Special Report: Despite being rated best in healthcare delivery, several communities in Kwara are still cut off from services

By Ibrahim Mohammed

Sprawling in intermittent pain from labour, Iyabo Ganiyu, a middle-aged mother of five and resident of the Ariyibi community, did not doubt that her Expected Delivery Date (EDD) was close to her nose. Due to the lack of a functional Primary Healthcare Centre in the community, the heavily pregnant woman, assisted by her husband, AbdulRahman Idris, had to travel as far as 25 kilometres to Ajikobi Cottage Hospital in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara, where she later underwent a Caesarean section to deliver a male child.

When she returned home on 31 January 2023, after spending 13 days in the hospital, she began experiencing complications as the dissolvable stitches on her belly loosened, resulting from the haphazard surgical operation performed by unqualified doctors at the hospital.

Following medical advice, she was rushed to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, where she spent another 12 days undergoing remedial medical operations before she eventually recovered.

“I nearly lost my life after the poor operation I had during the birth of my last child, Ibrahim. I was told my stomach was not properly stitched, and I started experiencing severe pain. For us in the Ariyibi community, access to proper healthcare has been the major challenge we face. Even when our children fall sick at night, there is no functional health facility within our community. We have to travel as far as Oke-Oyi or Ilorin on motorcycles to receive treatment,” she said.

“The situation is even worse for pregnant women, who endure much stress every week visiting Oke-Oyi Health Centre for their antenatal care.”

A septuagenarian, Hajiya Hauwa Kulu, lamented the problems posed by the lack of a functional health centre in the community, stating that it is an appalling experience for elderly residents like her, who deserve constant healthcare but are deprived of such basic amenities.

Speaking with evident rage, the elderly woman reprimanded the state government for not recognising Ariyibi village as worthy of basic amenities.

A deplorable health post and truant health worker

All that the Ariyibi community has as a health post is a 6 by 8 room with a ceiling made of Dangote cement to shield against rain and the heat of the sun in the dry season. It is saddening to learn that the building was established over 20 years ago by the administration of Governor Muhammed Lawal to serve the immediate health needs of the villagers. More disturbing is the fact that since then, the facility has not undergone any development or upgrading by successive administrations in the state.

The health facility, in all respects, does not resemble modern-day health posts, looking more like a barn flanked at the back and front by petty maize farms, with no pharmaceutical or medical equipment to indicate a health centre.

The dilapidated building is furnished with only two benches, a chair, a locked white box and two tables, one of which is occupied by dusty medical books. Three health-related posters hung on the walls attempt to present the facade of a health facility.

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 had been diligently working at the health post, was transferred to another health centre. According to community head Abdulsalam Aweda, the new health worker posted to the community was last seen on the day he reported, during which he berated the deplorable condition of the health post, asking the community to provide a more suitable and conducive accommodation for him to continue from where his predecessor left off.

“Following his demand, we arranged a room and parlour apartment for him to ease his work. But surprisingly, he has not set foot 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 require urgent medical attention. Otherwise, it could be fatal,” he disclosed.

While appealing to the state government, the community head urged Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to design a health initiative that would leave no community in the state untouched, further lamenting that Ariyibi and other neighbouring communities have been unjustifiably abandoned.

The community secretary, AbdulRahman Idris, revealed that youths in the community, in an effort to improve healthcare services in Ariyibi about 20 years ago, commenced the construction of a new healthcare centre beside the dilapidated one, but due to financial constraints and the deteriorating economic situation in the country, the project has stalled.

He further stressed that several appeals to 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 was rated the best state in basic healthcare delivery in the entire North-Central in 2023, beating Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, and five other states to win the prestigious award.

Kwara government turns deaf ears to Ariyibi’s plight

Speaking with indignation, AbdulRahman lambasted the state government for failing to provide basic amenities for the community.

He stated 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 a secondary school for several years, but successive governments have refused to consider their requests.

He lamented, “We have taken many steps to bring development to our community by writing a series of letters to different administrations in the state, but unfortunately, none of our efforts have yielded positive results. The nine communities jointly requested a secondary school, but to date, our request has not been granted. With the current economic reality, parents spend no 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 exorbitant transport fares have to stand by the roadside seeking free lifts, and that option is risky given the prevailing security situation in the country. No parent wants their children to be abducted by kidnappers in the name of a free lift.”

“Among other basic amenities we lack in our communities is drinkable water, especially during the dry season. We rely on the borehole provided by a philanthropist from this community, Alhaji Issa Ibrahim Elelu. But it is insufficient to serve us as our population continues to increase virtually every day. He also donated about 22 solar lights to illuminate the community against security threats at night.

“The state government has completely neglected us. The community itself has provided 98 per cent 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 the 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 rainy season

Oke-Odo, a village within the Ilorin East Local Government Area, shares the same primary school with the Ariyibi community due to their long-standing cordial relationship. Unfortunately, both neighbouring communities suffer varying levels of neglect from the state government regarding social amenities. However, Oke-Odo’s situation is more complicated, especially during the rainy season.

The two communities are interconnected by a makeshift wooden pedestrian bridge, enabling free transit between them. But during the rainy season, the bridge often fails to serve its purpose, collapsing whenever there is heavy rainfall and trapping Oke-Odo pupils in their own community without access to education in Ariyibi throughout that period.

According to Abdulrauf Omotosho, the Chief Imam of Oke-Odo village, “During the rainy season, our children find it difficult to attend school in Ariyibi because the flood usually destroys the wooden bridge, making it dangerous for them to cross, as it could lead to loss of life. So we encourage them to stay at home until we can repair the bridge.”

“At least during the current rainy season, we have repaired the bridge four times with wood from the bush because we lack the resources to build a proper bridge ourselves.

“In addition, there is no adequate teaching staff in the primary school. From primary 1 to 6, we have only three teachers, including the headteacher. Whenever teachers are transferred to this community, they are immediately reassigned to the state capital because they do not want to stay here and work. So we implore the state governor to employ indigenes of our communities who live among us to help improve the school,” 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 remuneration of health workers to align with the federal government salary scale and to recruit more health professionals across all local government areas within the state.