News

[OPINION] Chimamanda: The Stethoscope As Hangman’s Noose (1)

Published

4 months ago

January 16, 2026

Tunde Odesola

Does anyone know why the chicken has no teeth? Honestly, I don’t. But I know its humble beginnings, dating back in time. That was when the chicken tilled the earth with its beak and four-toe pronged legs, fending for its daily bread. That was the time when the chicken was left to roam in the day and roost at night. I’m talking about when owners would comb the dark with lamps, looking for their chickens at night, scooping them into coops, and releasing them in the morning, cage-free. The ‘freedom-and-bondage’ breeding method was the practice in this land and beyond.

The breeding method did not die. It gave birth to a proverb: “Ibi gbogbo lati n ko adiye ale, ti ile wa lo peleke.”

“Ibi gbogbo lati n ko adiye ale, ti ile wa lo peleke” is an African proverb which means: “Chickens are gathered and put in cages at night everywhere, but our house is an exception.”

Make I confess, biko. I only knew the first part of the proverb, “Ibi gbogbo lati n ko adiye ale,” I never knew it had a conclusion, “Ti ile wa lo peleke,” until I spoke with two Yoruba bards and cultural historians, Ifayemi Elebuibon and Sulaimon Ayilara – popularly known as Ajobiewe.

Today, however, chicken life has undergone a change. Today, well-ventilated iron buildings are constructed for chickens, fitted with light, water, food and maximum security. Most chickens no longer roam about like they used to. Today, some chickens live better than those who eat them, though their final destination is defined before they are hatched. Today, poultry is prized and pampered, though no one envies the fate of the fowl.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie belongs to the endangered caste of word jewellers, forging meaning and hope into everyday narratives afflicting our malleable world. Chimamanda needs no introduction to the throng of the well-informed. She’s world famous. But, Nigeria, many a time, disrespects fame, industry and accolade.

Her name, Chimamanda, means “My God will not fail me”. Chimamanda is not the traditional Igbo name, answering to an ancestral call. Chimamanda is rooted in modern Igbo identity influenced by Christian belief. It is equivalent to Yoruba names such as Iyinoluwa, Erioluwa, Moyinoluwa, Ewaoluwa, etc.

Chimamanda had a set of twin boys aged 21 months old. One of them was named Nkanu. Though Nkanu was a toddler, his name was a tower. Unlike Chimamanda, Nkanu is a traditional Igbo name. It means a pillar of resilience, a fighter, a strong will and grit. On January 7, 2026, Chimamanda lost Nkanu to alleged criminal medical negligence at Euracare, a high-brow private hospital in Lagos. It was not that God failed Chimamanda – God never fails, neither did Nkanu lose his strong will; it was Nigeria’s healthcare system that shattered the dreams of father, mother and child, eclipsing Nkanu’s sun before it rose.

The agony of a mother! The death of a child is an unhealable wound. I do not know how to console Chimamanda. Words spoken, written or sung cannot repair the damage. Maybe repentance from the nasty path of medical negligence may offer some consolation to the Chimamanda Adichie family and every other family afflicted by the scourge of medical abuse and negligence in health facilities across Nigeria.

Adichie, in a statement, said Nkanu was taken to Euracare Hospital for an MRI scan and the insertion of a central line, during which he was sedated but was not properly monitored after being administered propofol, leading to complications, including loss of responsiveness, seizures, and cardiac arrest.
In a story published by The PUNCH on January 10, 2026, the author stated that Nkanu would be alive today if not for an incident at Euracare Hospital on January 6, where he was taken for medical procedures. Adichie explained that her family had been in Lagos for Christmas when her son developed what they initially believed was a cold, which later turned into a very serious infection.

“We were in Lagos for Christmas. Nkanu had what we first thought was just a cold, but soon turned into a very serious infection, and he was admitted to Atlantis Hospital. He was to travel to the US the next day, January 7, accompanied by travelling doctors. A team at Johns Hopkins was waiting to receive him in Baltimore. The Hopkins team had asked for a lumbar puncture test and an MRI.”

According to her, Atlantis Hospital referred them to Euracare Hospital, said to be the best place to have the procedures done, adding that the Nigerian team had also decided to put in a ‘central line’ (used to administer IV medications) in preparation for Nkanu’s flight.

Recounting her nightmare, Adichie continued, “The morning of the 6th, we left Atlantis Hospital for Euracare, Nkanu carried in his father’s arms. We were told he would need to be sedated to prevent him from moving during the MRI and the ‘central line’ procedure. I was waiting just outside the theatre. I saw people, including Dr M, rushing into the theatre and immediately knew something had happened.”

