Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection Michael Achimugu has recounted an early morning hospital visit in which he said delays by a night duty cashier almost cost his daughter her life.
Mr Achimugu said he rushed his daughter to a hospital shortly after 2am for emergency treatment but was unable to proceed promptly because the cashier responsible for processing payments for laboratory tests and medication was asleep.
“I rushed my daughter to the hospital at past 2am this morning. Needing to pay for lab tests and medication, I approached the cashier. This lady was sleeping comfortably, as though she were at home. I called her attention,” he wrote on X on Friday.
He said the cashier briefly woke up, muttered a few words and returned to sleep, leaving him waiting at a critical moment.
“She woke up briefly, mumbled a few words, and returned to sleep. It was hard. At some point, I decided to just stand and wait. She relaxed into her chair, dragged her duvet, and returned to what must have been blissful sleep. I stood there for 10 minutes weighing my options,” Achimugu said.
According to him, the delay only ended when a doctor passing by intervened and instructed the cashier to attend to him, while emergency care for his daughter had already begun.
“Eventually, the doctor was passing by and I reported to him. He approached her and she mustered the effort, albeit painfully, to finally attend to me. The doctor had been kind enough to proceed with emergency care for my child while I was sorting out the bills,” he said.
He added that without the doctor’s intervention, about 15 minutes could have been lost in a situation where time was critical.
Achimugu later said his daughter was stabilised and is still under medical observation.
“My daughter has been stabilised. We are still here. Hopefully, she will be fine,” he said.
Reacting to the incident, the NCAA spokesman said the experience reflects gaps in night shift operations in hospitals and other service institutions.
He said night duty requires alertness and accountability, regardless of the hour.
He compared the situation with practices in other countries where night shift staff are required to remain active to ensure timely service delivery.
He also criticised the tendency to excuse lapses under the guise of empathy.
Michael Achimugu disclosed that the NCAA is finalising plans to deploy automated systems to monitor officers on night duty in real time, particularly at night.
He said the move is aimed at ensuring officers remain at their duty posts.
He called for stricter standards for night shift workers, noting that emergencies often happen at night when patients and customers are most vulnerable.
