30/01/2026
OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO TRACKA NGO’S ONLINE REPORTAGE ON THE CURRENT STATE OF OBAMORO AND ILEMOWU PHCs IN OLAOLUWA LGA, OSUN STATE.
Even the blind can see the giant strides and achievements of Governor Adeleke in the renovation, upgrade and all-round infrastructural development of Healthcare Facilities in Osun State – Commissioner for Health, Akintola.
The Holy Book states: “My people perish for lack of knowledge”
The attention of the Office of the Honorable Commissioner for Health in Osun State has been drawn to some online reports on the page named Tracka, belonging to a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in the same name, published on the 27th of January, 2026, wherein the present conditions of Obamoro and Ilemowu Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) were summarily described as “unfit for safe healthcare delivery” with purported graphics of the facilities attached. It is imperative to state that, in the said report currently in circulation on social media, Governor Ademola Adeleke and Barr. Jola Akintola were called out in their capacities as Governor and Commissioner for Health in Osun State while the Facebook handles of National Primary Health Care Development Agency and Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria were specially mentioned, seeking their urgent intervention.
Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have dignified such claims with a response on the premises that the NGO, which claimed to have taken time out to make physical assessment of facilities, took pictures and also claimed to have elicited responses from residents (which we doubt much) never deemed it fit to balance her reportage by seeking audience with the affected Ministry before going public. Unarguably, balancing reports, asides being internationally accepted as a core ethical practice in journalism, speaks volume of the integrity and due diligence of the person and/or body authoring such a report
In the same vein, it is common knowledge that the gubernatorial election in Osun State is just about six months away. Being a government that is not oblivious of the antecedents, shenanigans and unwavering critical attempts by the opposition to undermine the good works of His Excellency, Senator Nurudeen Jackson Ademola Adeleke especially in recent times; with ulterior motive of discrediting his giant strides and downplaying his overwhelming popularity, thereby giving them undue and unmerited advantage at the polls, the possibility of the report being the “hand of Esau and voice of Jacob” cannot be completely ruled out.
However, in order to disabuse the mind of the unsuspecting public (especially those who reside outside Osun State) who might have read and formed opinions on the one-sided report, we are compelled, as a responsible and responsive government, to issue this rejoinder and further educate the innocent public on the unwavering and enviable giant strides of Mr. Governor in all-round infrastructural development of Osun State, with particular emphasis on upgrade and renovation of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs).
It is an indisputable fact that the Health Sector is unarguably one of the best performing sectors in terms of governance in Osun State, with empirical facts, asides the several awards and recognitions attracted nationally and globally; the serial falsehoods and media wars launched to undermine these laudable wins are not unexpected. The State Governor – Senator Ademola Adeleke -- deservedly earned the nickname – Mr. Project – due to his unprecedented infrastructural development of the State across all sectors – Works (intra-city & Intracity roads and bridges), Education (Faculties /Clinics in Universities and public secondary schools), Health (upgrade and renovation of over 200 Primary Healthcare Centres and ongoing renovation of additional 50 PHCs) to mention but a few.
Within a period of three years of assumption of office, the State Governor constituted the Osun Primary Healthcare Renovation Project Committee PHC under the Chairmanship of the Commissioner for Health – Hon. (Barr.) Jola Moses Akintola - while the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr. Adekunle Akindele, serves as the Project Coordinator. The Committee was given the mandate to embark on a critical appraisal of Primary Healthcare Facilities throughout the State. Consequent upon conduct and submission of report, Senator Adeleke gave express approval for the renovation of 332 main/high volume PHCs (called Focal Centres) all through the 332 wards in Osun State. The renovation work was phased accordingly, beginning with 200 PHCs for which funds were released and had been successfully renovated to world-class standard . For the sake of clarity, it is worthy of mention that the said renovation was not limited to building blocks and concrete floors but sufficiently covered provision of 24 hours Solar Energy and Water Supply to these facilities.