The author of ‘Purple Hibiscus’ and ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ said she was later told Nkanu had been administered an excessive dose of propofol by the anesthesiologist.

She wrote, “A short time later, Dr M came out and told me Nkanu had been given too much propofol by the anesthesiologist, had become unresponsive and was quickly resuscitated. But suddenly, Nkanu was on a ventilator; he was intubated and placed in the ICU. The next thing I heard was that he had seizures. Cardiac arrest. All these had never happened before. Some hours later, Nkanu was gone.”

Back to my proverb, “Ibi gbogbo lati n ko adiye ale, ti ile wa lo peleke.” I’ll repeat its meaning: “Chickens are gathered and put in cages at night everywhere, but our house is an exception.” Johns Hopkins Medicine is a world-renowned integrated academic medical system in Baltimore, Maryland, affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and combines a vast network of research, patient care facilities, and medical education towards improving health globally.

In a 2023 study titled “Report Highlights Public Health Impact of Serious Harms From Diagnostic Error in U.S,” Johns Hopkins Medicine says diagnostic errors account for a national estimate of 371,000 deaths and 424,000 permanent disabilities yearly.

A UK government review conducted by the Department of Health and Social Care in 2022 discovered that there were 125,000 deaths in England and Wales. This broad category, however, includes preventable health conditions as well as unsafe care, all of which cannot be considered medical negligence.

The US and UK examples not only portray the fallibility of human striving for excellent healthcare delivery, but they also uphold documentation and accountability as tools of improvement and growth. If Nigeria were to account correctly for the number of people lost to medical negligence, abuse and unsafe care, the WHO would relocate to Abuja.

In the Nigerian healthcare system, ‘Ori yeye ni Imogun, ti aise lo po’ — ‘Of the countless heads littering Imogun, the Place of Skull, many belong to the innocent’. Many patients who die in Nigerian hospitals are not killed by death. They were killed by hangmen and undertakers parading as healthcare professionals. For every death in the advanced world, a post-mortem is mandatory. It is not so in Nigeria. Chickens are gathered and put in cages at night everywhere, but our house is an exception – ‘Ibi gbogbo lati n ko adiye ale, ti ile wa lo peleke’.

• To be continued.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

Facebook: @Tunde Odesola

X: @Tunde_Odesola

…

News

Xenophobic Attacks: Oshiomhole Tells FG To Retaliate Against South African Companies In Nigeria

Published

10 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has called on the Federal Government to retaliate against South African businesses operating in Nigeria following the recent attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

Speaking during plenary on Tuesday, Oshiomhole said the Federal Government should consider revoking the working license of South African owned companies such as MTN and DSTV.

He argued that Nigeria must respond firmly to what he described as persistent hostility against its citizens.

“I am not going to shed tears. If you hit me, I hit you. I think it is appropriate in diplomacy. It is an economic struggle,” Oshiomhole said.

He argued that while some South Africans accuse Nigerians of taking their jobs, Nigerians should return home and take over employment opportunities created by major South African companies operating in the country, including MTN and DSTV.

“When we hit back, the President of South Africa will not only talk but will also go on his knees to recognise that Nigeria cannot be intimidated.

“We will not condone any life being lost. If a crime has been committed under the South African law they have the right to bring any such person to justice, but to kill our people as if we are helpless, we will not allow that,” Oshiomhole added.

DAILY POST reports that several Nigerians in South Africa have reportedly been attacked, and their businesses destroyed, in ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country.

News

IGP Orders Officers Display Name Tag On Uniform, Gives Update On State Police

Published

10 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Tunji Disu, has ordered all police personnel to always have their name tags on their uniforms for easy identification.

Disu disclosed that only police personnel who are undercover are exempted from displaying their name tags.

Speaking on Tuesday, Disu said: “All police officers should have their name tags. All of us on the high table have our names apart from the undercover among us so if you look at all the Commissioners of Police we have our name tags, so it’s not our standard.

News

Court Orders SERAP To Pay DSS Operatives N100m For Defamation

Published

15 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has ordered a non-governmental organization, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, to pay N100 million as damaged to two operatives of the Department of the State Services, DSS, for unjustly defaming them in some publications.

The court also ordered SERAP to tender public apologies to the defamed officers,
Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, in two national newspapers, two television stations and its website.

Besides, the organization was also ordered to pay the two operatives N1 million as cost of litigation and 10 percent post-judgment interest annually on the judgment sum until it’s fully liquidated.

