PROFESSOR ADENIKE GRANGE!

“The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! “(2 Samuel 1:19)
The resignation last Tuesday of the Honourable Minister of Health of the Federal Republic, Professor Adenike Grange and her Minister of State for Heath colleague, Mr David Aduku over allegations bothering on scam is simply unbelievable. Professor Grange came into the job with impeccable professional and personal integrity credentials. I am still in a state of shock. A perusal of her biography should make my shock understandable, if not perfectly in order.

Until her appointment on July 25, 2007, as the first female Minister of Health ever in Nigeria, she was (and still is) the President of the International Paediatrics Association, the first African woman and second person from sub-Saharan Africa to hold the office. By her performance in this office, she is reputed to have acquired the status of an international stateswoman and is widely respected as a resolute advocate of the children and an unshaken defender of their rights.

With nearly 45 years in the practice of medicine, she had garnered widespread experience spanning more than three decades at such top levels as consultant paediatrician, post graduate medical and nursing trainer, departmental and medical college administrator, program manager, strategic planner and technical adviser on child, maternal and reproductive health issues at national and international levels. Such had been her reputation for efficiency, competence, commitment and integrity that she is ranked next to the late highly revered paediatrician, Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti.

A Professor of Paediatrics at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, since 1995, the first woman to be so appointed, she had served that institution in various capacities. She was Head, Department of Paediatrics; Director, Institute of Child Health and lastly Dean of the School of Clinical Sciences. She had also served the nation creditably before her short-lived tenure as Health Minister. She was a consultant to the Federal Ministry of Health, World Health Organisation, United Nations Children Education Fund, United Nations Fund for Population Activities and United States Agency for International Development. While serving in the various capacities, she was said to have been instrumental to the formulation and implementation of a number of training and practice guidelines. These include, diarrhoea management guidelines, breastfeeding guidelines, immunization monitoring guidelines, and most recently strengthening adolescent health programme in Nigeria.

Author of more than fifty scientific papers mainly on diarrhoeal and nutritional
conditions in children, Professor Grange still serves on the board of many national and international expert committees including the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI).

That, dear reader, is the antecedent of the woman who had to leave office in such a scandalous circumstance. Presidential spokesman, Olusegun Adeniyi was at his dignified best announcing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s acceptance of Mrs Grange’s voluntary resignation. Although, never given to glee in such circumstances, his sobriety was touching as he told State House correspondents: "Both ministers are leaving the Federal Executive Council following charges of corruption brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). It is expected that without the burden of their ministerial duties, they will be better placed to respond to the charges against them.

“Charges of corruption brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)...” That is the heart of the matter: “charges of corruption brought against” Professor Adenike Grange! Incredible. Unbelievable. There are two versions of the story making the rounds. One states that the sum of N300million unspent part of the Health Ministry’s budget for 2007 which was supposed to have been returned to the treasury was shared among officials of the ministry. The other version said rather than return the money, contracts were hurriedly awarded from which the officials benefited. No matter which version is correct, graft would still be the name of the game with insubordination as its twin since there was an express presidential order to return all unspent funds to the treasury.

Some legislators, notably, Dr Mrs Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, chairman, Senate Committee on Health; and her House of Representatives counterpart, Dr. Alaba Ojomo Oladoyinbo, are also being mentioned in connection with the scam and may have a date with the EFCC.

Now, given her antecedents, the question that would normally come to mind is: Did Professor Grange share in the money or in the proceeds from contracts hurriedly awarded in defiance of presidential directives? EFCC will unravel that, if they have not. But the former minister herself seems to be saying that she has done nothing wrong. In her public statement, she was quoted to have said that she accepted responsibility, but not blame for “recent events” in the ministry. Her words:

“I am leaving this cabinet because I consider my dignity, reputation and legacy - values that I have worked hard for and hold dearly. I am returning to my unblemished career which I have assiduously laboured for over the years with resounding success nationally and internationally and to the business of which I am familiar with – saving the lives of mothers and children across Nigeria and the world in general.

“As a professional and a technocrat, I must admit that the level of decay and corruption within the Ministry and the whole Nigerian system as we all know glaringly need to be decisively tackled and purged. I saw my invitation to serve on this cabinet as an opportunity for professionals to join in the extirpation and re-engineering of the whole system to move this great country forward expediently.

“I wish to clearly state that while I am not the chief accounting officer to the ministry; the fact is that the recent episode involving contracts and welfare packages happened under my leadership for which I accept responsibility but not the blame. However my acceptance of responsibility should not be misconstrued as an admission of guilt but rather a path of honour for lapses and intrigues under my watch for which I unfortunately was not well versed in.”

I have read those three paragraphs again and again and I am none the wiser. Mrs Grange says she is not guilty and that’s fine. In fact nothing would make me happier than to for the courts to find that she did not benefit from what she described as “recent episode involving contracts and welfare packages” Nothing will make me happier than for the courts to find only “lapses and intrigues…which I unfortunately was not well versed in” and so tell her to “go and sin no more.” But I am disappointed at the feeble attempt of offering the technical defence of not being the chief accounting officer, even while taking the commendable step of accepting responsibility as chief executive. However, as Adeniyi pointed out, with the burden of ministerial duties out of the way Mrs Grange “will be better placed to respond to the charges against” her. That is what she should do and do speedily and unequivocally. I wish her well.

Of course there are those out there wondering, what is there in high government office that seems able to destroy its occupant? What stronghold is there that seems to be able to warp up people or eliminate them? Who or what are the perpetrators of the intrigues that Mrs Grange spoke about? What can be done about them?

The answer is simple. The bible says “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12). That is why our weapons must be spiritual! The bible puts it like this: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

So, every child of God who wants to make an impact for the kingdom, in high office, must take a decision to be led of God’s Spirit in every action, big or small, because the serpent is still as subtle as he was in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). As the scriptures also say “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1Peter 5:8). Our academic and other credentials, including good grounding in social and cultural ethics can only take us so far. For the kingdom person, Christian ethics ingrained upon the heart with the help of the Holy Spirit is the quintessential qualification. If we seek this in tandem with our other qualifications, we won’t have to lament: ““The beauty of Nigeria is slain upon her high places: how are our best fallen”

The latest non-denominational Christian news, features and commentaries is just a click away: http://kingdomwatch.blogspot.com