By Salihu Tanko Yakasai
It is often difficult to put forward facts and figures or advance reasons when emotions are high. This is even more so when a serious and solemn event like death is being used to appeal to sentiments and achieve a aim. That was the situation we found ourselves in Kano with the death in India of a Kano State student, Jibril Abubakar Jibril.
Jibril was until his death studying Pharmacy at the Bapuji Pharmacy College in India, on Kano State government scholarship.
While it was indeed painful to see tempers whipped up high by some people whose aims were actually not to commiserate with the deceased’s family or even sympathise with the suffering of the late student prior to his death but rather to use the unfortunate incidence for certain ends, one still felt the need for restraint to allow tempers calm before setting the record straight.
The most important information on the travails of the deceased student that was conveniently ignored by hate mongers was that the late Jibril was actually involved in a fatal road accident in India while travelling very late at night on April 4, 2016. It involved not only him, but also a fellow student, Usman Safiyanu Jaafar.
However, while Usman Jaafar sustained mainly bruises that were treated and he was discharged from the hospital almost immediately, Jibril was not as lucky. He sustained serious neck injuries that required surgery. And because of the cordial relationship between the school and the Kano State government, the Bapuji Pharmacy College did not waste time in taking care of him while they contacted the government.
The State government’s link man in India, a consultant also serving like the guide of all the Kano students there, immediately sent an email to the Scholarships Board and other government figures. He broke the sad news and informed the authorities that a relative of Jibril also on scholarship in the same institution had signed a consent form for an immediate surgery. The consultant equally sent through another form to Jibril’s father back in Kano to sign for further surgery to continue.
The uncle of the student was then called to the Scholarships Board where he was briefed on the sad development and the consent form was presented to him. The duly signed form was then posted back to India.
However, because of the medical report the government received and the critical nature of the student’s condition, and after Governor Abdulllahi Umar Ganduje was briefed about the situation, the state government promptly sponsored two members of his family – his mother and a brother – to travel to Bangalore to look after him.
The state government also requested that Jibril be given the best care he could get, and that was how he was transferred to the best hospital in Bangalore despite the doctors saying his survival chance was just about 10 percent.
The governor directed the Executive Secretary of the Scholarships Board to keep a tab on developments around the patient and also keep him abreast of the situation as it unfolded. As such, the Scholarship Board was on daily contact with the doctors in India, the college’s principal, Jibril’s mother and the consultant who was monitoring him. On days his condition allowed it, officials of the Board even got to speak to Jibril himself.
When the student eventually died, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology immediately facilitated the transportation of his remains, alongside his mother and brother back to Nigeria. This was done as urgently as possible, and in line with the Islamic injunctions on funeral and the need for the deceased student to be given a befitting burial as ordained by Islam.
The foregoing has shown the level of concern and commitment the Kano State Government has shown on this unfortunate incident, contrary to the falsehood peddled since the death of Jibril. Indeed, no one can rescue a soul whose time is up but, for sure, the government did its very best to help Jibril and his family in their hours of need.
The Kano State Government has so far paid a total sum of $27,474 (Twenty seven thousand, four hundred and seventy four dollars) to settle the medical bills of late Jibril and other related expenses. His school was up to its responsibility by paying up the initial bills for emergency care before contacting the government. Immediately the government came into the picture, it refunded the bills accrued by the school in giving the early care and continued from there till the end.
With all the efforts of the government, one wonders why anyone would go about circulating conjectures on the neglect of the deceased by the administration in Kano State. Nothing could be more appalling than seizing on the grief of a family and turning it into political mischief, which is what has happened so far.
May the soul of Jibril find repose and the Almighty Allah grant him Al Jannah Firdaus. May his family equally find comfort in this difficult period. Ameen.
Salihu Tanko Yakasai is DG, Media and Communications to the Governor of Kano State.
Culled from Premium Times
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