The Imole Accord Vanguard (IMAV) has accused the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Bola Oyebamiji of plain deceit on overhauling healthcare in the state, saying that he should first provide answers on his role in the mismanagement of the humongous $20.5 million received for the revamp of primary healthcare centres in the state while he was Commissioner for Finance.

The IMAV, which observed that healthcare is too sensitive for vague promises, warned in a statement signed by its State Coordinator, Hon. Hezekiah Oladele Bamiji, that no amount of empty rhetoric will whitewash the ignoble roles of Oyebamiji and his party in the near collapse of healthcare services in the state, which Governor Adeleke is now fixing.

Hon. Oladele emphasises that $20.5m at the prevailing rate and the economic realities of when it was received was more than enough to fix PHCs in the state and guaranteed better healthcare delivery to the people at the grassroot, noting that it smacks of pure mischief and pushback against accountability for Oyebamiji to attempt to shift blame of the failure in which he was a principal partaker.

“It is quite unfortunate that Bola Oyebamiji believes he can sweet-talk Osun people into buying his empty rhetoric on healthcare delivery. Ordinarily, Oyebamiji should be relying on what he did to advance healthcare delivery in the past to show that he can do what he is promising, but seeing that he’s doing everything to avoid it provided a clear insight that he is being deceitful,” the IMAV noted in a statement.

“It is on record that as Commissioner for Finance, Osun got a staggering sum of $20.5 million grant from the World Bank to rehabilitate primary healthcare centres and enhance delivery of services to the people. Till today, Osun people are still wondering what happened to that huge intervention fund because, other than painting some of the buildings, they were left in a terrible state.

“Instead of throwing fanciful words that he doesn’t even believe, not to talk of having the interest of following through, Oyebamiji should provide answers to Osun people on how the fund was managed and why it failed to deliver on the purpose for which the donor set out.”

The IMAV asked Oyebamiji to at at least, show some remorse by acknowledging the genuine efforts of Governor Ademola Adeleke in addressing the challenges that had bedevilled the healthcare sector for years owing to the failures of the APC administrations, pointing out that aside the overhauling of the physical infrastructures of healthcare centres, the welfare of healthcare professionals has received unprecedented attention, which has boosted the appetite of the personel to deliver.

“Before Governor Adeleke assumed office, healthcare was no doubt, in a state of near comatose, owing to various factors that the government Oyebamiji served in failed to address. Aside the shoddy job done with the rehabilitation of PHCs, the welfare of workers in that sector was nothing to write home about, significantly affecting the morale of healthcare professionals,” Hon. Oladele recalled.

“Governor Adeleke took up the issues, starting with the approval for the entry level for nurses to Grade Level 9, as well as approval and payment of hazardous allowances that the previous administration, which Oyebamiji served in, refused to pay. These decisions encouraged healthcare workers in the state, and for the first time, refused to join a national strike declared at that time as a mark of appreciation for the Governor’s commitment to healthcare delivery.

“Beyond this, Governor Adeleke is paying the owed half salary that Oyebamiji failed to convince his principal to pay as Commissioner for Finance. So far, the Adeleke administration has wholly rehabilitated a total of 200 PHCs, equipping them with 24-hour alternative power sources and water supply to serve the facilities as required by global standards.

“All of these efforts in the healthcare sector by Governor Adeleke has won Osun state the top position in the Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge in the entire Southwest for two (2024 and 2025) consecutive years. This is a clear affirmation of the achievement of Governor Adeleke in the healthcare section and a strong rebuke to Oyebamiji’s reckless propaganda.”

Affairs TV News

Click Here to Join our WhatsApp Group

Click Here to Join Our Telegram Group