An eye witness account of Day One of Trovan DNA test in Kano

I was among members of the civil society groups who monitored the start of the DNA tests on Trovan participants by Bode Laboratories in Kano today. In the past few days, the Board of Trustees had used the electronic media to publicize the timetable for the DNA tests and the entire process leading up to compensation for the various categories of claimants. Aside from claimants who are alive and able to come forward to make their claims, the Board advised others who claim to be relatives of dead participants to ensure that they are blood relations.

Considering the negative publicity that the Board had suffered in the recent past, courtesy of the Trovan Victims’ Forum whose leader, Alhaji Maisikeli seems scared to the death of DNA tests, many people had wondered if anyone would turn up at all for the commencement of the DNA. As it turned out, many claimants turned up. Some had not bothered to check the roster for their scheduled time of test; they simply showed up. The Board explained the process and schedule to them. For those who were scheduled to be processed today, it was a dream fulfilled as they took their turns to participate in the DNA test and thereby inch their way towards claiming compensation if they are proven to be genuine Trovan participants.

In all, 22 families were tested on the first day. We noticed that in some cases five members of the same family came together to establish claim on their deceased relative. In all cases, as long as blood ties were claimed, they were allowed to go in for the test.

Some civil society groups crowded round the participants as they made their way out after the test to ask them how they felt about the whole process.
“I am happy that I came”, said Hajiya Asabe who claimed to be a blood relative of a deceased participant. “Three of us came from our family. We are so sure that our late relative participated in the Trovan trials. It is only Allah that gives life, so we are not quarrelling with anybody. All we want is the compensation promised the families. Anyone who has a genuine claim like ours has nothing to fear. If you are sure that your claim is genuine, why would you not come? Those who are campaigning against DNA test are fraudulent people”.

On the withdrawal of the Trovan Victims’ Forum from the DNA test, Hajiya Asabe said:
“It is a shame that they are deceiving ordinary poor people. Alhaji Maisikeli had thought that the Pfizer compensation would be a free-for-all. Now that he sees that DNA is being used, he knows that his false claims will be exposed. And that is why he is trying to save his face by staying away. I swear in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, my own claim is genuine. Maisikeli can’t swear by the Holy Quran that his claim is authentic. None of the Trovan participants belonged to any club or “forum” when they were being tested. Why should anyone now claim to be acting for them? Let the Board handle all cases on individual merit as they are doing. As I said, I am happy that I came for this exercise and all the other people on the queue with us were happy. “

Some of the other DNA participants alleged that they had been discouraged by TVF not to come for the test. According to them, the TVF leaders said that they (TVF) were the final clearing house for claims. They said anyone who went for the Bode Laboratories test arranged by the Board of Trustees would still have to pass the TVF test because only the TVF would have access to the compensation money. It was only after the claimants discussed the matter with more knowledgeable people that they realized that the TVF was only trying to scuttle the DNA test because it would expose their false claims.

As the Kano State government made spirited moves to assist the Board to do a credible job, many observers were wondering how a group of criminally-minded persons would be allowed to continue tarnishing the image of the country just because they want to get away with fraudulent claims. Many civil society groups who witnessed the Day One of the tests were full of praise for the Board under the leadership of Justice Wali.

Maisikeli’s dream of making billions of naira through a sustained blackmail of Pfizer and the Kano State Government is going up in smoke. Those who know him warn that he is going to come up with more desperate schemes. But observers are not really worried about that because they believe that the law enforcement agencies are up to the task.