At a time when the world is reeling from the deadly effects of the novel coronavirus that has infected no fewer than five million persons worldwide, taking the lives of about 328,000 others, including a two-day old in South Africa in the process, with a large number of the infected; treated and discharged, an irresponsible public statement was made, recently, by one of those lucky enough to have been successfully treated after coming down with the virus.
Nigeria’s Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi, a media magnate, businessman, politician, socialite and a lady’s man, had cause to be admitted at a medical facility at Gwagwalada, in the Federal Capital Territory, where he was quarantined for 14 days and successfully healed of the coronavirus he had contracted.
Dokpesi, the flamboyant owner of Raypower FM and Africa Independent Television (AIT), was taken into the isolation centre inside the Gwagwalada General Hospital, together with about seven members of his household, including his son, Raymond Dokpesi Jr, who presides over DAAR Communications, the holding company of Raypower and AIT, as Chairman. First to be taken to the facility was Dokpesi Jr, who, sensing he had been infected by the virus, called and surrendered himself to officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Few days later, his father and some other family members equally called and handed themselves over to the NCDC for onward journey to isolation and treatment at the Gwagwalada centre.
After the mandatory 14-day isolation/treatment and his subsequent discharge, Nigerians were shocked to hear Dokpesi Jr complaining that he got tested for coronavirus and was proclaimed positive without being given the result. It was like he never believed he had the virus.
A greater shocker was to come from his father, the High Chief, who, while addressing journalists on the premises of the isolation centre, the day he was being discharged, queried the wisdom behind their being tested and treated for coronavirus when all the medications administered on them were anti-malarial drugs.
“I need to be properly educated on the difference between COVID-19 and malaria,” he said, while casting doubt over the test results that confirmed that he and other members of his household and even others similarly tested, were carrying the novel coronavirus.
Even though he admitted that cases of coronavirus infection in Nigeria was rising, he still insisted that many of those confirmed to be positive with coronavirus by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), were actually tested at reputable laboratories and hospitals in Abuja, earlier, and found to only have high concentration of malaria in their systems.
“I am a bloody mechanic, I need to be educated how malaria has become synonymous with COVID- 19,” the Chief said.
Though he gave a rather not too convincing appreciation of the role and efforts of the Nigerian medical team at the isolation centre in treating and nurturing them back to life, Dokpesi’s conduct and body language at the press briefing was more of an opposition leader (which he is) trying to find fault with the system and bring down or ridicule the government.
In a period of national crisis and emergency such as this, it is totally irresponsible for a national figure, a politician and businessman of his stature; someone who at one time aspired to be National Chairman of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to make jest of our collective effort to rid Nigeria of coronavirus and its disease, the COVID-19.
His reaction was like a family position as others in his household who also went through similar treatment at the isolation centre made similar comments.
Contrast this to the situation in the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson was recently diagnosed at a public hospital as having the virus and treated at the public hospital and discharged by the hospital after becoming well and testing negative.
He left the hospital for his private home for convalescence and later issued a video statement, not only praising the National Health Service (NHS), owners of all public hospitals in Britain and Northern Ireland, profusely, but also singling out for praise, the doctors and nurses that attended to him, mentioning their names.
The British public has also weighed in, praising the NHS for doing a good job in the fight against the virus, even in spite of the high COVID -19 related deaths recorded in the UK. It was a sight to behold, seeing households in the UK taking out few minutes of their time to come to their doorsteps and applaud NHS doctors and nurses and other medics, simultaneously.
Even the official opposition in the UK, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats have not found a wrong word to say about the Tory Government in this COVID-19 war, instead, offering encouraging words and making useful suggestions to help the country get out of the pandemic and win the war.
Sadly what do we have in Nigeria?
A Dokpesi and his ilks unappreciative of the situation we’ve found ourselves in the country, with a public healthcare infrastructure on its knees, having to contend with a ravaging pandemic, festering among a largely illiterate population of tens of millions who care less about what science says about COVID-19.
And with such disdainful comments about coronavirus coming from High Chief Dokpesi, these people who don’t believe in the existence of the virus are being encouraged to disregard scientific advice about coronavirus and go about their lives as if there was nothing.
This is dangerous, both for the containment of the spread of the virus and the fight to defeat it, as well as fighting any similar epidemics in the future.
Though the media magnate has actually played down his comments following public backlash, by ordering his television network, AIT not to air the footage again and to delete it from its website, it is noteworthy that Chief Dokpesi has neither withdrawn his statement nor apologised to Nigerians over this deliberate gaffe; this is quite unfortunate.
It is our view at KaftanPost that Nigerians deserve an apology from the High Chief for playing politics with their lives.
We have seen billionaires like him, both here in Nigeria and elsewhere around the world, donating billions in money and other resources to their country’s COVID-19 efforts.
In this regard, we salute the efforts of the Elumelus, Otedolas, Adenugas, Alakijas, Rabius et al who have contributed several billions of Naira to Nigeria’s COVID-19 purse.
We have searched for and can’t find High Chief Alegho Raymond Dokpesi’s name or that of any of his numerous companies on the list. We advise, as part of his restitution and apology, to be part of this honorable group and help his country and compatriots in this hour of need.
No doubt, Chief Dokpesi is held in high esteem by some sections of the Nigerian society, but this his COVID-19 gaffe was least expected and must have left them disappointed.
As an opinion leader and owner of a major television network, Chief Dokpesi ought to know that his views and opinions would carry a lot of weight and should not be given irresponsibly, no matter the circumstance and occasion.
Leadership carries a lot of responsibilities and leaders must act and speak responsibly at all times.
It is about time our leaders at all levels, desist from playing politics with everything in this country; we have a humanity that binds all of us together. We should respect that.
