Health
New health centre ends Ogun women’s trips to Benin Republic
After PUNCH’s report on the loss of lives due to a lack of primary healthcare facilities in Igbokofi, Ogun State, the government built a five-bed health centre with staff quarters to serve as a lodge for medical staff, SEGUN ODUNAYO reports
At about 1:05 pm, Folake Olaniyi, in her red T-shirt and black skirt, walked briskly into the village square, where singing, dancing and celebrations were ongoing at the commissioning of the health centre.
She stood at the back, watching the singers sing, dancers dance, and speakers speak. Gradually, her straight face gave way to a small smile.
Immediately, this reporter, who had been watching as she arrived, approached her and a discussion began.
This Folake, who was now chatty and jovial, wasn’t this way when Saturday PUNCH interviewed her in May 2025.
Then, she was close to shedding tears as she reminisced about how she lost her womb and her baby in 2017 due to a lack of a medical health centre in Igbokofi, a sleepy community in Yewa North Local Government Area.
As she didn’t have the financial wherewithal to pay the expensive medical bills in the neighbouring Benin Republic, she resolved to take the two-hour trip via the terrible road network to the nearest community, Ijoun, while in labour.
She couldn’t get the needed medical help there and had to be transferred to one medical facility to another in Abeokuta, the state capital. Sadly, the damage had been done, and she lost both the baby and her womb.
After the story, published on Saturday, May 24, 2025, with the headline, “Pregnant Ogun women flee to Benin Republic as healthcare crumbles,” drew attention to the plight of the women in the community, the leadership of Yewa North Local Government promised to build a primary healthcare centre in the community to prevent more deaths.
This promise by the local government was followed by the donation of two plots of land by the community in November 2025 to demonstrate its readiness and support for the project.
This was reported in a news story titled, “Community donates land for health centre after PUNCH report,” published on Saturday, November 22, 2025.
On March 16, 2026, the leadership of Yewa North Local Government, led by the chairman, Olusola Akinbode, performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the building.
This was captured in a news story titled, “Ogun begins PHC construction after PUNCH report,” published on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
On Thursday, August 20, 2026, the facility was commissioned.
“I give glory to God for making this day possible. We have suffered a lot in this community. We are grateful to the local government for finally making this happen. We are truly grateful,” Folake said.
Two hours before Folake arrived, another victim of the lack of a medical health centre in the village, who had also spoken with Saturday PUNCH in 2025, walked into the square, where people were just beginning to arrive.
Elder Bamgbose was decked in a marching blue native attire and shiny black shoes that had now gathered some dust from the sandy road.
“Like you know, I was a victim of the lack of a health centre here. We have needed this here for a very long time but had no one to help us get it done.
“My own son’s wife died some years ago while we were rushing her to the nearby village during labour. That death caused our family a lot of pain. However, we are grateful to the local government chairman for doing this for us,” he ended.
The commissioning
Navigating through the bushes and lonely pathways to Igbokofi via Ijoun on a motorcycle, where only a few farmers on their way to their farms were encountered on the road, was a herculean task.
After about a one-hour ride, the motorcycle stopped in front of the newly built and ready-to-be-commissioned health centre at 8:35 am on August 20.
Kunle Garb, a missionary and activist for the Igbokofi community, was seated in front of the building in his blue native attire and a white “Agbada.” He was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the team from the local government.
At 10:24 am, the first team, led by the Vice Chairman of Yewa North Local Government, Hon. Joseph Ilori, arrived. They went around the building to be sure all was set for the day.
Excitement was in the air as members of the community, especially women and children, began singing and dancing before the commissioning began.
“We thank you for giving us this hospital; we are grateful,” they sang in Yoruba.
For close to one hour before the actual commissioning began, they continued to sing and dance while the men watched from a distance.
About 12 noon, the Chairman of Yewa North Local Government, Hon. Olusola Akinbode, arrived with another team to commence the commissioning of the five-bed primary healthcare centre, inclusive of staff quarters to serve as a lodge for staff.
‘We are here for you’
After the singing and dancing, the people were addressed by the medical team and local government officials.
The Head of Service, Yewa North Health Authority, Dr Taiwo Adebowale, said he had been reading about the situation of the community, particularly its lack of a health centre, on the pages of The PUNCH without knowing he would be transferred to the local government and go on to be involved in the project.
He admonished the community members to guard the facility jealously and cooperate with the medical staff posted there.
He mentioned that they might be required to pay for cards and a few other things, but that immunisation for children was completely free.
“I will ask that you cooperate with our staff here. They are here to work with you. As fate would have it, I was posted to this local government after I had been reading about the situation here in PUNCH for a while now. We are here for you,” he said.
Also speaking, the Onjoun of Ijoun land, Oba Gabriel Ogunji, thanked the leadership of Yewa North Local Government for keeping its promise and urged the people to take proper care of the centre.
“I thank the government for this facility; we are grateful. It won’t be standing up there without their assistance. I also plead with our people to use the facility as they have told us to do. I know it is built here in Igbokofi, but it is for the entire people in this axis. We should all ensure we take proper care of it,” he stated.
Rounding off, the local government chairman said he promised during the ground-breaking in March to complete the building in three months, but the bad road network and rainy season made equipping the place before now difficult.
He advised the community to take proper care of the building.
“When we came here in March for the foundation, I said we’d be done in three months, which we did. However, the roads are bad, and it was difficult bringing the chairs, materials and so on to the place until this time,” he said.
Benin Republic trips over
Responding on behalf of the community, the Regent of Igbokofi, Alani Bamgbose, appreciated the local government for keeping its promise and making the commissioning happen.
“Our chairman said it and did it. We are so grateful. We have suffered for this for many years up until now. You can see how excited people are; it tells you how happy we are,” he said.
A representative of the women, Mary Bamgbose, explained that the pain of experiencing the deaths of pregnant women and children or going to the neighbouring Benin Republic to pay huge sums for medical care was now a thing of the past.
“We are very happy. We have experienced so much going to the Benin Republic for help. We have lost many people, but now, it won’t happen anymore. We give God the glory,” she said.
A missionary and activist who lives in the community, Pastor Kunle Garb, thanked Saturday PUNCH for staying on the story and the chairman for delivering on his promise.
“My people at the PUNCH, I am thankful. Thank you for your support. I really appreciate it. Also, I appreciate the chairman for his efforts. Honestly, he is a man of his word. He said it, and he did it. I am the happiest person today,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the community, Elder Ilori pleaded with the local government leadership to help fix the bad roads leading to the community.
“We thank you very much, but we ask for more, our chairman. Our roads are bad. It takes hours for us to connect to Ijoun. Please help us,” he said.
Another resident pleaded that the bad roads be fixed so that development could be brought into the community.
Responding, the local government chairman said he would take their request to the Governor.
“I know the roads are bad. I spent about two hours to get here for a journey that shouldn’t take that long. However, I’ll take their request to the Governor. I’ll tell him the people appreciate this health centre, but they are asking for more,” he said.
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