The Jewel of the Savannah!!!!
I rarely like to mention the names of places where I work as I sometimes have to write unpleasant things about the place but for this post of mine I have decided to make an exception. For those of you who are familiar with the slogans for each state usually written on licence plates of cars or on the first few pages of diaries you would have already been able to name the place I visited during my 'johnny walker' stunts around this wonderful country.
It took us about seven hours by road from the Federal Capital Territory to this state located in the north eastern part of Nigeria. I had heard a lot about this state from a friend of mine who is an indigene of the state and whom I met during the service year. She had painted a picture that made me want to change location to that state after my NYSC.
The road leading to the state capital from a neighbouring state has on the left an International airport, that was the first of many surprises. The roads in the state capital were very clean, there were many signs to show that the roads had either just been built or they were marvellously refurbished. There are working street lights. There is a specialist hospital in the capital which was newly painted and very clean. When I walked into the compound I could hardly believe I was in a hospital compound.
Ill just give you another description of other general hospitals in other parts of the country and you can understand why I was so impressed. Hospital Z has an rough road leading into the premises the access road was either built aeons ago or was very badly built or a combination of both. The hospital building are still wearing the barely visible coat of paint that was used when the hospital was first built.
The compound is unkempt, fields are full of grass that has never been cut, when it is cut its by roaming animals. You had better not attempt to pass through the 'lawns' to get quickly to where you are going for you might just get your shoes and legs smeared with the products of the human digestive process! Yes ke!
The wards are not rooms I would ever wish to spend the night in. They smell not the nice antiseptic smell which many associate with hospitals but a combination of Izal, body fluids/ waste and stale food and of course the toilets stink to the high heavens. Many wards are overcrowded, half of the patients sleep on mats on the floor for lack of bed space, others are discharged as quickly as can be allowed to make room for the more seriously ill patient. The hospitals are under staffed, in one hospital I went to, only one nurse was on duty in the Paediatric and Women's ward and had the responsibility for overseeing over 24 patients 6 of whom were being transfused with blood. I can go on and on but I think I have veered of my initial topic of discussion.
The government in this model state took on the refurbishing of existing general hospitals and the building of a few more. I was very impressed with the state of the hospitals. The primary health care centres I visited though were not as impressive as the state run ones, I guess the local government authorities are in charge of this.
All the roads in the headquarters of the local government have been made making access around the state a delight. One of the only bad roads I went upon was owned by the federal government. Its a road linking the state to another state. Another thing of delight was the water supply system in the state. There were running taps in many places I visited. This is a rarity in many state capitals not to talk of local government areas. Many villages are connected to the national grid!h
If I was an indigene of this state I can tell you I would always strut around with my head held high and I would be proud to announce that my governor is doing wonderful things in my state, since I am not I can say that in the list of places where I would not mind living someday Gombe state is on my list! and in the unsurprising words of the driver who I went with on this visit 'dis governor dey try o!'
It took us about seven hours by road from the Federal Capital Territory to this state located in the north eastern part of Nigeria. I had heard a lot about this state from a friend of mine who is an indigene of the state and whom I met during the service year. She had painted a picture that made me want to change location to that state after my NYSC.
The road leading to the state capital from a neighbouring state has on the left an International airport, that was the first of many surprises. The roads in the state capital were very clean, there were many signs to show that the roads had either just been built or they were marvellously refurbished. There are working street lights. There is a specialist hospital in the capital which was newly painted and very clean. When I walked into the compound I could hardly believe I was in a hospital compound.
Ill just give you another description of other general hospitals in other parts of the country and you can understand why I was so impressed. Hospital Z has an rough road leading into the premises the access road was either built aeons ago or was very badly built or a combination of both. The hospital building are still wearing the barely visible coat of paint that was used when the hospital was first built.
The compound is unkempt, fields are full of grass that has never been cut, when it is cut its by roaming animals. You had better not attempt to pass through the 'lawns' to get quickly to where you are going for you might just get your shoes and legs smeared with the products of the human digestive process! Yes ke!
The wards are not rooms I would ever wish to spend the night in. They smell not the nice antiseptic smell which many associate with hospitals but a combination of Izal, body fluids/ waste and stale food and of course the toilets stink to the high heavens. Many wards are overcrowded, half of the patients sleep on mats on the floor for lack of bed space, others are discharged as quickly as can be allowed to make room for the more seriously ill patient. The hospitals are under staffed, in one hospital I went to, only one nurse was on duty in the Paediatric and Women's ward and had the responsibility for overseeing over 24 patients 6 of whom were being transfused with blood. I can go on and on but I think I have veered of my initial topic of discussion.
The government in this model state took on the refurbishing of existing general hospitals and the building of a few more. I was very impressed with the state of the hospitals. The primary health care centres I visited though were not as impressive as the state run ones, I guess the local government authorities are in charge of this.
All the roads in the headquarters of the local government have been made making access around the state a delight. One of the only bad roads I went upon was owned by the federal government. Its a road linking the state to another state. Another thing of delight was the water supply system in the state. There were running taps in many places I visited. This is a rarity in many state capitals not to talk of local government areas. Many villages are connected to the national grid!h
If I was an indigene of this state I can tell you I would always strut around with my head held high and I would be proud to announce that my governor is doing wonderful things in my state, since I am not I can say that in the list of places where I would not mind living someday Gombe state is on my list! and in the unsurprising words of the driver who I went with on this visit 'dis governor dey try o!'
Jewel of the Savannah...that's Gombe. Can remember when I was asked that in a quiz...wetin carry you go there?
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wonder if the country of my birth is an abadoned project!It is so refreshing to know that some people "dey try o".
ReplyDelete