By Ibrahim Mohammed
Sprawling in intermittent pains of labour, Iyabo Ganiyu, a middle-aged mother of five who is a resident of the Ariyibi community, did not doubt the fact that her Expected Delivery Date, EDD, was close to her nose. Due to the absence of a functional Primary Healthcare Centre in the community, the heavily pregnant woman, with the assistance of her husband, AbdulRahman Idris had to travel as far as 25 Kilometers to Ajikobi Cottage Hospital in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara, where she was later delivered of a male child through Caesarean Section.
When she returned home on the 31st of January, 2023, after spending 13 days at the hospital, she started experiencing some complications with the dissolvable stitches on her belly loosening, arising from the haphazard surgical operation carried out on her by some quake doctors at the hospital.
Following medical advice, she was rushed to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, where she spent another 12 days for remedial medical operations before she eventually recovered.
“I nearly lost my life after the poor operation conducted on me during the birth of my last child, Ibrahim. I was told my stomach was not properly stitched, and I started experiencing severe pains. For us in the Ariyibi community, access to proper healthcare has been our major challenge. Even when our children fall sick at night, our community has no functional health facility. We must travel as far as Oke-oyi or Ilorin on motorcycles to receive treatment.”
“The situation is even worse for pregnant women who go through much stress every week, visiting Oke-oyi health centre for their antenatal.
A septuagenarian, Hajiya Hauwa Kulu in an interview with this reporter, lamented the problems posed by lack of a functional health centre in the community, saying that it is an appaling experience for folks around her age who deserve constant healthcare to be deprived of such basic amenity.
Speaking with evident rage, the aged woman reprimanded the state government for not finding Ariyibi village worthy of basic amenities.
Of a deplorable health post and truant health worker
All Ariyibi community boasts as a health post is a 6 by 8 room with a ceiling made of Dangote cement to militate against drizzles of water during rainy days and the hotness of the sun in the dry season. It is saddening to learn that the building was put in place over 20 years ago by the administration of Governor Muhammed Lawal to serve the immediate health needs of the villagers. More disturbing is that since then, the facility has not gone through any phase of development or upgrading by successive administrations in the state.
The health facility, in all ramifications, does not share semblance with modern-day health posts, looking more like a bawn flanked back and front by petty maize farms without a single pill of pharmaceutical or medical equipment to indicate a health centre.
The moribund building was only adorned by two benches, a chair, a white locked box, and two tables, with one of the tables being occupied by dusty medical books. Offering the facade of a health facility, are the three health-related posters hung on the wall of the building.
Towards the end of 2023, the community and other neighbouring villages were dealt a huge blow when the nurse, popularly known as Mama Victor, who was diligently working at the health post, was transferred to another health centre. According to the community head, Abdulsalam Aweda, the new health worker posted to the community was last seen on the day he came to report during which he berated the deplorable condition of the health post, asking the community to provide a more befitting and conducive apartment for him to enable him continue from where his predecessor stopped.
“Following his demand, we arranged a room and parlour apartment for him to ease his work. But surprisingly, he has not set his feet in the village since then. We heard from a reliable source that he had been reposted to Okelele Primary Health Centre in Ilorin.
“For about a year now, this community has been without a functional health facility and health professional. We only pray we don’t encounter serious health challenges or emergencies that demand urgent medical attention. Otherwise, it will be fatal,” he disclosed.
While appealing to the state government, the community head charged Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to design a health initiative that would leave no community in the state untouched, further lamenting that Ariyibi and other neighboring communities are unjustifiably abandoned.
The secretary of the community, AbdulRahman Idris, revealed that, youths in the community, in a move to improve healthcare services in Ariyibi, about 20 years ago, commenced the construction of a new healthcare centre beside the dilapidating one but due to financial paucity and flailing economic situation of the country the project has stalled.
He further stressed that several appeals to the state authorities to complete the ongoing project have not yielded positive results.
Kwara wins NGF healthcare delivery award in 2023
Despite the challenges faced by Ariyibi and other communities in terms of poor healthcare services, surprisingly, the Kwara State Government in 2023 was, however, rated the best state in basic healthcare delivery in the entire North-central, beating Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, and other five states to win the prestigious award.
Kwara Government turns deaf ears to Ariyibi’s plights
Speaking with a tone of indignation, Abdul Rahman tongue lashed the state government for failing to provide basic amenities for the community.
He said that Ariyibi and other neighbouring communities namely: Oke-Odo, Afunkikin, Kuro, Ago, Megun, Agbaku, Asunnara, and Idi-ose have been clamouring for the establishment of secondary school several years ago but successive governments have refused to consider their requests.
He lamented, “We have taken a lot of steps to bring development to our community by writing a series of letters to different administrations in the state, but unfortunately none of the moves has yielded positive results. The nine communities jointly requested a secondary school, but up to date, our request has not been granted.
“With the current economic reality, parents spent not less than N1500 on each child as transport fare from here to Oke-oyi, where their secondary school is located, excluding feeding. Students whose parents cannot afford such humongous transport fares have to stand by the roadside seeking a free lift, and that option is risky based on the prevailing security situation in the country. No parent wants his or her children abducted by kidnappers all in the name of free lift. “
“Among other basic amenities we lack in our communities is drinkable water, especially during the dry season. We only rely on the borehole provided by a philanthropist from this community, Alhaji Issa Ibrahim Elelu. But it is not enough to serve us as our population continues to increase virtually every day. He also donated about 22 pieces of solar lights that illuminate the community against security threats at night.
“The state government has completely neglected us. The community itself provided 98 percent of the few basic amenities you see around, including the electrification and establishment of the primary school in the community.
“The only primary school we have here was established by indigenes of this community in the 1970s. As you can see, we are always at the receiving end.”
No school for pupils of Oke-Odo during the rainy season
Oke-Odo, a village within the Ilorin East Local Government, shares the same primary school with the Ariyibi community owing to their agelong cordial relationship. Unfortunately, the two neighbouring communities suffer relative levels of negligence from the state government in terms of social amenities. But Oke-Odo’s condition is much more complicated, especially during the rainy season.
The two neighbouring communities are interconnected by a makeshift wooden pedestrian bridge, enabling free flow transit inward and outward the two communities. But during the rainy season, the makeshift bridge usually betrayed the purpose it is meant to serve, collapsing when whenever there is a heavy downpour and thereby trapping the Oke-Odo pupil in their community without access to education at Ariyibi throughout the period.
According to Abdulrauf Omotosho, the Chief Imam of Oke-Odo village, “During rainy season, our children find it difficult to attend school at Ariyibi village because the flood usually destroyed the wooden bridge and it is dangerous for them to pass through it becaue it can lead to loss of lives. So we encourage them to stay at home until we repair the bridge.”
“At least, in the current rainy season, we have repaired the bridge 4 times with wood from the bush because we don’t have the resources to build a proper bridge ourselves.
“In addition, there is no adequate teacher in the primary school. From primary 1 to 6, we had only three teachers, including the school head. Whenever they transfer teachers to this community, they are immediately transferred to the state capital because they don’t want to stay here and work. So, we implore the state governor to employ indigenes of our communities who live among us to turn the school around,” the religious leader said.
Kwara Health Commissioner reacts
When contacted, the state commissioner for health, Dr. Amina Ahmed El-Imam acknowledged the healthcare delivery challenges the communities are currently facing, noting that the issues would be addressed as soon as possible.
She also maintained that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is making plans to improve the remunerations of health workers to measure up with the federal government salary scale and to recruit more health professionals through all the local government areas within the state.
