Former Chairman of Subsidy Re-investment Programme (SURE-P), Dr Christopher Kolade has urged the federal government to view the sacrifice made by Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh as a sacrifice for all and find ways of honouring her accordingly.
Kolade gave the charge last weekend at an Integrity award night held as part of the Capital Market Committee (CMC) Retreat in Abuja.
Both Dr Adadevoh and First Consultants hospitals where she worked until her death, won the award with a cash prize of N2.5m each.
Kolade commended Adadevoh for doing what is right even in the face of intense pressure and at the risk of her life.
He said “It is important for us to come away from the territory of inadequate sense of what is right. In this county where doctors have problems with employees they withdraw their service so that patients will die. There must be other ways of settling disputes and quarrels with your employers because I don’t think it makes us proud to allow people die to settle quarrel. Her example shows us that at the end of the day we are human beings create by God almighty, if we are like God will we deliberately promote a situation where people lose their lives because we are involved in a quarrel t which they are not a party?
“We are in danger of loosing our identity, unless we look for wiser and more decent ways of resolving issues we are going to continue behaving like people who have no sensitivity to human lives. Adadevoh died because she saw her role as one to save us from the virus. May God honour her soul and May Nigeria and sufficient reason somewhere in the future to honour her.”
Earlier, Ms Arunma Oteh, the Director- General of SEC said that the award was the commission’s contributions toward the promotion, recognition and reward for integrity.
“These acts of honesty and integrity had sprinkled a burst of refreshing dew upon the national consciousness,” Oteh said.
She said that “the integrity award is a careful response to a critical need of the Nigerian society, as it is through it that trust is built and sustained.”
In a response, Simon Tasie of First Consultant hospital said looking at events of the last four months they are proud of the role they played but also mourn their fallen heroes.
“We declined to allow him go in public good, the whole country is our constituency and we must live up to our individual and collective responsibility. We are very grateful and highly honoured for this award and pray you grow strong in regulating. We must all live up to our responsibility so that in 50 years time we will live to remember what Adedevoh has done” he added.
In 2013, Mr Nwolbak Konpe and Mr Ngwu Uchenna were awarded with N5m.
Konpe was selected for the prestigious award after he returned money in excess of N1.2m which he recovered from a motor accident scene involving nine victims in whom seven persons lost their lives: while Mr Uchenna was selected for returning N400, 000 he found in a tricycle, popularly referred to as ‘keke NAPEP.’
In 2012, Mr Imeh Usuah, a taxi driver, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International, Abuja emerged the winner of the Award.