By Bola BOLAWOLE
So sure of itself, Google boasts that we “Ask anything”; so I asked, “Why do people die?” The answers it gave are as interesting as they are intriguing. Google says “people die for a variety of reasons” and these, according to it, include aging. “The most common cause of death, aging is a natural process that occurs as cells in the body die and are replaced by new ones”
Other causes of death it listed are cardiovascular diseases “such as heart disease and stroke” It also lists cancer as “another leading cause of death, and chronic respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”. Injuries and infectious diseases are other causes of death according to Google. It then explained that “the time it takes for someone to die depends on the cause of death, the (concerned person’s state of ) health, and any treatment they are receiving”.
To many, the question why do people die must appear trite, if not silly. People must die, anyway! Whatever has a beginning must surely have an end. Imagine what our world – or your immediate environment – would look like if people don’t die! The scripture says death is inevitable. The wisdom of our people says there is no one who comes to this world that will not taste death. Death, therefore, is inevitable and unavoidable, which was why Julius Caesar said in William Shakespeare’s play of the same title: “It seems to me most strange that men should fear; seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come. Cowards die many times before their death, the valiant never taste of death but once”
Another silly, so-to-say, question that I often ask myself is, why did we even come into this world? What for? Life appears to me a mere routine and drudgery of sorts: what we do today is what we will repeat tomorrow, ad infinitum ad nauseam. The food we eat, what we drink, the clothes we wear, the activities we engage in are all routines. No matter how rich you are today, someone will be richer than you tomorrow. Where are the Da Rochas, Agbonmagbes, Baba Olowos, SB Bakares, Ajanaku of Ilesa and even the MKO Abiolas of yesterday?
Today, it is Dangote but tomorrow belongs to someone else. Someone is coming that will build a more beautiful house than today’s the most beautiful house. Have you seen the ruins of the palatial buildings of Mobutu Sese Seko and Idi Amin Dada? If you are the most beautiful damsel today, more beautiful ones are yet to be born. Someone will surpass any achievement you record today. And in a matter of decades, if you are not totally forgotten, you would have become ordinary. The rave of today would, at best, be a footnote of history down the line.
What is the purpose of life, afterall? Achieve everything if you like but be sure you are taking nothing away with you. We gather but others enter into our labours – most times they are those we do not even know or approve of. We have no control, even knowledge, of what becomes of those things that we treasure once we are gone. Death, the grim reaper, is no respecter of persons. Which is why my people call him OLOJO – the owner of the day. He owns just one day – but that day arrives in the life of every person. Days, months, years and decades – even a centenary and more – may belong to you to amuse yourself as you jump up and down thinking you are doing something great, but the day OLOJO comes, he strips you of everything and sends you packing – helpless, naked, empty and penniless.
There are more causes of death than the ones listed by Google. In fact, for every death, there is a cause – if an autopsy is performed. There was this day decades back that I sauntered into the office of Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti at Imaria Street, Anthony, Lagos. Beko’s office was a second home to progressive journalists in those days. I expressed surprise seeing him tending a cup of black coffee – no milk, no honey or sugar. I exclaimed: “Comrade, what is this thing you are doing?“ He answered, “What?” I drew his attention to the cup of black coffee before him. “You are a medical doctor: Don’t you know that this is harmful to your health?”
Beko’s trademark wry smile played on his lips as he answered: “Is that why you are surprised?” I said of course! He waved me aside with “It is something that will kill somebody!” While I was still trying to take that in, he asked: “Have you seen anyone who dies that doctors did not tell you the cause of death?” Beko was right! For every death, there is a cause. With all the advances in healthcare in the advanced countries, people still die there! One-time president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, just died a few days ago aged 100 years.
And therein lies the difference! Some causes of death are understandable and acceptable but others are not. Carter’s death, as a result of old age, is understandable but the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by the Russia/Ukraine mindless war is not. The ongoing genocidal war in the Middle East is unacceptable. The killing fields that all manner of religious bigots and militants, bandits and sundry criminals and vagrants have turned Nigeria into is not acceptable. The thousands of hapless Nigerians that die these days as a result of poverty and government insensitivity is unacceptable.
Perhaps the greatest killer in developing countries is poverty, where people cannot afford the cost of basic medicare and where the government turns a blind eye to their plight. In 1989 when I visited Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya, the policy was that any Libyan in need of medical attention that was not available in the country would be taken abroad for treatment at the government’s expense. Were such a safety net available here in this country, thousands of lives would be saved every year.
