Akeem Lasisi
1979. It was a Christmas day when festivity gripped millions of people across the world. Rice, chicken and other sweet things, plus the spiritual fervour that usually greets the birthday of the Jesus Christ. But that very day, there was a boy who could not partake in the fun.
As a matter of fact, he was hardly aware any festival was going on. Reason: He was sick, very sick, to the extent that he had to be in a hospital.
Great pubic-private partnership
That same day, his doctor said he must go for an X-ray. He was taken to various health facilities, but he could not get the X-ray done. He got to LUTH, its X-ray facility was down. Besides, being a Christmas, services were skeletal and even unavailable in many cases. Yet, he was in pain, a serious pain that got worse by the minute.
“Am I going to die?” He asked as he went round Lagos in futility.
Then, he found his way to the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos, where the situation was initially not too different. The personnel were also not readily available. The difference, however, was that the chief medical officer of the General Hospital was ready to help, and do everything possible to solve the problem. The CMD started making contacts, till he was able to summon the hands that would save the life of the innocent lad. And, so, the x-ray was performed; and the boy was ultimately saved from an untimely death.
That very boy is Bayo Ojulari, who is today the Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo). Ojulari had an opportunity to tell his story on the premises of the same hospital on Wednesday, when the company donated massive medical emergency equipment to the facility. SNEPCo made the donation on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and co-venture partners – Total, Exxon and Agip.
The programme attracted many prominent people from different sectors. While the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Oba of Lagos, HRM Rilwan Akiolu, was like the father of the day. Also in attendance were the top management staff of the oil companies and other related stakeholders, as well as the state ministry of health and those of the hospital in particular. Among the items donated are three ambulances (a fully equipped intensive care ambulance and two other mini ones), specialised beds, Automatic External Defibrators (AED); a mobile X-ray machine unit, ECG machine, operating tables and lamps and consumables. A lot of the equipment are already being used at the hospital.
Addressing the gathering, Ojulari said the success of the project underscored the importance of well-thought-out public-private partnerships.
He stated, “It was a long journey to get the project to fruition. The story will be incomplete without acknowledging the partnership between the Lagos State Government, NNPC and SNEPCo under the Lagos State Emergency Response Improvement Programme, MERIP. Lagos MERIP is aligned with the state government’s health agenda and therefore guarantees us government ownership drive, and will also ensure the sustainability of the programme.
“As part of this innovative public-private partnership, the Lagos State Government renovated the building and will continue to manage the hospital while NNPC/SNEPCo provided the state-of the-art equipment. In addition to this, we have partnered the hospital to build the capacity of equipment operators and co-develop processes and policies to ensure efficient delivery of quality emergency services. One other important element of the proghramme is the collaboration with the Lagos State Emergency Medical Services, LASEMS, to strengthen and improve pre-hospital care through the Lagos State Ambulance Service and hospital-based care at this hospital. This is another testament to the success of public-private partnership for excellent service delivery.”
The SNEPCo MD explained that the social investment strategy of NNPC/SNEPCo is centred on health and education initiatives across Nigeria, adding that access to quality and evadible health care services was just one of the offerings of the NNPC/SNEPCo.
“Only six months ago, NNPC/SNEPCo donated a Linear Accelerator Radiotherapy Machine for cancer treatment to the National Hospital, Abuja. Plans are under way to deliver a Maternal and Child Care Centre in Ogijo, Ogun State. This is aside from other specialised community care programmes such as mobile community health outreaches, community health insurance programmes, capacity building trainings, and many more that have been delivered across the different geo-political zones of the country,” Ojulari added.
Commendation
On his part, an excited Abayomi said the governor and the people of the state really appreciated what SNEPCo had done. He said Sanwo-Olu could not be there because he was away in the United Kingdom for an official engagement.
According to the commissioner, the General Hospital, Lagos Island, is a cherished heritage and one that has greatly impacted on the people. Like Ojulari, he also recalled how the hospital saved his life when he was a pupil at King’s College in the populous and highly commercial state. Abayomi, who was 12 years old then, had been struck by an ailment and was taken to the hospital unconscious.
“They revived me,” Abayomi said, sparking another round of applause for the hospital.
He highlighted steps the Sanwo-olu government had been taking to move the sector forward and steps taken towards making the SNEPCo step a reality, while commending SNEPco and the other partners involved in the project. He thus called on other instructions to emulate Shell and NNPC in the investment on life-saving and life-improving amenities.
O dobe!
Shell’s Media Relations Manager, Bamidele Odugbesan, who co-anchored the programme, noted that SNEPCo had been involved in several other projects in the sector. Among others, he told the gathering, it had always offered emergency series to the polity, working with the Federal Road Safety Commission men while it had also provided amenities for St Mary School, Ojota, Lagos. Phenomenal.com.ng also gathered that SNEPCO had equipped St. Kizito Hospital, Lekki, Lagos.
But, more importantly, Odugbesan injected life and some entertainment into the event, thus complementing the effort of Brass Band, which provided light music.
Apart from recalling some behind-the scene jokes that transpired between him and Oba Akiolu, whom (monarch) he and other stakeholders commended for his interventions in health matters, Odugbesan sang a Lagos song to the admiration of everyone. The most memorable story he told, however, is that of Adam Bradley, General Manager, Bonga South West Aparo at Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company. According to him, Bradley is, among Shell staff, fondly called ‘GM O dobe’, with the Yoruba expression, ‘O dobe’, meaning ‘it has become a soup’, ‘it has become successful’ or ‘the venture has succeeded and become profitable.’ According to him, Bradley earned the nomenclature because his colleagues believe that no matter how taxing or intriguing a project is, once he intervenes, success is guaranteed. Because the ‘o dobe’ symbolism came up on more than one occasion at the event, it became so popular that even Oba Akiolu began to use it.
But beyond such professional competence, Bradley also demonstrated that he is sensitive to socio-cultural offerings. This he did when he tried some dance steps as a dundun and sekere troupe engaged him on the sidelines of programme.
In his speech, he stressed the need to be sensitive to the conditions of fellow human beings. According to him, life is not always easy, meaning that it is important to support others as a matter of serving humanity.
“If we work together, if we collaborate, we can achieve anything,” Bradley said, adding that the donation of the medical emergency response equipment was a step in that direction.
Oba Akiolu expressed happiness at the development and thanked SNEPCo and the oter components for it.
According to him, the saying that health is wealth is key, noting that it was the reason he mobilised for the establishment of a health centre in his Iga Idunganran royal domain in Lagos.
The monarch also recalled the role he played raising money for victims of the Itafaji building collapse.
While Oba Akiolu urged the federal and state governments to improve on the state of the National Health Insurance Scheme, he also enjoined everyone who had the wherewithal to support the authorities in healthcare delivery.
He added, “I had not gone out of my palace since the beginning of this year because I felt I need to rest. But I am here today because I consider the donation of the medical equipment very significant.”
