AFRO-NETS> Dateline Health Nigeria No. 3, 2000

[A Odutola <chpss_abo@yahoo.com>]

Dateline Health Nigeria No. 3, 2000
-----------------------------------

* Boom time for hospital contractors in Nigeria 
* From Italy with AIDS 
* Trafficking in Nigerian girls for prostitution 
* Boy aged 9 wins highest injury award in annals of Nigerian 
  jurisprudence 
* UNICEF advocates law to protect children's rights in Nigeria

1. BOOM TIME FOR HOSPITAL CONTRACTORS IN NIGERIA 
Hospital contractors are set for a boom time in Nigeria. This 
is coming in the wake of the decision by the Nigerian govern-
ment to stop all public officials including the President, from 
seeking medical treatment abroad as first recourse. To serve as 
acceptable alternative, President Olusegun Obasanjo is said to 
have given the orders for the upgrade of six Federal teaching 
hospitals to international standards. Source: Guardian (Nige-
ria) 2 December 1999. P. 1

(Editor's Note: The cost implications of the order has not been 
disclosed. But local consultants estimate that at today's level 
of international medical technology and given the low level of 
medical technology present in all of Nigeria's teaching hospi-
tal, it may cost between US $50 ð 150 million dollars to up-
grade each of the six identified teaching hospital to accept-
able international standards. For more information,
mailto:chpss_abo@yahoo.com)

2. FROM ITALY WITH AIDS 
Nine out of eighty seven Nigerian commercial sex workers de-
ported from Italy within the last four months have tested posi-
tive for HIV, the Federal Criminal Investigation Department 
(FCID) of the Nigerian Police has said. Addressing newsmen re-
cently, the chairman of the task force on human trafficking, 
Mrs. Malta Giwa-Osagie said that 90% of the deportees were in-
digenes of Edo State, Nigeria, adding that more of the deport-
ees might still test positive for the virus before the conclu-
sion of the medical test. She further stated that all the HIV 
positive girls would be handed over to the Ministry of Health 
in their respective States for care. Source: Daily Times. 16 
December 1999, p.16. By Biyi Adegoroye

3. TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIAN GIRLS FOR PROSTITUTION 
Between October 25 and November 12 1999, eighty-four young Ni-
gerian girls were deported from Italy to Nigeria. Seventy-one 
were from Edo State, nine from Delta State, two from Ondo State 
and one each from Enugu and Imo States. Between December 3 and 
8 another set of eighty-seven predominantly female deportees 
arrived in Nigeria from Italy. In all, well over 180 Nigerian 
girls aged between 16 and 23 years have been deported from It-
aly within the last three months. 90% of them are from Edo 
State, Nigeria. So far 9 out of 87 screened for HIV have been 
found to be HIV positive. It is not known if those found to be 
HIV positive were positive before they went to Italy or got in-
fected in Italy. This deportation has been a source of consid-
erable embarrassment to both the Federal and Edo State govern-
ments. 

Recounting how these girls get to Italy, the chairman of the 
task force on human trafficking, Mrs. Malta Giwa-Osagie quoted 
Sonia Sunday (a.k.a. Bridget) as saying: "My boyfriend helped 
me to travel. He provided money and all necessary documents 
(usually forged)." "Many other men and our chiefs are also in-
volved in this thing. They help the girls to travel and charge 
them U.S. $20,000 ð $30,000. On reaching Italy (usually from 
different points in West Africa and other European countries) 
the girls start to repay the money on starting their 'jobs'. In 
most cases these payments last a long time."

One of such men nabbed was 30-year old Joe Aikhomu. He was 
found with twelve Nigerian international passports, seals used 
by Italian officials and many rubber stamps. Women are also en-
gaged in human trafficking. Mrs. Patience Evbumwan, a housewife 
from Benin city, Edo State was one of such women nabbed last 
month. She was arrested with eleven young girls she was taking 
to Europe. According to Patience, parents who wanted her to as-
sist in getting the girls to Europe brought them to her. She 
charges the girls, a registration fee of $10,000 in addition to 
$30,000 that is paid from earnings at prostitution. The girls 
are known to send money back home regularly for the upkeep of 
their parents.  Source: From a story by Bolaji Tunji. Guardian 
on Saturday (Nigeria). 18 December 1999, pp. 14-15.

4. BOY AGED 9 WINS HIGHEST INJURY AWARD IN ANNALS OF NIGERIAN 
JURISPRUDENCE 
A nine-year-old primary school boy, Ndubuisi Azubuike, scored a 
major legal victory on Friday, 17 December 1999 when he was 
awarded Naira 8.00 million (US $ 80,000.00) by an Ikeja, Lagos 
High Court judge, Mr. Justice Bayo Manuwa. This is probably the 
highest injury award ever in the history of Nigerian jurispru-
dence. Ndubuisi lost his two eyes to the bullets of "Operation 
Sweep" ð the anti robbery/security outfit in Lagos, Nigeria. 
The event occurred at Isolo, a suburb of Lagos when he was re-
turning home from church on October 7, 1999. 

Apparently angered by the refusal of the government to offer 
any assistance or compensation to Ndubuisi, the presiding judge 
in granting the award said, "Nothing could be more oppressive, 
arbitrary or unconstitutional by an agent of government." Ndu-
buisi now attends the Pacelli School for the Blind in Surulere, 
Lagos.  Source: Guardian on Saturday (Nigeria). 18 December 
1999, p. 1. By James Dadzie.

(Editor's note: Based on past precedents, it's doubtful if the 
government of Lagos State will ever pay the award.)

5. UNICEF ADVOCATES LAW TO PROTECT CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN NIGERIA
Carol Bellamy, the Executive Director of UNICEF, has urged the 
Nigerian government to pass into law, all provisions on the 
rights of the child and provide infrastructure for their imple-
mentation. She was represented by Dr. Christian Voumard in 
Abuja, Nigeria on December 14 1999 at the launching of the 
"State of the World's Children's Report 2000". Ms. Bellamy re-
called that ten years ago, heads of governments and States all 
over the world promised to put in place certain measures to en-
sure the survival, development and protection of children. 
These promises she said were contained in the convention on 
rights of the child that were formulated into goals in 1990 at 
the World Summit for children. The goals were to be attained by 
the year 2000. According to Ms. Bellamy, the failure to attain 
these goals has in the last six years seriously contributed to 
the increase in infant and maternal mortality rates, which now 
stand at 191-293 per 1000 live births and 948/1000 live births 
respectively. Source: Guardian (Nigeria) 15 December 1999, p. 
6. By Segun Ayeyenikan.

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