"I Am Ever Willing To Serve My People of Ekiti And Country” Dr. Makanjuola Akindele Owolabi

“Nigeria Is A Nation That Celebrates Money Above Good Character and Positive Values”…. Dr. Makanjuola Akindele Owolabi; West Africa's First Specialist Fellow Consultant in Aerospace/Aviation Medicine and Human Factors.

“We should start looking for real professionals with impeccable Character and integrity; “Leadership With Character” is, indeed, the summary of the national deficit that we have”….Dr. MAO.

“Tackling the issue of insecurity goes beyond just buying weapons and winning the wars on pages of newspapers.  Those who are saddled with the responsibility must be able to think intellectually outside the box”….. Dr. MAO

“In a normal country, you, Dr. Makanjuola Akindele Owolabi (Dr. MAO) should actually be contesting as Governor, not in Ekiti State, but in Kaduna State where you have resided and paid taxes for four decades and where three of your four children were born!”
…… Gov. Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai once told Dr. MAO; a man of impeccable character, humility and the fear of God. 

The name, Dr. Makanjuola Akindele Owolabi (affectionately known as Dr. MAO) surely does not need much introduction in the international circuit of the Aviation and Medical sectors. He is, indeed, West Africa's First Specialist Fellow Consultant in Aerospace/Aviation Medicine and Human Factors. He is also a distinguished Fellow in Aerospace Medicine of the USA based but global Aerospace Medical Association (www.asma.org).

With a very rich and intimidating CV, Dr. MAO has carved an enviable and unrivaled niche for himself in his chosen field within and outside Nigeria.

Having fulfilled his life ambition of reaching the peak of his professional career, he feels that he would not be accomplished in life if he does not make his mark in the lives of his people (and this issue has always been a very dear and emotional subject for him).

So, in the bid to make a governance difference for them, he actually contested the Primary Election for the 2018 Governorship Seat of his home state, (Ekiti State) under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. The rest they say “is in God’s hands”.

In this exclusive chat with NAIJ NEWS ALERT’s Publisher, Emmanuel Onotevure during the investiture of an Award of Excellence on his MENDS SPECIALIST HOSPITAL & AVIATION MEDICAL CENTRE, Kaduna by the Exco of the over 52,000 students membership of the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU Students Representative Council), Zaria, Dr. Makanjuola Owolabi who is the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital bares his mind on very key issues especially as it relates to the ‘Brain Drain’ syndrome in the medical sector of Nigeria.

Excerpts:

Sir, how do you feel receiving this award on behalf of the Mends Specialist Hospital, as “The Most Distinguished Hospital” from the Ahmadu Bello University Students who have honoured you today especially knowing that you are not an alumnus of ABU?

Quite frankly, I must be honest that I cannot find enough words to express my joy and satisfaction that this is coming from ABU students who are part of the future leaders of Nigeria especially, recalling that I was once an elected President of the University of Ibadan Medical Students Association in 1974. 

Moreover, I also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association to celebrate 60 years of university education in Nigeria and for pioneering Aviation Medicine in Nigeria at a celebration in my alma mater in June 2008. 

It really gladdens my heart to see these students doing things right and recognizing professional excellence in Nigeria. It is certainly a very motivating factor for me to continue to improve my contributions within the available resources and sociopolitical limitations. I know that I have a greater responsibility henceforth, to mentor and groom our future leaders. After all, leadership success without a successor is actually leadership failure!

For me, I will continue to render greater services to Nigeria and humanity in whatever opportunity I find mysel.

Sir, I was greatly moved when you were giving us your recollections and the brief history of how you were able to reach this enviable position.

You are more or less, like an unsung hero in Nigeria.
Sir, seeing the so many International accolades you have accumulated, I am tempted to ask this question; is it that Nigeria does not value or recognize their own?

Dr. MAO: Yes, you are right in that sense when one looks at the numerous honours that I have received from several foreign nations. You may be right in your observation and your question. Perhaps, we are a Nation that celebrates only money above character and value issues.

I believe that we are gradually focusing on “change”; I believe this is the reason why we have a new President who is known as a person of unquestionable integrity. It is not because of money, but because of his integrity and character that he was re-elected recently

So, I believe that, gradually, the issues of integrity and value reorientation are being addressed in Nigeria. I know we still have a lot more to do but I believe things will change for the better.
It is something that is a big burden to most of us who want this nation to take its rightful place in the comity of great Nations where it should belong, when we can start to put our right foot first.

However we must not get discouraged because, even according to the Holy Books, “you must do everything you are doing as if you are doing it for the Lord”. This has been my attitude in whatever I do; I realize that someday, we will meet our Maker and we will render accounts for everything we have done.

