Image
November 9, 2022
Recall that there had been calls for medical evaluation of political office seekers to ascertain and establish their state of health, most importantly, their mental health.
A recommendation for compulsory psychiatric evaluation for candidates contesting for governorship, presidential and other political offices by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has elicited mixed reactions.
Recall that there had been calls for medical evaluation of political office seekers to ascertain and establish their state of health, most importantly, their mental health.
In April 2022, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), the Chairman of the NDLEA asked political parties to include drug integrity tests as part of the screening processes for candidates.
This however generated controversy as many Nigerians have questioned the constitutionality of compelling political parties’ candidates to undergo medical, particularly, psychiatric examination.
Reawakening the NDLEA recommendation, the NMA President, Dr Uche Ojinmah, on Tuesday, while speaking in Abuja said that “Simple medical check-ups such as chest X-ray, cardiac echocardiography, abdominal ultrasound scan, urinalysis, kidney function test, liver function test, blood pressure and blood glucose assessment will give one a comprehensive view of the state of the body system.”
According to Ojinmah, “People applying for top level jobs like Chief Medical Director or Medical Director in our public service are made to undergo these tests while those contesting for executive and legislative posts don’t.’’
He insisted that “We also want them to undergo psychiatric evaluation. These shall exhaustively evaluate the people vying for the ultimate job in Nigeria.
“If a mad man is about to be president, we should be told, that is just the truth. We see a lot of things going on with those in power, you will realise that there is imbalance. So, I think the results should be made public, we have a right to know.
“When they are going to vie for a Medical Director or Chief Medical Director of hospitals, they do most of these tests and those who will take the decision of choosing will see the results. So, people are going to be President and they don’t think that we should see their results? We are the ones to make that decision, we should see their results.”
Also, the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, called for enforced medical check-up for would-be Nigerian leaders. He noted that many Nigerian leaders were suffering from chronic diseases.
Supporting the recommendation of medical tests for candidates, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Obasi Igwe, noted that if people taking up jobs from the government ministries, departments and agencies could be subjected to medical test, it is imperative for political office holders to undergo such a medical examination before they could be elected into power.
Prof. Igwe said that “To take up appointments in the university, army, companies, etc, you need a medical certificate of fitness, and these are essentially policy implementation appointments.
“If those implementing policy from below are expected to be medically fit, why should those making the policy be exempted from health fitness in Nigeria when in all other serious democracies medical certifications are constitutionally mandatory?’’
However, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mazi Afam Osigwe, dismissed the proposal, describing it as irrelevant.
Osigwe said that corrupt leadership was a far greater issue than whether or not a person was fit medically or mentally.
According to him, “How are we not certain that most of the people who have misgoverned Nigeria, states, and local governments, are not people who are mentally fit, but just corrupt and incompetent, and who will rather do the wrong things?
“We pay attention to useless things. It will achieve what to have these evaluations? What proof do we have that we have been ruled by people who have mental illness?’’
But another legal luminary and human rights activist, Inibehe Effiong, noted that though medical checks was not a constitutional requirement neither is it a part of the requirements for seeking public office “It does not appear that most of our leaders are of sound mind so I would personally favour any conditional amendment that would make that would provide for a process where those seeking public offices can be mandatorily subjected to mental evaluation.’’
Meanwhile, the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said some political parties had accepted the idea and expressed their preparedness to work with the agency.
Confirming Babafemi’s claim, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), with Bola Tinubu, the African Action Congress (AAC) with Omoyele Sowore and the Labour Party (LP) with Peter Obi as presidential candidates respectively, confirmed that their candidates are willing and ready to submit themselves to the drug integrity test proposed by the NDLEA.
The APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim said that “If the NDLEA has reasons to suggest that; their reasons may be germane and I don’t think the APC will object. After all, the APC is for progress, it’s so confident that its members are sane and its members are people that will not engage in any unlawful act.”
Similarly, the AAC Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, Onyinye-Gandhi Chukwunyere, said, “We welcome the process, and our candidate is ready whenever they are. However, we’ll insist on modalities to improve the integrity of the process, and create a level playing field.”
The Labour Party’s Publicity Secretary, Arabambi Abayomi, while also confirming the party’s acceptance of the recommendation said, “It is not in doubt that some in leadership positions, especially under the current administration need to surrender themselves for drug test.
“How else can one explain the stealing under the watch of this APC-led government, especially when the Auditor-General of the Federation is found in possession of stolen N109bn. This brings us to the conclusion that such a person must be subjected to psychiatric evaluation, which of course can be traceable to the influence of drugs.”
But the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Debo Ologunagba, refused to confirm whether the party accepts the proposal or not, claiming that he had addressed the issue earlier.