Life is cheap here. People die needless death. What ordinarily should not kill people kills them here. What no longer kills people elsewhere kills them here. Years ago, Iyiola Omisore (ex-deputy governor, Osun State; ex-senator, and ex-National Secretary of APC) expressed surprise that Nigerians die for the inability to raise paltry sums for medical treatment. So, Omisore made it a point of duty to spend 1st of January every year in hospitals and motherless babies’ homes bringing succor and hope to the hopeless. I pray he still does so today, being the 1st of January, 2025.
Why is it that it does not appeal to our governments to set aside a fund to take care of Nigerians in need of paltry sums that make the difference between life and death? The billions we spent on Hajj subsidy (which eventually found its way into private pockets), those spent on renovations of this and that – why can’t a fraction be set aside to save the life of poor Nigerians whose medical needs are beyond their own reach? Since such provisions for medical treatment abroad are made available to our leaders, why not extend the same to ordinary Nigerians?
Year’s back, I lost a very dear friend because he needed just N10m for medical treatment abroad. A governor-friend that I thought would help considered it politically-unwise to expend a “whopping” sum of N10million on just one person when he could spend a fraction of that on a hundred patients in dire need of peanuts for medicare and reap the attendant political mileage.
On 17 December, 2024, I made here on this page a strident appeal for help on behalf of a man who was once a dutiful usher in my parish; that was after The PUNCH newspapers had graciously published the same story weeks before. He needed a pacemaker which cost N10 million. Few days later, before help could come, the man died! I received a few calls thereafter; I thank them! The man’s distraught and financially exhausted family needs help all the same.
Now, as if that was not enough, I received, a few days ago, an SOS from a coursemate and comrade at Great Ife whose wife needs N30 million for kidney transplant. He stated matter-of-fact that there is no way himself and his family can raise the money – except help comes their way.
Now, these sums are paltry to some of our countrymen. In fact, it should not be too much for the government to set up a fund for the purpose of indigent citizens with failing health- just like we now have the Students’ Loans Fund. It is the duty of the government to take care of the health of its citizens. A safety net for the poor and vulnerable becomes necessary to take care of this need. Where none is available, needless deaths will continue to occur. And everyone will soon realise that they have to make provisions for themselves by any means possible. And will you blame them?
- Former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-Chief, BOLAWOLE was also the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the ON THE LORD’S DAY column in the Sunday Tribune and TREASURES column in the New Telegraph newspaper. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.
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Dear Fellow Nigerians,
As we enter 2025, I wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. May you be rich in joy, success, and good health. As the new year dawns, it brings many hopes, aspirations, and prospects for better days. By the grace of God, 2025 will be a year of great promise in which we will fulfil our collective hopes.
Though 2024 posed numerous challenges to our citizens and households, I am confident that the New Year will bring brighter days. Economic indicators point to a positive and encouraging outlook for our nation. Fuel prices have gradually decreased, and we recorded foreign trade surpluses in three consecutive quarters.
Foreign reserves have risen, and the Naira has strengthened against the US dollar, bringing greater stability. The stock market’s record growth has generated trillions of naira in wealth, and the surge in foreign investment reflects renewed confidence in our economy. Nevertheless, the cost of food and essential drugs remained a significant concern for many Nigerian households in 2024.
In 2025, our government is committed to intensifying efforts to lower these costs by boosting food production and promoting local manufacturing of essential drugs and other medical supplies. We are resolute in our ambition to reduce inflation from its current high of 34.6% to 15%. With diligent work and God’s help, we will achieve this goal and provide relief to all our people.
In this new year, my administration will further consolidate and increase access to credit for individuals and critical sectors of the economy to boost national economic output. To achieve this, the federal government will establish the National Credit Guarantee Company to expand risk-sharing instruments for financial institutions and enterprises.
The Company-expected to start operations before the end of the second quarter-is a partnership of government institutions, such as the Bank of Industry, Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Agency, and Ministry of Finance Incorporated, the private sector, and multilateral institutions.
This initiative will strengthen the confidence of the financial system, expand credit access, and support under-served groups such as women and youth. It will drive growth, re-industrialisation, and better living standards for our people.
On a personal note, thank you for placing your confidence in me as your president. Your trust humbles me, and I promise to continue serving you diligently and wholeheartedly. We will continue to embark on necessary reforms to foster sustainable growth and prosperity for our nation.
I seek your cooperation and collaboration at all times as we pursue our goal of a one trillion-dollar economy. Let us stay focused and united.
We are on the right path to building a great Nigeria that will work for everyone. Let us not get distracted by a tiny segment of our population that still sees things through the prisms of politics, ethnicity, region, and religion.