For the avoidance of doubt, the pictures of the deplorable states of these facilities as inherited by the present administration from the 12 years of previous APC-led governments in Osun State were taken before commencement of renovation works and also upon completion. It is both verifiable and uncontestable that the renovation of already completed over 200 PHCs was done in compliance with globally accepted practices and standards. The State Ministry of Health shall be willing to provide both physical and documented evidence (available in soft and hard copies) to Tracka NGO, the media, and/or any member of the public at the shortest notice. In the words of Uthman Dan Fodio – “Conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it.” The truth, of course, is constant and we shall stop at nothing to showcase it to the whole world.
Before delving into Governor’s action plan for completion of the remaining PHCS, it is pertinent to state that when this current administration came on board, hardly could anyone identify a single functional PHC in the State. Virtually all the PHCs on ground were in deplorable and sorry states, quite unfit for habitation by animals, let alone human beings. Therefore, the reported (and likely exaggerated) states of Obamoro and Ilemowu facilities, as presented in the said online report, could best be described as tip of the iceberg of the decay we met on ground and which this government remains unwavering in cleaning the mess. This completed and ongoing clean-up are phased since limited state resources are being deployed and appropriated to other attention deserving sectors – works, education, agriculture, etc. Ironically, the last administration in Osun State, which was headed by Alh. Gboyega Oyetola, received a whooping World Bank Grant to the tune of 20 million dollars and claimed to have devoted same to renovation of PHCs, something that could best be described as smokescreen or mere window dressing.
With respect to the case study in the report, specifically Obamoro PHC in Olaoluwa Local Government, the renovation is already proposed in the PHC Rehabilitation and Revitalization Project and forms part of the remaining PHCs to be renovated. It is equally important to inform the general public that renovation works on the remaining Centres should have been completed by now, or at the least be at near-completion stage, unfortunately, the unjustifiable withholding of Local Government Allocation due to the 30 Local Governments since February 2025 till date is largely responsible for the delayed completion. Notwithstanding the present encumbrances, a staggered completion renovation plan (of 50 PHCs at a time) had been approved, and the Bill of Quantity of same, including the Obamoro PHC had been done and submitted in 2025. Renovated PHC Centres in Olaoluwa Local Government (Local Government where the two case reported case studies – Obamoro and Ilemowu PHCs - are located) include Bode-Osi PHC, Asa MDG PHC, ALGON PHC ikire-Ile, Telemu PHC and Ogbaagba PHC.
Having made the above clarifications, it is important to state that the current Administration in Osun State, ably led by His Excellency, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, remains undistracted by the shenanigans of yellow journalism. Their sole aim, which is to discredit the unprecedented and massive human and infrastructural developments, especially the Imole Medical and Surgical Outreach, where surgeries are performed free of charge on ailing members of the public (among other things), free of charge enrolment of Pensioners, People Living with Disabilities (PLWD), HIV/AIDS patients and Tuberculosis (TB) patients in the Osun Health Insurance Scheme, among other interventions attained in the Osun State health sector will forever remain a mirage.
Most significantly, specifically on the 12th day of December, 2024, Osun State emerged as the South West Champion of Primary HealthCare (PHC) Leadership Challenge Initiative Award held at the Banquet hall of the State House, Abuja and the award came with a whopping $500,000.00 cash prize, and also won same award (with the same amount of money) successively in the 2025 edition held exactly a year after on the 12th of December, 2025. Indeed, a golden fish has no hiding place.
Even the blind can see the giant strides and achievements of Governor Adeleke in the renovation, upgrade, and all-round infrastructural development of healthcare facilities in Osun State. Therefore, with the enviable heights attained in the Osun health sector, the criticisms are not unexpected but welcomed, constructive ones, though. It gives credence to the saying – “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing”.
Media Unit,
Office of the Honorable Commissioner for Health,
Osun State.
30/01/2026
