Decaying structures at OAU Teaching Hospital Ile-Ife

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Weather beaten statue at the hospital.

There are quite a number of decaying structures within the O.A.U. Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife.

Welcome to the teaching hospital of the Obafemi Awolowo University, which is just a few kilometres away from the OAU campus itself. Known as the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), the sprawling health facility is situated in the heart of the ancient city of Ile-Ife, which is believed to be the cradle of the  Yoruba race.
Except for its lengthy fence, there is little to differentiate the teaching hospital from other old buildings in the area. The decay is glaring on the fence and the very signpost of the teaching hospital itself. Entering the OAUTHC from the gate, it is seen that the Family Planning Clinic which is situated near the gate of the teaching hospital has a rotten roof.
A statue strategically positioned to welcome visitors to the hospital, is not spared  by the decay, as  it has become a shadow of itself. The long stretch of the two storey building facing the gate, stands in splendour, and a visitor would not give it a second glance. The building is poorly maintained.
While still smarting from this shocking discovery, a footway on the left side of the building, leads to the kitchen of the teaching hospital, and  to another building that looks like an abandoned warehouse.
But it is actually a male ward which is overcrowded by patients. Walking through the pathway  passing by the Neonatal, Kitchen, Laundry, medical library, and going towards the pharmacy department and Unit Cash Office to the administrative block, all the buildings are  derelict. A toilet in a building near the threadbare administrative block where the office of the Chief Medical Officer of the Hospital, Professor Victor Adebayo Adetiloye is located, looks  rundown.
The physical condition of the buildings in the teaching hospital shocks the visitor, but medical officers carry on as though all is well. Maimuna Ismaila who spoke with Daily Trust said the decay  does not befit an institution of OAUTHC status ,and called on the federal government to renovate the teaching hospital. “I have visited the OAU campus before, but this is my first time here in the OAU teaching Hospital. I came to visit someone who is on admission here, and I’m surprised that the hospital is in this condition. Anyway, that is really not my problem, since I don’t pray to be here again. However, I think it would be nice if the federal government could renovate this teaching hospital,” Maimuna said.

Mr Salako Adefure was willing to complain to the management of the teaching hospital, on the need to carry out general repair on the building, but he seems to be too busy to be able to do so. When asked to comment on the condition of the buildings in the teaching hospital, Salako said “I don’t have time for that now. You can see that I’m very busy. We can see that the condition of these buildings is embarrassing, and the management of the Hospital too, cannot pretend as though  they do not see it. If I have time, I would have loved to complain to the people in charge of the hospital, but as you can see, I’m very busy.”
Medical doctors and nurses refused to speak with our correspondent, but their countenance showed that they were not happy with the situation.
Also, the attempt by our correspondent to talk to some of the patients on admission, was thwarted by the hospital security men, strategically positioned at every ward. The mood of some of the relatives of patients who were seen outside the wards, did  not encourage this reporter to approach them for interviews, as many of them wore long faces. Meanwhile, it is also significant to mention that the hospital cleaners were doing  a great job. Every nook and cranny of the teaching hospital was properly swept and tidied  up, while the refuse was properly disposed  of and all the bins were empty.
The cleaners could only remove dirt on the walls and sweep the floors, but the decay  on the buildings remained. The situation was the same in other areas visited by Daily Trust, beyond the extension area where newly built structures were sighted. Daily Trust gathered that one of the wards in the extension area which was christened “Amenity Ward,” was a Private Suite set up by the management of the hospital. The Amenity Private Suite is located at the phase IV of the OAUTHC, not far from the Sub-Surgical Speciality Building. Our correspondent also learnt that patients who require specialised services go to the Amenity Ward. Whereas, the medical fee at Amenity Ward, may be different from what is obtainable in the phase 1 and phase II of the hospital.

Speaking with Daily Trust in his office, the Public Relations  Officer (PRO) of OAUTHC, Olusakin Oladeji said a teaching hospital goes beyond buildings and its physical outlook. He insisted that “OAUTHC remains a leading centre of excellence in the health sector in the country.”
OAUTHC has been providing quality health care services, not only to the people of the South-West, but Nigeria as a whole. OAUTHC has state-of-the-art health equipment, and other hospitals in the country have been referring their patients to OAUTHC, for comprehensive treatment. It is not about the building.
Olusakin maintained that the management of the teaching hospital under the leadership of the CMD, Professor Adetiloye is committed to making effective and efficient health care service accessible to members of the public.
“We are very lucky to have a visionary person, Professor Victor Adebayo Adetiloye as our CMD. The management of OAU THC has always ensured that the hospital has all the necessary equipment you can find in a world class teaching hospital, and I can also tell you that OAUTHC has qualified Medical personnel. Therefore, do not judge this teaching hospital based on the physical condition of the  buildings that you saw,” OAUTHC’s PRO said.

