ignited a fire. He threw the generator down from the floor of the building where he had a printing press. This made the fire to spread. Not fewer than four buildings were destroyed with over 200 shops burnt. Luckily, no life was lost.
Three weeks ago, there was a fire incident near the venue of this latest fire accident. Nobody knows what will happen in the days ahead, but this fire incident will not make Nigerians change their attitude to safety issues.
There is still the belief that whatever happens has been ordained by God, and nobody can do anything to ward it off. Many people believe that such tragedies are caused by evil spirits, enemies, and other spiritual forces. Government agencies will also continue to look the other way until something serious happens again.
Part of the reason Nigeria’s life expectancy is low is because of the poor attitude to safety and security issues. We cannot continue to treat human life with such levity. People need to start accounting for their actions. This will make Nigerians sit up and save more lives and property.
