Traditional ruler hands over health facility to Oyo govt

When in 2016, the Chief Nursing officer of the State Hospital, Sunsun in Ogbomoso, Mr Rasaq Salami, reported to the Onpetu of Ijeru, Oba Sunday Oladapo Oyediran, who was his secondary school classmate that the hospital had challenges of insufficient wards and other facilities and that their efforts to get people to supplement what the government is doing to turn around the fate of the clinic remained unfruitful, he never envisaged that the conversation will bring a major turnaround to the hospital and benefit the town as a whole.

The conversation which was banter between friends gave the traditional ruler sleepless nights and like a father that is concerned with the welfare of hid people, he visited the hospital for an on the spot assessment and was convinced that there is a need to put in efforts to make things better; he used his influence to contact some organizations and he got a positive response.

The positive response he got from the Maigida Charity Foundation, culminated into a multimillion naira 40-bed space maternity complex with an industrial borehole that was commissioned on Saturday by the Oyo state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi. Oba Oyediran did not only facilitate the construction and completion of the project, he also handed over the completed project to the state government to manage for the people of Ijeru and the entire 300 communities within Ogbomoso town and its environs.

In his welcome address during the commissioning and handover ceremony, Oba Oladapo stated that the task of developing ones town is the responsibility of everyone and thanked the governor who he said provided a conducive environment for all to contribute their quota to the development of the town and the state as a whole.

“I want to say a big thank you to Mr Transformation himself; it is your policy that has given us the courage to embark on this project. Though the general belief is that government should provide all the necessary social needs of the people but we are not running a welfarist state and besides, it is an open truth that government cannot do everything alone, that was why your administration embarked on a 50 billion naira fund raising for the development of health facilities in Oyo state which I call Public Private Partnership Initiative,” he stated.

• Osun offers free train for Easter holidaymakers

Oba Oladapo reiterated his commitment to the people, adding that their welfare is important than his personal needs and further solicited the help of the governor in creating security for the hospital. “The interest of the common man whose wife will be delivered of a baby here and the fate of the little children that will be born here is of paramount interest to me than my personal needs and comfort, this is what I represent.

“Your Excellency sir, I was trying to avoid making a demand on you today but the nakedness of this hospital will not allow me. It will be our great joy if you can instruct the Honourable Commissioner of Health to commence the immediate perimeter fencing of the hospital for security of lives and the property of government,” Oba Oyediran stated.

The Chairman of the Maigida Charity Foundation, Mr J.O.Gbadamosi, in his speech thanked Oba Oyediran for giving the foundation a chance to impact the community and for the support as well as supervision the foundation enjoyed from the traditional ruler from July 7, 2017 that the foundation of the maternity complex was laid. He explained that it is only visionary leaders that will put the interest of their community as a priority.

He also thanked the government for encouraging people to give back to their society and urged that the complex be put to good use for the welfare of the people.

In his speech, Governor Ajimobi thanked Oba Oladapo and his wife as well as the founder of Maigida charity Foundation for thinking of the people and especially commended the wives for not truncating the dreams and vision of their husbands for the people. He stated that he is happy that such is going on in the state during his administration, adding that it is what his government encourages.

According to the governor, there is a need for the people to collaborate with the government to rehabilitate and transform every sector within the state, adding that the endowment for public-private-participation in the health sector was primarily to ensure that all seen challenges within the state’s health sector is addressed.

The governor explained that if one spends money on momentary things, the value depreciates immediately, adding that when one invests on things that are beneficial to the community, he will never be forgotten even by generations yet unborn.

Senator Ajimobi stated that as a practice, every donation of such magnitude is named in honour of the donor so that their memories will live forever and consequently named the new hospital complex the Maigida Maternity Center of Oyo state.

The Maigida Maternity Center of Oyo state is a 40 bed space clinic that is equipped for ante natal and post natal treatment and it comprises of the theatre, labour room, ultra sound section, slush room and Obstetrics/gynecology room all equipped with conveniences.

And for the people of Ijeru and Ogbomoso community, it was a day of joy and to them; the beautiful edifice is a reinforcement of the fact that they have a traditional ruler that is concerned about their welfare. As a result, they turned out in large numbers irrespective of social class or religion to give support to their king who they believe has done great things for the development of the town.

It was a fanfare and a parade of colours with people and different associations turning up in their uniforms to celebrate what they term as a modern health facility within their community. Representatives of religious organizations, traditional rulers and business associations were all on ground to give goodwill messages and support their king.

And as residents are enjoined to make good use and take care of the facilities, other sons and daughters of the town were urged to come back to contribute their quota to the development and uplifting of their town.