To achieve our national goals and objectives, we must become better citizens and be uncompromising in our devotion and allegiance to Nigeria.
Citizens’ moral rectitude and faith in our country are fundamental to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda. In 2025, we will commit to promoting adherence to ethical principles, shared values, and beliefs under the National Identity Project.
I will unveil the National Values Charter, already approved by the Federal Executive Council, in the first quarter of 2025. I will launch an ambitious national orientation campaign that fosters patriotism and love for our country and inspires citizens to rally together. The Charter will promote mutual commitments between the government and citizens and foster trust and cooperation among our diverse population and between the government and the citizens.
As far-reaching and foundational as our reforms are, they can produce the desired outcomes only through shared common values and identities and unconditional love for our country.
The Youth Confab will begin in the first quarter of 2025, a testament to our commitment to youth inclusiveness and investment as nation-builders. The Ministry of Youth will soon announce the modalities for selecting the conference’s representatives from our diverse, youthful population.
Dear Compatriots, I urge you to continue believing in yourselves and keeping faith in our blessed country. Let me use this New Year’s message to urge our governors and local council chairpersons to work closely with the central government to seize emerging opportunities in agriculture, livestock, and tax reforms and move our nation forward.
I commend governors who have embraced our Compressed Natural Gas initiative by launching CNG-propelled public transport. I also congratulate those who have adopted electric vehicles as part of our national energy mix and transition. The Federal Government will always offer necessary assistance to the states.
To all citizens, your sacrifices have not been in vain over the past 19 months. I assure you they will not be in vain even in the months ahead. Together, let us stay the course of nation-building. The New Year will bring us closer to the bright future we all desire and the Nigeria of our dreams.
God bless you all, and may God bless our beloved country, Nigeria.
Happy New Year and a prosperous 2025 to you all!
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
01 January, 2025
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The Plight of the Masses; and the Thinking Behind the New Petrol Discount
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas By Idowu Ephraim Faleye +2348132100608 The removal of the petrol subsidy placed considerable economic pressure on Nigerians, particularly through rising transportation costs, food prices and the cost of doing business. While economic reforms may be necessary to address structural problems, their impact on ordinary citizens cannot be ignored. In response to these…
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The Federal Government of Nigeria has submitted all necessary documentation to Finland to facilitate the extradition of Simon Ekpa, a prominent Biafra agitator facing charges related to terrorism.
This development was disclosed by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, during an interview on Channels Television.
“Well, I’m sure he’s cooling off somewhere. Legal action will be taken accordingly. I don’t want to say too much, but I’m glad he’s been arrested,” Musa said.
He expressed confidence in the Finnish Government taking the appropriate steps now that the required materials have been provided.
Ekpa, who was arrested by Finnish authorities in November 2024 alongside four others, has been accused of incitement to violence, promoting separatist propaganda, and financing terrorism.
The Lahti District Court in Finland ordered his remand on probable grounds of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent in Nigeria.
The agitator, known for using social media to advocate for the violent secession of southeastern Nigeria, has been a central figure in the Biafra movement. His actions have drawn widespread criticism and raised concerns over security and unity in Nigeria.
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The Plight of the Masses; and the Thinking Behind the New Petrol Discount
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas By Idowu Ephraim Faleye +2348132100608 The removal of the petrol subsidy placed considerable economic pressure on Nigerians, particularly through rising transportation costs, food prices and the cost of doing business. While economic reforms may be necessary to address structural problems, their impact on ordinary citizens cannot be ignored. In response to these…
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The Plight of the Masses; and the Thinking Behind the New Petrol Discount
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas By Idowu Ephraim Faleye +2348132100608 The removal of the petrol subsidy placed considerable economic pressure on Nigerians, particularly through rising transportation costs, food prices and the cost of doing business. While economic reforms may be necessary to address structural problems, their impact on ordinary citizens cannot be ignored. In response to these…
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been named THISDAY 2024 Man of the Year, an honour that recognizes his bold leadership and transformative reforms aimed at reshaping Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape.
The newspaper noted that since assuming office, Tinubu has tackled pressing national challenges with decisive policy actions, often making tough, unpopular decisions to address long-standing structural issues.
“His administration’s removal of fuel subsidies, economic reforms, and efforts to tackle security challenges have sparked widespread debate but underscore his determination to redefine governance in Nigeria,” the publication noted.
In his first media interview as president, Tinubu encapsulated his governance philosophy, stating, “You can’t be doing the same thing and expect different outcomes.” This ethos has guided his administration as it navigates the complexities of Nigeria’s political and economic environment.
