The Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has commissioned two state-of-the-art health facilities and two skill acquisition centres for the people of the state.
The projects were facilitated by the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals in partnership with the state government.
Governor Oyetola earlier, commissioned an 80-Bed Multipurpose Hospital and Skill Acquisition Centre for abused women and girls in Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Area of the state.
He later inaugurated a 100-Bed Mother and Child Hospital in Osogbo as well as another Skill Acquisition Centre in the Dagbolu community, a suburb of Osogbo.
Oyetola said the multi-billion naira health facilities would significantly improve the quality of life of residents of the state; while the skill acquisition centres would drive entrepreneurial spirit among the youths.
His words: “These projects are not only very critical to our country’s strident efforts to meet the SDGs but also serve as catalysts to building a virile economy for our people here in Osun.
“The choice of the health sector as one of the preeminent sectoral drivers in our administration owes itself to the conviction that we would only be able to build a truly-sustainably virile economy to the extent to which our people enjoy quality, accessible and affordable healthcare”.
The Governor, who noted that women and girls must be protected from all forms of abuse, however, said those already abused must be properly nurtured and rehabilitated.
He also said the facility would cater to a good number of traumatised women and girls in the state who had lost hope and were suffering neglect.
“It must also be mentioned that the second facility, the Abused Women Transit Home, is unique in its conception as a solution centre for providing succour to women who are victims of abuse.
“This sprawling centre is impressively equipped with multidimensional skills acquisition facility alongside a hostel catering for over 100 people.
“It is another excellent addition of which I am immensely proud, as it would further significantly boost the ongoing campaign against gender violence, ably led by my wife, the First Lady.”
In her remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulure, said the execution of the projects was in fulfilment of President Buhari’s promise of providing quality healthcare for Nigerians, particularly women and children.
She said: “We are here to commission these projects that had been fully equipped for the benefit of the people of this community and the skill acquisition centre will no doubt equip our people with requisite vocational rubrics to be self-sustaining and self-employed”.
The Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi, lauded the initiative saying the facilities would go a long way to complement the health sector interventions of the state government.
Oba Olabomi who expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the siting of the projects in Osun called on people of the host communities to shun substandard health centres and patronise government-approved ones.
In his remarks, the Atoaja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, also applauded Governor Oyetola for being committed to the socio-economic and infrastructural development of the state.
Ataoja, who described the projects as a welcome development, befitting the state capital, added that its location in the heart of the city would make it accessible to residents of the capital city.
Dominica Nwabufo
