The Onipakiotan of Pakiotan in Ogbomoso North Local Government of Oyo State, Oba James Ojo, has lamented how hoodlums vandalized and looted 80-bed Mother and Child Specialist Hospital in the community.
The monarch, who condemned the incident, disclosed this while conducting journalists round the facility on Wednesday.
The facility, equipped with beds, drugs, laboratory equipment, and other medical consumables, was designed to serve as an urban health centre.
The project was facilitated by the former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, completed and inaugurated on May 27, 2023, and subsequently handed over to the Federal Ministry of Health through the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
Oba James Ojo recalled that some cables were vandalized even before the inauguration, and replaced by the former minister, Dare.
“The destruction of this infrastructure has become a major concern for the community and requires urgent and coordinated action.
“We must ensure that those who willfully destroy or vandalize public property are held accountable. As the saying goes, offenders must be brought to book or the book brought to them.
“Since the handover, nothing has been happening here. We have no access to the facility, and there’s no security.
“Recently, we noticed signs of intrusion, and when one of Dare’s aides joined us to inspect the site, we were shocked to discover that all the cables, 150 solar batteries, electrical appliances, ceiling fans, and other valuable items had been removed.”
The monarch added that the eight plots of land for the hospital were released by the community to bring quality maternal and child healthcare closer to the people of the ancient city and its environs.
“However, the facility has remained idle for more than a year after commissioning,” Oba James Ojo lamented.
He, therefore, appealed to the ministry through UCH to either commence operations immediately or hand the hospital over to the community for proper management.
“If the hospital had been put to use, such incidents would not have happened,” he said.
Reacting to the development, Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government, Ogunlade Gbadegesin, expressed disappointment that such an edifice was abandoned.
“So many valuable medical items have been looted, and others are at risk.
“We will engage security personnel to safeguard what remains until the hospital is finally put into use,” he promised.
