There’s a statue in Yaba, Lagos, of a man, whom
many in Nigeria have forgotten. His family never
have. And now, we all have a chance to remember
him, and in a way, to honour him. He is the man on
our one Naira coin.
Herbert Olayinka Samuel Heelas Badmus
Macaulay , had a daughter, Sarah Idowu Abigail,
who would get married and give birth to a son,
Babatunde Kwaku Adadevoh. Babatunde would
grow up to become a doctor, and have kids of his
own. One of these children, Stella Ameyo, became,
like her father, a doctor.
She would go on to work at a hospital in Obalende,
Lagos, First Consultant Hospital, not very far from
where her famous ancestor was once imprisoned by
the British.
It was to be at that that place of work that Stella
Ameyo was to perform an act that would save the
lives of possibly hundreds of thousands, and sacrifice
her own in return.
On July 20, 2014, a patient was wheeled in from the
Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Patrick
Sawyer, the patient, had shown signs of high fever
during his flight from Monrovia, and was taken
straight from the airport to the hospital. By the next
day, his condition had deteriorated, and he was
immediately placed under observation, while his
blood sample was taken, and sent for tests.
That same day, Mr. Sawyer insisted, with the help of
officials of the Liberian Embassy, on being
discharged. Stella Ameyo, as supervising doctor,
stood her ground that he should not leave the
hospital. It was at that point, while reinserting his
needles, that she came in contact with him, and in
effect signed her own death warrant. One of her
junior colleagues, Justina Obi Ejelonu, who had the
day before when Sawyer was brought in, helped in
checking him, also assisted in placing him back in
care. Like Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, Justina Obi
Ejelonu, has passed away.
There is no other word to describe the actions of
both women, and indeed their entire facility. In
preventing the escape of this patient who had
insisted on leaving, in his condition, for Calabar, 750
kilometres away, both women saved countless lives.
What if Mr. Sawyer had decided that the best way to
go to Calabar was to go to Jibowu and take a bus?
Even if he’d chosen to go by air, which would have
made his fellow passengers that much easier to
trace, the potential damage is incalculable.
The most tragic part of the passing of both women is
that they cannot even be buried decently, and with
all the respect that their sacrifice demands. The very
bug that cut them down is so virulent, so unforgiving,
that even that honour, will be deprived them.
The sacrifice that Dr. Adadevoh and Nurse Ejelonu
have made is the highest form of sacrifice that any
man, or woman, can make for his, or her, fellow
human being. It is said that there is no greater love
than to lay down your life for your friend. Both
women, and their colleague, put their lives on the
line for 170 million of their fellow citizens, many of
whom do not even understand the concept of what it
means to be a citizen. The very least that Nigeria can
do in appreciation, is to honour them.
I have a suggestion for such an honour, and not
some meaningless title or coin which will soon fall
out of use. Nigeria should declare August 19 each
year a national holiday, and in the names of both
women. That way, some Nigerian child in six decades
can ask his parent, “Mummy, who is Stella Ameyo
Adadevoh?” And the parent can reply, “That woman
saved my life, and the lives of all of us”. It is the
least we can do. It is the least we should do.
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.
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