There, but for the Grace of God
There, but for the grace of God is a gripping and detailed memoir of the handling by the Nigeria military government of the 1984/85 strike action by mostly the Nigerian Resident Doctors under the auspices of the Nigeria Medical Association. Professor Abiodun O K Johnson, the author, was then Professor of Pediatrics, the elected Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, and the ex-officio Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. As a consequence of the doctors’ action, the striking doctors were dismissed from their jobs. Professor Johnson was removed and he was retired from the Public Service with immediate effect, a decision he has always contended was wrong. About 4 years later and following a change of government, the dismissed Resident doctors were allowed to return back. The author was also re-instated as Professor at the University of Ibadan. He, however, chose to go on voluntary retirement and has been domiciled in the United States of America since 1985. He believes that the regrettable state of Nigeria is a result of recurrent mismanagement by the country’s governments. He also believes that, given the military culture and mentality, it has no business running a country.
Professor Abiodun Johnson, MD FRCP DCH FWACP FAAP FACN, was born in Lagos in 1939. He obtained his medical degrees (MB, BS U. London) in 1965 at the University College Ibadan (UCI); his Postgraduate / Residency training in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine in the UK: and his post-doctoral Fellowship training in Pediatric Gastroenterology / Nutrition at Stanford University Medical Center. He was the first to be awarded the MD degree by the University of Ibadan. Since leaving Nigeria in 1985, he has held academic / teaching appointments at various medical schools in the USA until he retired as a Professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences. He has three daughters, two of whom are also physicians and the third is a Mechanical Engineer. Professor Johnson now spends his time reading, writing, swimming, traveling, and singing in a Church choir.