Murder At Kano Hospital

It is troubling that successful Nigeria, decease by immoderate means has go truthful normalised that we hardly bat an eyelid anymore. But what does 1 expect from a state that is ranked sixth connected the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, earning its famed spot among the 10 astir terrorised nations worldwide and signaling much than 560 killings successful 2024 alone?

In a state wherever bandits, terrorists, and criminals proceed to termination with impunity, the outrage implicit 3 lives mislaid wrong a infirmary could beryllium dismissed by immoderate arsenic the wailing of unrepentant wailers. Talking astir wailers, I apologise to a elder workfellow who erstwhile utilized that look to picture Nigerians who criticised the precocious President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

But the outrage implicit the avoidable death, successful Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, of 3 persons erstwhile the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) disconnected power, cannot and should not beryllium taken arsenic specified ranting of wailers. No, it should not. The murder, for yet different time, is indicative of the unspeakable quality of our wellness system. Even for this crushed alone, it should interest each well-meaning Nigerian.

After all, successful his poem No Man Is an Island, John Donne reminds america that immoderate man’s decease diminishes america all. These 3 Nigerians entered a infirmary successful hunt of wellness and life, but they were near with neither due to the fact that KEDCO disconnected the hospital’s powerfulness supply.

KEDCO switched disconnected powerfulness implicit debts totalling ₦949.88 cardinal arsenic of August 2025, with the hospital’s measure for that period unsocial lasting astatine ₦108.95 million. Three radical died due to the fact that of this disconnection. Three lives wasted due to the fact that of a failed system.

Suffocating powerfulness bills

The decease of 3 astatine a Kano Hospital came a fewer days aft stakeholders successful the wellness assemblage converged successful Abuja for a nationalist dialog connected powerfulness successful the wellness sector, wherever they decried however the outgo of energy is crippling operations successful hospitals. The revelations from this gathering were startling.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, told stakeholders during the gathering that tertiary hospitals crossed the state walk arsenic overmuch arsenic ₦180 cardinal monthly connected electricity. Salako, who should know, said national tertiary wellness institutions walk astir 50 per cent of their operating expenses connected substance purchases. A straightforward mode of describing this expenditure is that it is unsustainable.

Private hospitals are not faring immoderate better. A survey by the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria revealed that backstage hospitals walk an mean of ₦20 cardinal monthly connected power. Is this sustainable? What is the interaction connected accessibility and affordability of healthcare services? How does this impact the prime of attraction Nigerians get astatine the hospitals? If hospitals walk this overmuch to support the lights on, however tin healthcare beryllium affordable, accessible, oregon quality?

It is wide that what occurs successful astir hospitals, including those funded from the nationalist purse, is mediocre work delivery. Nigerians, particularly the mediocre and susceptible who person nary choice, are contending with inadequate entree to healthcare services successful the midst of compromised attraction quality. The outcome? Loss of lives.

Data connected the authorities of powerfulness proviso successful the wellness assemblage showed that much than 40 per cent of superior healthcare centres nationwide deficiency electricity. The ones fortunate capable to person powerfulness get little than 5 hours of proviso daily. And you wonderment what benignant of services Nigerians tin entree from a aesculapian centre successful perpetual darkness.

This deplorable authorities of powerfulness proviso to not conscionable wellness institutions but besides our schools has underscored the request for a powerfulness subsidy successful these captious sectors. Health, education, and agriculture person broader information implications. No liable federation plays with these captious sectors by leaving them astatine the mercy of marketplace forces. That is wherefore governments successful each superior nations worldwide connection immoderate forms of subsidy successful these sectors. Nigeria cannot beryllium an exception.

Long hold for powerfulness subsidy

In August 2024, Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu assured Nigerians that the authorities would subsidise the powerfulness proviso successful wellness and acquisition institutions.

Curiously, 1 twelvemonth aft the pledge, the authorities has yet to lucifer its words with actions. Nothing has changed, and these institutions are struggling to navigate the immense powerfulness bills adjacent arsenic patients wage with their lives. Had the authorities intervened, and promptly too, the 3 lives mislaid successful Kano Hospital, and possibly galore others that the federation whitethorn not adjacent beryllium alert of, would person been saved.

But what is the presumption of Nigeria’s powerfulness supply? A federation of implicit 200 cardinal people, Nigeria presently generates astir 5,400 megawatts of electricity. This is inadequate. A 2022 study o...