80-bed specialist hospital in Pakiotan not our project — Oyo gov

The Oyo State Government has clarified that it neither built nor took over the management of the 80-bed Mother and Child Specialist Hospital in Pakiotan, Ogbomoso North Local Government Area, dismissing reports suggesting that the facility was abandoned by the state government.

The Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said the hospital was a Federal Government project facilitated by the former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, and inaugurated on 27 May 2023.

Oyelade, in a statement, explained that the facility was subsequently handed over to the Federal Ministry of Health through the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, and was never officially or unofficially transferred to the Oyo State Government.

He said: “The facility was not built by the Oyo State Government and was never handed over to the state government for operation, officially or unofficially.”

The Commissioner, therefore, said the state government could not be held responsible for the non-utilisation of the hospital or decisions relating to its staffing, management and commissioning.

He said it was important to set the record straight, particularly as the facility had reportedly suffered vandalism and looting before recent reports drew attention to its non-utilisation.

According to him, The Punch newspaper had, on 15 August 2025, reported that valuable equipment and installations had been removed from the facility by suspected vandals.

Oyelade said: “It is important to clarify that the facility had already suffered vandalism and looting before the recent political campaign-instigated reports drawing attention to its non-utilisation.”

He, however, acknowledged the importance of the hospital to residents of Pakiotan and surrounding communities, noting that the state government shared the concerns over the failure to put the facility to use.

He said: “The Oyo State Government acknowledges the importance of the facility to residents of Pakiotan and surrounding communities and shares the concern over the fact that an investment of this nature has not been put to full use.”

The Commissioner added that the state government had the capacity to deploy such infrastructure effectively if it were under its control.

He said: “The Oyo State Government knows exactly how to utilise and deploy such a facility for the betterment of our people.”

Oyelade stressed that ownership, management, staffing and operationalisation of the hospital should be properly attributed to the relevant Federal Government authorities.

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He said: “It is misleading to present the Pakiotan Federal Government hospital as an abandoned project of the Oyo State Government.”

The Commissioner reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to improving access to healthcare across the state, saying the government would continue to support initiatives aimed at improving the wellbeing of residents.

He said the clarification became necessary to prevent the public from being misled about the ownership and responsibility for the facility.