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13 December 2010 By Saka Raji Audu
Pfizer is a New York-based
pharmaceutical company and it is the world's largest
drug maker. In April 1996, Pfizer Incorporation
conducted an illegal Trovan clinical trial at the
Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Kano during
Meningitis outbreak. The conduct of the
drug experiment involving mainly children is said to
have led to some death, blindness, paralysis and
brain-damage. Initially, the Pfizer claimed that the
illness was caused by the Meningitis.
After series of failed efforts to
make Pfizer own up by accepting responsibility of the
problem, the present state government led by Malam
(Dr)
Ibrahim Shekarau
took the bull by the horn to ensure that justice is
not only done but seen to be done. Thus, at the end of
the day, light came through the dark tunnel as the
Pfizer Company finally agreed to pay the sum of $75
million compensation being the resultant effect of its
action.
It is understood that part of the
negotiations was that two
Boards of Trustees
(BOT) be put in place with Pfizer and
Kano State Government representatives as
members. The break down of the Pfizer compensation is
as follows: Pfizer victims ($35 million),
Kano state Government
($30 million) and the legal team ($10 million). It
should be recalled that the victims' Association took
the Board of Trustees on victims compensation to a
Federal High Court in
Abuja and secure an
interim injunction, restraining the BOT from releasing
the result of DNA test conducted on the victims by
Pfizer as part of the condition set by Pfizer for the
payment of compensation to each victim.
It is also very clear that the
government has no influence or control over the court
process and that, the BOT on compensation of victims
has distinguished jurists; Alpha Belgrore and Bashir
Abubakar Wali as members who are highly
respected
Supreme Court Judges,
the former being a former Chief Justice of the
federation, noting that these jurists are people who
no person would expect to disobey legitimately
obtained Court restriction orders. In the nutshell
and except where contrary but clearly established fact
is provided against the above claim, it means that the
delay in the payment of the victim's compensation of
$35 million is caused by its representative who had
gone to court to stop the disbursement of the money
and not a deliberate action of the Kano State
Government as some politically induced persons would
like to portray.
To any discerning mind, there is no
way a government that has pulled out its machinery to
ensure that those who were wronged in the Pfizer
matter are compensated could turn round to frustrate
it, else, it would amount to cutting one's nose to
smash one's face, especially when the hard part of
negotiations has already been completed by the
government as a fair mediator.
In this case, why any one should
think that a government that has so much concern for
the Pfizer victims and has done so much in the
struggle of the Pfizer matter could be accused of
delaying the victims' right of compensation, knowing
full well that justice delayed is justice denied.
Incidentally, it was reported in the Sunday Trust
in May last year that during the sixth anniversary
administration of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, the
"Governor raised alarm in an interview marking his
sixth anniversary as Kano governor that "a group of
unpatriotic persons" were planning to scuttle his
government's effort in the settlement of Pfizer
victims."
If not because of some element of
avaricious greed on the side of whoever had gone to
court to stop the disbursement of the Pfizer victims'
share of compensation, the issue would have been
settled long time ago. The painful truth is that as
the court matter lasts, the victims continue to
suffer. Instead of those who went to court to
frustrate the disbursement to blame their action on
themselves and withdraw the matter from court or
expedite quick dispensation of justice in the interest
of Pfizer victims, they allowed their personal
interest to take precedence over and above the
genuine beneficiary of the Pfizer victims'
compensation.
Ironically, the same group of
people who had gone to court to delay the Pfizer
victims' compensation want to cash on public ignorance
through deliberate award of penalty at the goal post
of the government, knowing full well that there was no
foul play from the government side. This perhaps
accounted for the various accusations now being
championed certain politically motivated fifth
columnists to dray the name of the government led by
Malam Ibrahim Shekarau in the mud.
For instance, on 5th
December 2010, the Weekly Trust had its major
story about the delay in the disbursement of the
victims' compensation. Thereafter, a participatory
cartoon followed. Still, on 7th December, a
front page headline attributing the delay to Kano
State Government was published, all in the same Media
Trust titles. While this consistent wrong accusation
was going on, no one ever asked or try to point out
reason why the representative of the Pfizer victims
had to embark on court to stop the disbursement of the
compensation to the victims, on whose side they claim
they are fighting for.
As I have always portrayed in my
writings, every one has every right to express his or
her opinion but such opinion should be backed by
element of fact. Making reference to reason behind the
delay of the Pfizer victims' compensation, the
Sunday Trust came up with report in May last year
titled, "Dispute over Sharing formula: Pfizer victims
ask US court to halt $75 million settlement". In this
report, it disclosed that " According to the
vice-chairman of the Kano
Infectious Diseases
Hospital (IDH) 1996 Trovan Victims Forum (TVF), Malam
Zubairu Shaba, the formula agreed upon earlier on
between the victims and the lawyers was that the
victims' lawyers are to be given 33 percent of the
total compensation, 5 percent for those who initiated
the fight and the remaining 65 percent will go to the
victims." If this sharing formula had taken place, who
would have initiated the building of Pfizer N3.8
billion now making waves in Kano if one may ask.
The report went to say that "Shaba,
who is now being accused in Kano as one of the persons
behind the move to scuttle the settlement efforts,
told Sunday Trust that it was not fair for the state
government to sideline the real victims' lawyers and
those who initiated the fight for the victims." If the
issue is not dispensed off in the court, how does
someone want the State Government led by Malam (Dr)
Ibrahim Shekarau to authorise the payment of
compensation that has gone beyond her power. First,
the government did not go to court to stop the
disbursement and secondly, as mediator in the whole
Pfizer saga, the government could not have
unilaterally gone to court to withdraw the court case,
which it is not a privy to. The simple solution would
have been for those who went to court to stop the
disbursement for whatever reason to withdraw the
matter from the court in order to completely avoid the
delay that they have been shouting about. This, I
believe is better than any one to play politics in a
matter that requires urgent attention and sympathy.
Above all, we must give kudos to
the Kano state government under the able and dedicated
leadership of Malam (Dr) Ibrahim Shekarau for his
spirited effort to see that justice is done in the
Pfizer issue that culminated in the final settlement
of the case and securing N3.8 billion hospital for
Kano. No matter how the fifth columnists would like to
address the issue, the fact is that Shekarau's
government has really left an indelible mark in the
sand of time. And with the truth now before us, it is
hoped that the representatives of the Pfizer victims
will now do the needful to avoid further delay on the
disbursement of the real Pfizer victims. They know the
right thing to do and they must not shy away from it
in place of shadow chasing and conniving with
kleptomania reporters to deceive the unsuspecting
public. Enough should be enough.
Saka Raji Audu writes from
Kano
and can be reached on his email:
sakaraj@yahoo.com |
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