Caring Hands International organizes vocational training for unemployed youths in Osun

As part of efforts to provide means of livelihood for youths in Osun
state, a non-profit organization under the aegis of Caring Hands
International has organised a 3-day vocational training for over 30
unemployed youths in the state in partnership with National
Directorate of Employment (NDE).

The Executive Director of the CHI, Mrs Fehintola Obilomo Toyin while
speaking on the occasion said she was worried about the level of
unemployment among the youths and that she was determined to empower
the youths with skills that would enable them to start their own
business and be able to fend for themselves.

Obilomo lamented that youth unemployment in the country has become a
threat to socioeconomic stability and that her NGO was willing to
encourage youths to develop their full potentials and earn living
through legitimate business.

Her words “Caring Hands International is a non-profit organization
that sees to the total welfare of all age groups. Youth unemployment
is becoming worrisome and saddening. Our higher institutions of
learning keep turning out fresh graduates without hope of getting
employed. Yet, these youths are seen as next generation. Ideally,
youths should be productive as future controllers of the nation’s
economy”.

Obilomo commended various youth focused efforts of the federal
government including the Youth with Initiative in Nigeria, (YouWIN),
Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), Graduate Empowerment Scheme (GEMS)
and the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme of the admiration of Governor
Rauf Aregbesola aimed at addressing unemployment.

She however frowned that in spite of the government efforts, not much
impact has been made as the labour market still continues to swell.
Obilomo said that her NGO intends to follow up with the beneficiaries
of the skill acquisition programme to ensure that the objectives of
her initiative are realised.

The NDE Coordinator in Osun State, Mr Sola Daramola who was
represented by Head of Small Scales Enterprise Department, Mr.
Olusegun Odebiyi commended the CHI for organizing the skill
acquisition programme for the youths and charged the beneficiaries to
make good use of the opportunity to learn skills and start their own
businesses.

Special Adviser to Osun State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola on Youths,
Sports and Special Needs, Mr Biyi Odunlade who declared the skill
acquisition workshop open charged the youth to be focused and
enterprising rather than complaining of not getting jobs as government
cannot employ everybody.
  ENDS

Report: Nigeria ranks 136 most corrupt nation

President Goodluck Jonathan has been criticised for being soft on corruption

Nigeria has been ranked 136th most corrupt country with Somalia, North Korea, Sudan seen as the world’s most corrupt countries while Denmark and New Zealand as the least corrupt, Transparency International said Wednesday in a new report.

This is a slight improvement for Nigeria having ranked the 144th most corrupt nation in 2013, 139th in 2012 and 143rd in 2011.

The report entitled “Corruption Perceptions Index 2014: Clean growth at risk” released Wednesday by the anti-graft global watchdog said “corporate secrecy, global money laundering makes it harder for emerging economies to fight corruption.”

“Corrupt officials smuggle ill-gotten assets into safe havens through offshore companies with absolute impunity,” José Ugaz, the chair of Transparency International said.

“The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that economic growth is undermined and efforts to stop corruption fade when leaders and high level officials abuse power to appropriate public funds for personal gain,” Ugaz said.

More than two thirds of the 175 countries in the 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index score below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean).

Denmark tops the list with a score of 92, New Zealand (91), Finland (89), while Nigeria scored 27 in 2014, adding two points from its 25 score of 2013.

Poorly equipped schools, counterfeit medicine and elections decided by money are just some of the consequences of public sector corruption, the anti-graft agency said.

It added that “bribes and backroom deals don’t just steal resources from the most vulnerable – they undermine justice and economic development, and destroy public trust in government and leaders.”

“Countries at the bottom need to adopt radical anti-corruption measures in favour of their people. Countries at the top of the index should make sure they don’t export corrupt practices to underdeveloped countries,” Ugaz said.

The scores of several countries rose or fell by four points or more. The biggest falls were in Turkey (-5), Angola, China, Malawi and Rwanda (all -4).

On the other hand, the biggest improvers were Côte d´Ivoire, Egypt, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (+5), Afghanistan, Jordan, Mali and Swaziland (+4).

The Corruption Perceptions Index is based on expert opinions of public sector corruption.

Countries’ scores can be helped by open government where the public can hold leaders to account, while a poor score is a sign of prevalent bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs, the anti-sleaze watchdog said.