[NIGERIA] LAGOS GOVT, FIRST BANK PARTNER TO BOOST HEALTHCARE DELIVERY IN IJE-ODODO COMMUNITY
L-R: Dr. Ibrahim Mustapha, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State
Primary Healthcare Board; Mrs. Tolani Oshodi, Permanent Secretary, Office of
Secretary to the State Government/Cabinet Office; Hon. Ayodele Thomas, Vice
Chairman, Iba Local Council Development Area; Mr. Seyi Oyefeso representing the
CEO of FirstBank; High Chief Jelili Ododo, Baale of Ijeododo land looks on as
Mrs. Folasade Jaji, Secretary to the State Government and representative of the
Governor of Lagos State cuts the ribbon during the commissioning of the Primary
Healthcare Centre sponsored by FirstBank to the Ijeododo Community, Lagos.
In a bid to boost healthcare delivery to thousands of residents,
the Lagos State Government has built and unveiled a new Primary Healthcare
Centre (PHC) in Ije-Ododo Community, Iba Local Council Development Area (LCDA),
under the Ojo Council Area of the state.
The facility, which has
been under construction since 2021 in partnership with First Bank of Nigeria
Limited, was unveiled in the community in an opening ceremony attended by the
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, representatives of the state
government, the state Primary Health Care Board, community leaders, as well as
traditional rulers of Iba, Ije-Ododo and Ijagemo, among others.
In his welcome address,
the governor, who was represented by Secretary to the State Government (SSG),
Mrs. Folashade Sherifat Jaji, said the opening of the health facility under the
SSG’s One Community At A Time (OCAAT) initiative, formed part of activities to
herald the inauguration of his second term in office on Monday, May 29, 2023.
Maintaining that the
attention being paid to the healthcare sector was deliberate to ensure a
healthier populace, he said the state government under his watch would deploy
more resources to the health sector for easier access to health services,
especially in underserved communities.
L-R: Hon. Ayodele
Thomas, Vice Chairman, Iba Local Council Development Area; Chief Jelili
Ododo, Baale of Ijeododo land; Mrs. Tolani Oshodi, Permanent Secretary, Office
of Secretary to the State Government/Cabinet Office; Mrs. Folasade Jaji, Secretary
to the State Government and representative of the Governor of Lagos State; Mr.
Seyi Oyefeso representing the CEO of FirstBank; Dr. Ibrahim Mustapha, Permanent
Secretary, Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board at the event.
He enjoined members of
the community to take full advantage of the health benefits that will be
provided in the facility and charged them to take ownership and protect the
assets and the facility at all times.
Speaking, Permanent
Secretary, Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Ibrahim Mustapha, commended First Bank
of Nigeria Limited and the contractor for completing the project within the
stipulated time frame, but also requested more assistance to make the facility
functional by providing equipment and other necessary medical gadgets.
On his part, Chief
Executive Officer of FirstBank, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, who was represented by
Mr. Seyi Oyefeso, expressed satisfaction at the successful completion of the
project, adding that it was gratifying to know that no fewer than 10,000
residents of Ije-Ododo and neighbouring communities will have access to primary
healthcare services in the facility.
He said as a responsible
corporate social organisation, the bank’s intervention in the primary
healthcare sector aligned with its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
approach anchored on citizenship, impact management, strategic education, as
well as the health and welfare of the immediate and remote communities of Lagos
State and other parts of the country.
In his words: “The
completion and opening of the primary healthcare centre is to ensure that
Ije-Ododo community will become healthier and wealthier since health is
wealth.”
In his goodwill message,
the Baale of Ije-Ododo, Dr. Abu Jelili Ododo, who spoke in company of the Oba
of Iba and Baale of Ijagemo, applauded Governor Sanwo-Olu for the timely
completion of the healthcare centre and appealed for the construction of the
Ijegun-Ije-Ododo-Abule-Ado road to link the Badagry Expressway, adding that it
was high time the Ije-Ododo Community was provided with a motorable road to
ease the sufferings of residents.
Responding to the
request for the road, Jaji assured that the Lagos State government under
Sanwo-Olu was poised to build the road but that the project suffered some
setback due to agitations by some members of the community over the location of
the project, adding however, that as soon as the governor settles down for his
second tenure, construction work will begin on the road.
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