White
Coats or White Ghosts? Silence Over Compensation for
Victims - Nigeria
25 November 2010By Adullahi Shinkaffi
abdu.shink@yahoo.com
It has been a long, long road for the people of Kano.
A people whose suffering has endured for over 12 years
finally saw a chink of light in July 2009 when the
announcement came through that Pfizer and Kano State
government had finally settled the long awaited claims
out of court with award of compensation totalling $75
million dollars.
The fanfare with which this was announced by both
parties, was gladly received. Governor Shekaru even
suggested that each victim would certainly receive
$175,000 each for their punishing existence since
Pfizer tested their drug; Trovan on the people of
Nigeria during the Meningitis crisis that ravaged the
country in 1996.
In April 2010, nine whole months on from the
settlement being announced, Pfizer re-visited these
shores to test the people of Kano again. This time
under the pretence of extracting DNA to verify victims
claims. Not only subjecting those who had already
terrible experiences from these white coats to another
round of tests, but also raising hopes and fears over
the veracity of DNA, the veracity of individuals
claims to compensation and placing further doubt in
the minds of eople as to the honesty of Pfizer and
their settlement.
It became clear that money was not available to
deliver towards the true victims. Questions were asked
and no answers were given, aside from vague claims
that processing would occur and individuals would
receive compensation graded towards their condition,
nothing arrived.
And so to this week; Friday saw a press conference by
the Trust Fund. Announcements with regards the main
story were expected. None were received.
The only announcement that came was in relation to the
building of a clinic. A wonderful project for the
benefit of the people of Kano; at least on paper, but
this is Nigeria and the 2.5 billion naira initial
outlay of funds for contracts has funnily enough come
at the time of elections, where all are looking for
money. There was no word from the Trust Fund in
relation to how the contracts were awarded and the
usual connections are present within the companies
awarded the jobs.
Again the Trust Fund has neglected to give an update
on the DNA results or payment to the Victims of this
disaster.
A cynic amongst us would suggest that the Clinic being
built with Pfizers money is the perfect place for more
White coats to enter the country and leave like
Ghosts, testing and taking with them their results for
what we don't know.
A pessimist may suggest that the Contracts awarded and
the project itself would never come to fruition, this
being Nigeria the potential to ‘chop' and not
complete, especially through a transition of
government is likely.
An optimist…? Is there any room for an optimist in
this debacle?
Perhaps the optimists in all this are Pfizer
themselves. The company is well practised at dealing
with Governments and individuals who deem their Drugs
to be substandard. Currently Pfizer has over 200 cases
across the globe including Nigeria and a case
currently in the Supreme court in the USA in relation
to the Trovan issue. They have so many cases that one
would be forgiven for thinking it was a sideline CSR
project for the company. However the amounts that are
paid out and the manner in which this is done varies
according to what deal can be cut.
Pfizer have played a cunning game with Nigerians.
Knowing that the country is prone to shooting itself
in the foot in relation to distribution of money,
where the elite benefit and the people suffer, its has
set up a clever scheme whereby its hands are clean.
Their optimism was encouraged through the settlement
with Kano state: While they were sued for over a
billion dollars the settlement has come down to $75
million. A ‘cheap deal'.
It seems Pfizers settlement strategy while holding the
purse strings is to have handed over responsibility to
a Trust Fund, this fund manages the payouts, Kano
state are paid off $10 million in legal fees which
goes straight to the coffers of the Governor, the AG
and his cronies.
If the Trust Fund fails, Pfizer are able to lay the
blame solely at the feet of Nigerians themselves for
mismanagement. If the Trust Fund succeeds it is a
wonderful success for the company. Either way they
have won their battle.
Meanwhile a year and a half on from the alleged
settlement and over 12 years and counting there is
still no end in sight for the real people who suffered
at the hands of the men in white coats and their
allies. The people of Kano have been conned, the
people of kano are still waiting and the people of
Kano are still expectant. Where is the settlement?
When will this finally end? Will justice ever be
served? Perhaps in some cruel way it is a world where
the optimists win.
Abdullahi Shinkaffi
Kano Indigene
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EsinIslam.Com
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