Whether people are looking at me or not, I have this understanding that, whatever talent or gift that God has given to me, the same is not just for me or for my ego but to be used for the blessing and improvement of the society to the Glory of God.

I was created wonderfully for a good purpose and God did not make any mistake by putting me here in this Country.

Sir, you also spoke of the medical deficit. How can this be corrected?

I think the only way it can be corrected is that we should start looking for great professionals with impeccable integrity and character to become heads of relevant organizations as we all know that good leadership is key.

Yes, “good leadership with character is key to the success of any position, institution or nation” and that was why I felt happy and honoured when, on my birthday on 8th August 2017 at Ado-Ekiti, the University of Ibadan Alumni Association honoured me as the Guest Lecturer of that year’s annual Lecture series and my Lecture was titled “LEADERSHIP WITH CHARACTER”. Moreover, an icon of integrity in Africa; former President J J Rawlings of Ghana was the Special Guest of Honour on that memorable day.

That lecture titled; “Leadership With Character”, is the summary of the deficit that we have in Nigeria. If we can start looking for good leaders and I am not talking about rulers or people who are selected on any funny criteria or platform; I am talking about real leaders in the real sense of the word, Nigeria & indeed Africa would rival any super nation or country.

It is not just leadership because Satan is also a leader of his bad gang but here we are talking about true leadership with character. That is what Nigeria needs urgently.

Sir, as a follow up to what we have just talked about, the Nigeria Medical Association has given a report that about twelve doctors leave this country every week and that about two thousand leave the nation annually. Why is this so?

I remember that a few years ago, the West African College of Physicians of Physicians of which I am a Life Fellow, had an annual scientific meeting with a theme to address this “Brain Drain” issue. Medical Brain Drain is a serious problem. It is very unfortunate that we have a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, also a Medical Doctor albeit not practicing; saying that doctors can actually go and that he doesn’t care!

For him to say that should be when you have something in abundance that you can now export the excess, is a tragedy that we don’t have such luxury and l know that we are short of skilled and specialist medical personnel in every area.

Good healthcare provision is capital intensive. It is not just even about the number, but the quality and the deficits that we have in every sector now. It is not just about being a doctor that is the issue. You must have a doctor with the right skill, experience and attitude because medicine is multi-disciplinary with so many sub-specialties to be able to give special care while working as a coordinated, motivated and integrated team for the good of the common man.

This is something Nigeria needs to address quickly. We need to focus on providing conducive environment and conditions of employment to our doctors and other healthcare personnel. The medical Professionals cover the society 24/7 permanently. Even if you are on duty for 8hrs in a day, a doctor goes home still thinking round the clock about his or her patients. Our Hippocratic Oath makes it very clear that our job is a calling with passion and empathy; we have a commitment and an obligation to think all the time about our patients and go the extra mile than other conventional workers. Even when you are on leave, you keep on thinking about your patients so, we cannot say we have time like other people do.

Those kind of people need to be retained constantly as medicine is a constantly evolving field. Most Nigerian doctors are clearly disgruntled because of their poor working conditions and the lack of appropriate tools and incentives to improve professionally. That is why our doctors who find their ways abroad are there making waves professionally, where they have the necessary tools to excel. We should not deceive ourselves thinking that our environment is conducive for the medical profession yet. It is not. But the good news is that, with good leadership, some of us want to dedicate the remaining part of our lives, particularly with what you just witnessed here today, more than ever before, to mentor these young students.

We must rededicate our lives as leaders and mentors and also sacrifice for Nigeria because other people also sacrificed for what we enjoy today.

We need to go the extra mile to make these children and grandchildren become the next leaders of Nigeria so that, when we are old and sick, we will not need to be running to other countries. We would have motivated professionals who would be confident that they can take good care of us here, in our own country.

Sir, let us delve a bit into your political life.

You contested as a governor in the 2018 Ekiti State Primary Governorship contest. The election has come and gone. What is your next step?

I am happy you asked this question but, first of all, like the current governor of Kaduna state, who is also an academic,
 

Nigeria has a very long way to go and we all have one role or the other to play in getting her there.

Unfortunately, a lot of Nigerians are aloof as if we have another country to call our own or leave behind to our children and grandchildren.

Sir, you ran for elections under the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the governor in your state is from the same Party, APC.

Are you planning to work with him for the development of your state?

Surely, as a disciplined party man and God-fearing person, I have always supported the party and, for your information, I have tried to maintain a very good relationship with my governor and other Nigerian leaders.

My state Governor is very aware that my passion is not selfish but to provide the best services and dividends of democracy to Nigerians and my LGA in particular. I pray that, most of the reasons that drove me into politics; for instance, the neglect of my people as well as the infrastructural deficits in my LGA (Gbonyin LGA) which as we speak, lacks portable water and electricity for over 6yrs now! No government presence whatsoever! Even the whole Ekiti South Senatorial District for over the 22yrs of the State’s creation, has been overlooked, bypassed severally and has never produced a Governor in Ekiti State.

