The attention of the Oyo State Government has been drawn to a misleading report suggesting that the state government is responsible for the non-utilisation and abandoning of the 80-bed Mother and Child Specialist Hospital in Pakiotan, Ogbomoso North Local Government Area.
Contrary to the falsehood, the facility was not built by the Oyo State Government and was never handed over to the state government for operation, officially or unofficially.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, he said the hospital is a federal government project, facilitated by former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, and was inaugurated on May 27, 2023. Available reports indicate that the facility was subsequently handed over to the Federal Ministry of Health through the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Prince Oyelade said that the Oyo State Government, therefore, cannot be held responsible for the failure to commence operations at the facility or for decisions concerning its staffing, management, and commissioning.
He also added that it is important to clarify that the facility had already suffered vandalism and looting before the recent political campaign-instigated reports drawing attention to its non-utilisation.
The Commissioner called attention to the fact that, on August 15, 2025, over a year ago, the Punch newspaper reported that valuable equipment and installations had been removed from the facility by suspected vandals.
The commissioner said that the state government acknowledges the importance of the facility to residents of Pakiotan and surrounding communities and shares the concern over the fact that an investment of this nature has not been put to full use. According to him, the Oyo State Government knows exactly how to utilise and deploy such a facility for the betterment of our people.
He also clarified that responsibility for the ownership, management, staffing, and operationalisation of the facility should be properly attributed to the relevant federal government authorities.
Prince Oyelade said the Oyo State Government remains committed to improving access to healthcare across the state and will continue to support initiatives that contribute to the well-being of residents.
He added that it is very misleading to present the Pakiotan Federal Government hospital as an abandoned project of the Oyo State Government.
Packaged by Adekunle Adegboyega
