Oluyole communities celebrate donation of classrooms, empowerment of birth attendants

Over the years, it has been established that despite availability of clinics, many communities still depend on traditional birth attendants in spite of risks associated with such delivery. And this is the basis for numerous organisations facilitating training for birth attendants to provide them with basic midwifery skills.

And based on the fact that many birth attendants have no access to the required hygienic delivery tools for gynecological treatment and obstetric care, leading to increase in risk of infections during childbirth, many organisations and individuals have embarked on  training and empowerment of child birth attendants.

And as part of her efforts to make people in her constituency enjoy the dividends of democracy, the lawmaker representing Oluyole Federal Constituency in the House of Representative and Chairperson, House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, at the weekend concluded the empowerment programme for birth attendants in her community who had all undergone training

Akande-Sadipe donated working tools to 30 indigent birth attendants in her constituency as part of efforts to reduce mortality rate in Oluyole Federal Constituency. She stated that the gesture was aimed at restoring the glory of birth attendants in Oluyole Federal Constituency and the entire state as a whole by equipping them to take on emergency cases in interior communities especially in cases where pregnant women are unable to get to the clinic.

The distribution of tools was the finale of a five-day strategic training and empowerment programme for women youths and traditional birth attendants in Oluyole Federal Constituency.

The programme which involved the training and empowerment of 30 women youths, traditional birth attendants was handled by professionals from the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, in conjunction with Gio Bisiano Nigeria Limited.

Speaking on the importance of the programme, a facilitator, Mrs. Thomas Elizabeth Olayinka, said, “The programme is to enlighten the traditional birth attendants to be effective in their traditional birth practices in order to reduce or eradicate maternal mortality and infant mortality. Also, we want to encourage cordial relationship between them and other health workers.

“Some communities are deprived of health centres, so they (traditional birth attendants) are there to help people especially during childbirth. If there’s any difficulty, they know they are to refer to any government hospital whether tertiary, secondary or primary,” she said.

As part of the training, participants were also taken on excursion to the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, on Saturday. And on Sunday, the programme ended with the distribution of tools that will be needed during the process of childbirth as well as certificates of participation.

Speaking during the distribution of the materials, the Deputy Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Hon. Olalekan Adeyemo, urged other representatives to emulate the exemplary conduct of Hon. Akande-Sadipe and commended Sadipe for always being supportive and encouraging the young people in her constituency.

He lauded to her thoughtfulness to the grassroots in her constituency and for positioning the birth attendants for efficient service delivery which will restore the hope of people in rural communities while charging the beneficiaries to use the materials judiciously and continue to save lives of mothers and babies.

The jubilation continued for residents as the lawmaker further touched the education sector in the constituency.

Residents in communities filed out in joy to witness the commissioning of two-blocks of classrooms at Alaho Community Grammar School and Oluyole Local Government Council Basic School, Ayegun-Oleyo, which were facilitated by Akande-Sadipe through the Federal Government.

Speaking during the commissioning, she said the gesture was aimed at enhancing learning by creating conducive environment for both the pupils and their teachers.

She expressed optimism that the commissioning of the blocks of classrooms as well as the distribution of empowerment tools to birth attendants in Oluyole Federal Constituency would go a long way in ensuring the growth and development of educational institutions in the state, particularly at the Secondary level.

According to her, the commissioning of classrooms project was in continuation of her intervention in the education sector and in fulfillment of her promises to the people of Oluyole Federal Constituency, adding that “these blocks of classrooms are to further aid learning of our students in this constituency. This is a clear testimony of the priority I place on total education.

“While the block of classrooms will add to the infrastructural development of the schools and provide a conducive learning environment for the students, the empowerment of birth attendants is a deliberate effort at reducing child and mother mortality in our Constituency. I believe our youths are the leaders of tomorrow and gestures such as this will no doubt put Oluyole constituency in the forefront of education in the state. We promise to devote more resources through my constituency office to education programmes,” she said.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in the state, Barr. Olasunkanmi Olaleye, represented by the Director, Schools Services, Mrs. C.O Bolaji, applauded Hon. Akande-Sadipe’s kind gesture and pledged judicious utilisation of the facilities.

She added that the gesture will place Akande-Sadipe’s name in the annals of education history in Oyo State as the classrooms would assist greatly in de-congesting and putting an end to overpopulation in existing classrooms especially at this period that social distancing must be maintained.