“Tinubu’s leadership style, marked by resilience and a conviction-driven approach, has earned him praise for his ability to stay focused on long-term national interests despite mounting criticisms and hardships faced by the populace,” the newspaper said.
The THISDAY Man of the Year award celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to national development.
As the 2024 recipient, Tinubu joins a distinguished list of past winners.
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The Plight of the Masses; and the Thinking Behind the New Petrol Discount
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas By Idowu Ephraim Faleye +2348132100608 The removal of the petrol subsidy placed considerable economic pressure on Nigerians, particularly through rising transportation costs, food prices and the cost of doing business. While economic reforms may be necessary to address structural problems, their impact on ordinary citizens cannot be ignored. In response to these…
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2027: NDC’s Gwarzo missing from INEC list of Kano guber candidates as INEC releases final candidates’ list
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The Plight of the Masses; and the Thinking Behind the New Petrol Discount
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas By Idowu Ephraim Faleye +2348132100608 The removal of the petrol subsidy placed considerable economic pressure on Nigerians, particularly through rising transportation costs, food prices and the cost of doing business. While economic reforms may be necessary to address structural problems, their impact on ordinary citizens cannot be ignored. In response to these…
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MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas The release of the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission has sparked mixed reactions following the omission of prominent opposition figures, including a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu; and the…
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“This is imperative for Nigerian travellers and residents in Australia due to reported cases of discrimination, harassment and verbal abuse targeted at foreigners,” the statement said.
Nigerians in Australia [Credit: Opinion Nigeria]
The Nigerian government has issued a travel advisory warning Nigerians against travelling to Australia due to security threats prevalent in some of its cities. It also advised Nigerians in Australia to be more cautious amid safety and security concerns.
The advisory came after the Australian government warned its citizens against travelling to Nigeria over the high likelihood of terrorism and breakout of civil unrest.
In a Tuesday statement by Nigeria’s foreign ministry signed by its acting spokesman, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the federal government cautioned against travelling to Australia.
“This is imperative for Nigerian travellers and residents in Australia due to reported cases of discrimination, harassment and verbal abuse targeted at foreigners,” the statement said.
The foreign ministry also raised concerns about antisemitism and Islamophobia.
“While Australia is generally known for its multiculturalism and tolerance, incidents of Islamophobia and antisemitism have occurred recently in certain areas,” it added.
The federal government referenced a December incident in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra, emphasising the need for Nigerians to be mindful of the country’s prevailing cultural and social dynamics to ensure their comfort and safety.
“To this end, extra vigilance and necessary precautions are strongly recommended,” the government advised, calling on Nigerian travellers and those resident in Australia who experience or witness racist attack or harassment to contact the High Commission of Nigeria in Canberra.
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The Plight of the Masses; and the Thinking Behind the New Petrol Discount
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas By Idowu Ephraim Faleye +2348132100608 The removal of the petrol subsidy placed considerable economic pressure on Nigerians, particularly through rising transportation costs, food prices and the cost of doing business. While economic reforms may be necessary to address structural problems, their impact on ordinary citizens cannot be ignored. In response to these…
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2027: NDC’s Gwarzo missing from INEC list of Kano guber candidates as INEC releases final candidates’ list
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas The release of the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission has sparked mixed reactions following the omission of prominent opposition figures, including a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu; and the…
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Why UK varsities are cancelling Nigerians’ admission — Report
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas UK universities are withdrawing admission offers to Nigerian students amid a surge in study visa application withdrawals and fears that stricter immigration rules could bar institutions from recruiting international students. By Okiki Adeduyite The Financial Times, in a report published on Saturday, said that 22.7 per cent of UK study visa applications from…
LATEST POSTS
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The Plight of the Masses; and the Thinking Behind the New Petrol Discount
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas By Idowu Ephraim Faleye +2348132100608 The removal of the petrol subsidy placed considerable economic pressure on Nigerians, particularly through rising transportation costs, food prices and the cost of doing business. While economic reforms may be necessary to address structural problems, their impact on ordinary citizens cannot be ignored. In response to these…
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2027: NDC’s Gwarzo missing from INEC list of Kano guber candidates as INEC releases final candidates’ list
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas The release of the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission has sparked mixed reactions following the omission of prominent opposition figures, including a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu; and the…
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Why UK varsities are cancelling Nigerians’ admission — Report
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas UK universities are withdrawing admission offers to Nigerian students amid a surge in study visa application withdrawals and fears that stricter immigration rules could bar institutions from recruiting international students. By Okiki Adeduyite The Financial Times, in a report published on Saturday, said that 22.7 per cent of UK study visa applications from…