What is the purpose of politics and governance if there is exclusion with no dividends of democracy for the people or even equity?

So, you can see, it is not about me but about my society that does not get the returns expected from modern democracy.
 

My earnest prayer is that, the governor will have a large heart to pull everybody together for the sake of the State and Nigeria at large.

Sir, should Dr. Fayemi call on you today, will you be will willing to take his invitation?

Like I have earlier stated, I am ever willing to serve my people and country. We communicate and of course, why not?

My motto for life has always been “Humility and Fear of God”. Once someone is placed by God anywhere whether junior or senior, I would always give due respect, support and acknowledgement which should, however, be reciprocal.  We happen to be on the same page regarding “humility and fear of God” and I am prepared to partner with such person to contribute my little quota to Nigeria.

My joy is that, I have a unique trajectory and I have been placed in a position, in the past four decades to know the real reasons why nations fail, being the same reasons why aircraft crash as well as even the same reasons why even hospitals fail! This is called Human Factors and that is what I have practiced while training all types of professionals and executives as a certified lecturer in this field of knowledge.

It is now time at my age to see how I can redeem the image of my country in the Global community.

I believe that I am fully prepared and very willing to contribute to the development of my country.

My challenge is that I am an underutilized citizen in Nigeria.
 

Other countries are actually using me more than my own country and 

I do not want to leave this planet without contributing my quota for the next generation.

Aviation Medicine is a very special and unique course of study. Do we have younger Nigerians in that field of study?

Honestly, it is a very rare and specialized field of study and we are very few in the world. I am the first and as of today, the only Specialist Fellow Consultant registered by the Medical Council of Nigeria in the field of Aviation Medicine but right now, I am mentoring other Nigerians within and outside the country so that we can have more people trained and MDCN - certified in the specialty of Aviation Medicine and Human Factors in Nigeria.
 

Yes, it is a rare field but like I just told you, I became aware of need for that specialty when I did my NYSC with the Nigerian Air Force Basic Flying Training Base in Kano in 1977. Later I went abroad to pursue the specialty. It was very tough to get admission and very expensive as a self sponsored postgraduate student. I am grateful to God that I have now been able to create an opportunity and platform for other doctors who would want to do their training and become Fellow Consultants in Aviation Medicine here in my fatherland, and indeed, West Africa.

That has now been achieved and that is the legacy I want Nigerians to remember me for.

Finally sir, are you not worried considering the insecurity challenges we have here with the huge investments that you have here in Kaduna state?

No! Not at all!! I am not worried at all and, as a matter of fact, if you go to my website; “www.doctormao.org, you will see some of my interviews granted to Freedom FM radio in Ado Ekiti where I talked about this insecurity issue extensively.

I keep on reminding Nigerians that it is not because I am a retired senior military officer but, from deep academic and intellectual study and research. The issues of insecurity can best be addressed from three platforms, that is, there are three areas that are causative or etiological.

If you do not address those three things holistically, you cannot solve the problem.

So, if you know those issues, it should not scare you but rather, it should give you the impetus to want to contribute to solving the problem.
 

I call these actually, “The ADO Acronym Triangle”, not because Ado is the capital of my state, but for ease of Remembrance. The first letter A, stands for Ability for Violence. When you don’t control the abilities for violence for which the military has constitutional responsibility provided there is no mediocrity, nepotism or tribalism militating against its unity and loyalty to the sovereignty of the nation.

Only the military, police and security forces; DSS, Police, NSCDC should have the abilities for violence because they are the ones that will secure the country.

So, any country that does not now control, whether illegal people like Boko Haram or any other people/group access to arms or ability for violence, is looking for trouble. That is the A.

The letter D, stands for “Desire”. Desire is when you do not take care of the desires for revenge.

We are a country where there is no love; where people and even the Preachers are not preaching love. Love is critical. If you cannot forgive each other, we cannot have a country. Look at Rwanda!

So, when you have people who are always having reprisal attacks, because they cannot live in peace and they also cannot forgive each other, because, where there is a desire for revenge, you can never sort out the security problems.

This is the area where all of our leaders, politicians, (Christians and Muslims), our religious and traditional leaders need to know that when there is a place or room for desire to revenge anywhere, you are sowing the seed for a future insecurity problems. 

Lastly, we have the “O” which means; “Opportunity” 

for injustice; Opportunity or environment for injustice. When there are opportunities or, an environment for injustice, there will always be violence because, that is the nature of human beings.

So, tackling the issues of insecurity goes beyond just buying guns and ammunition and, this is again, why people intellectually, must be able to think outside the box and address these three pillars highlighted.