Justice Yusuf Halilu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory gave the order on Tuesday while delivering judgment in a N5.5 billion defamation suit instituted against SERAP by the DSS operatives.

The judge found SERAP liable for unjustly defaming the two DSS operatives with allegations that they unlawfully invaded its Abuja office, harassed and intimidated its staff, in September 2024.

In the offending publication on its website and Twitter handle, SERAP alleged that the two operatives unlawfully invaded and occupied its office with sinister motives.

The judge held that the publication was in bad taste especially from an organization established to promote transparency and accountability, as nothing in the publication was found to be truthful.

The DSS staff had listed SERAP as 1st defendant in the suit marked CV/4547/2024. SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, was listed as the 2nd defendant.

In the suit, the claimants – Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele – accused the two defendants of making false claims that they invaded SERAP’s Abuja office on September 9, 2024..

Counsel to the DSS, Oluwagbemileke Samuel Kehinde, had while adopting his final address in the mater urged the judge to grant all the reliefs sought by his client in the interest of justice.

He admitted that although the names of the two claimants were not mentioned in the defamation materials, they had however established substantial circumstances that they are the ones referred to in the published defamation article by SERAP on its website.

The counsel submitted that all ingredients of defamation have been clearly established and the offending publication referred to the two officials of the secret police.

However, SERAP, through its counsel, Victoria Bassey from Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, law firm, asked the court to dismiss the suit on the ground that the two claimants did not establish that they were the ones referred to in the alleged defamation materials.

She said that SERAP used “DSS officials” in the alleged offending publication, adding that the two claimants must establish that they are the ones referred to before their case can succeed.

Similar arguments were canvassed by Oluwatosin Adefioye who stood for the second defendant, adding that there was no dispute in the September 9, 2024 operation of DSS in SERAP’s office.

He said that since SERAP in the publication did not name any particular person, the claimants must plead special circumstances that they were the ones referred to as the DSS officials.

Besides, he said that there is no organization by name Department of State Services in law, hence, DSS cannot claim being defamed adding that the only entity known to law is National Security Agency.

The claimants had in the suit stated that the alleged false claim by SERAP has negatively impacted on their reputation.

The DSS also stated, in the statement of claim, that, in line with the agency’s practice of engaging with officials of non-governmental organisations operating in the FCT to establish a relationship with their new leadership, it directed the two officials – John and Ogunleye – to visit SERAP’s office and invite them for a familiarization meeting.

The claimants added that in carrying out the directive, John and Ogunleye paid a friendly visit to SERAP’s office at 18 Bamako Street, Wuse Zone 1, Abuja on September 9 and met with one Ruth, who upon being informed about the purpose of the visit, claimed that none of SERAP’s management staff was in the country and advised that a formal letter of invitation be written by the DSS.

John and Ogundele, who claimed that their interactions with Ruth were recorded, said before they immediately exited SERAP’s office, Ruth promised to inform her organisation’s management about the visit and volunteered a phone number – 08160537202.

They said it was surprising that, shortly after their visit, SERAP posted on its X (Twitter) handle – @SERAPNigeria – that officers of the DSS are presently unlawfully occupying its office.

The claimant added, “On the same day, the defendants also published a statement on SERAP’s website, which was widely reported by several media outfits, falsely alleging that some officers from the DSS, described as “a tall, large, dark-skinned woman” and “a slim, dark skinned man,” invaded their Abuja office and interrogated the staff of the first defendant (SERAP).

John and Ogundele stated that “due to the false statements published by the defendants, the DSS has been ridiculed and criticised by international agencies such as the Amnesty International and prominent members of the Nigerian society, such as Femi Falana (SAN)”.

“Due to the false statements published by the defendants, members of the public and the international community formed the opinion that the Federal Government is using the DSS to harass the defendants.”

They added that the defendants’ statements caused harm to their reputation because the staff and management of the DSS have formed the opinion that the claimants did not follow orders and carried out an unsanctioned operation and are therefore, incompetent and unprofessional.

The claimants therefore prayed the court for the following reliefs: “An order directing the defendants to tender an apology to the claimants via the first defendant’s (SERAP’s) website, X (twitter) handle, two national daily newspapers (Punch and Vanguard) and two national news television stations (Arise Television and Channels Television) for falsely accusing the claimants of unlawfully invading the first defendant’s office and interrogating the first defendant’s staff.

“An order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N5 billion as damages for the libellous statements published about the claimants.

“Interest on the sum of N5b at the rate of 10 percent per annum from the date of judgment until the judgment sum is realised or liquidated.

“An order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N50 million as costs of this action.”