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Retaining a surgical instrument in the patient unintentionally could lead to serious complications and in extreme cases, death. It also damages the reputation of the healthcare provider, as well as the health facility involved. We report a case of retained haemostat and dissecting forceps complicated by colo-vesical fistula 10 years after hysterectomy in a 50-year-old lady with a 7-month history of passage of urine per rectum. The foreign bodies were removed as well as an associated bladder calculus. The fistulae were repaired and recovery was uneventful.

Synchronous iatrogenic ureteral and bladder injuriesfollowing emergency pelvic surgeries, thoughuncommon, cause morbidities and mortalities. Theyare potential causes of severe and debilitatingobstructive nephropathies as well as avoidablelitigations in surgical practice. Delay at initiatingsurgical treatment worsens outcome. Management isextremely challenging with attendant complications.We report two cases of iatrogenic bilateral ureteralligation with synchronous posterior urinary bladderlacerations. Both patients developed anuria at theimmediate post-operative period, with worseningbilateral flank pains, abdominal distension, leakageof urine per vaginam and poor performance status.Both patients were uremic. Emergency exploratorylaparotomies were done, with release of ligatures,stenting of both ureters and repair of bladder wall.Accurate diagnosis with early surgical intervention islifesaving.

Nigeria undertook a major bank structure reform between 2004 and 2006. A pivotal plank of that reform was the pegging of government ownership in deposit money banks to 10%. This was informed by the general economic theory that state ownership in commercial undertakings hurts operating performance. This paper anayzes the implications of this reform on operating performance of banks in Nigeria. Results from descriptive statistics indicate that government ownership in Nigerian banks is about 4%; 6% > the limit prescribed by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The coefficient of government ownership is not only rightly signed but also statistically significant. With a coefficient of -0.0568, the results confirm theoretical conclusion that government ownership hurts operating performance. The results support the outcome of the Nigerian study of Thorsten B. et al (2003) who assessed the effect of privatization on bank performance in Nigeria over the period 1990-2001. The result further provides an empirical answer to a question recently posed by the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria – does ownership of financial institution matter? It appears that in a normal environment government shareholding of financial institutions should be limited as far as possible because of the tendency of government to stifle performance through suboptimal investment decisions, frequently on political expediency other than economic consideration.Keywords: Government ownership, operating performance, corporate governance, reforms