Life in Nigeria

In 1978 I went to Nigeria as Contract Worker with 95 other Doctors of Medicine like me. I was supposed to be assigned to a remote area and I prepared myself to stay there for three years as specified in the contract.

When we arrived at Lagos, the capital city there were lots of changes. We were not told before we left the Philippines that the reason many of us were hired was because way back in Nigeria there was big problem when Nigerian Doctors stopped working due to some unresolved problems in the Ministry of Health. We were there to take over and our assignments were reshuffled.

Instead of sending me to the remote area, I was assigned to a big Children's Hospital, The Massey Street Children's Hospital at Lagos as Consultant in Pediatrics. We were not assigned according to our specialties, in my case, as Generalist. Dermatologists were assigned to Surgery or Obstetrics and Gynecology while Gynecologists were assigned to positions far from their line of interest. So what happened was "Medical Pandemonium" then after a few days, there were public comments that Filipino Doctors were mediocre...yes, because we were all misplaced and it seemed it was intentionally done by the ministry.

I remember the first night when I was assigned alone to that big Children's Hospital without orientation or anything done to acquaint me with the situation. I did not know a single Nigerian word. I felt so confused and so scared. I pinched myself strongly to awaken myself, hoping that I was just sleeping and dreaming. But I was fully awake in front of a giant problem involving lives of children.

I went around asking if anybody could speak or at least understand English. A midwife volunteered herself and very patiently guided me. I prayed real hard for guidance and kept my head because I said to myself if I lose my head I will lose everything..I didn't know how I managed to survive that trial but I actually didn't find it too difficult because way back in the Philippines I was the non-official Pediatrician of the Community Hospital where I was then connected.

The following day, I composed myself and made plans to be able to handle the situation face to face. The first thing in my mind was to learn their language so I could understand them as it was too difficult to deal with sick people if you don't even understand what their complaints are. So, I must first learn the anatomical equivalent of the different parts of the body.

To start with and to make things easy I coordinated the learning with songs. I remember that song when I was in grade one "Your toes your knees, your shoulders, your head" I sung it with
the Nigerian equivalent: "Omo, ese, ejika, uri...." I applied it with other songs and other Nigerian words and in two weeks I could understand most of what they were saying. I even became popular because of my discovered method of learning.

Next, I asked the nurse to teach me a kind of folk song that every Nigerian would understand and know how to sing. Every time I ride a Taxi or follow up anything in any office, I always sing that song and surprisingly they all joined me. Whenever I did that I was free of charge in taxis. The song was "Iwe kiko", something like our "Bahay Kubo" to which everybody could relate. Imagine my amazement and amusement when 17 years later, I met some Nigerian Tourists in Jerusalem who joined me happily when I sang the song. I was just beginning to hum the song when they all joined me. An incident that scared my wife for a while.

There were scores of other experiences, all very interesting that I could share again some other time.