Oyo State has recorded six new cases of coronavirus making it a total of 29 in the state.

The new cases were revealed in a tweet from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) at around 11:10 pm on Friday night.

According to NCDC, a total of 238 new cases were recorded on Friday with 92 from Kano alone.

All together, Nigeria now has 2170 confirmed cases of Covid-19, 351 discharged, and 68 death recorded.

The Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde has announced the slash in the salaries of all political appointees in the state by Fifty percent.

The announcement was made by the governor during the May 1st International Workers’ Day celebration held at the Nigeria Labour Congress Secretariat.

Makinde equally added that the civil servants in the state would not be affected by the pay cut, saying that “nothing will affect the welfare and payment of the workers salary despite the dwindling economy.

Apparently, she knew what had happened, so she closed the eyes of her dead child. She covered the face with her robe, and knelt by her bedside together with one of her sons. The disstressed widow groaned in anguish as no river of condolence could relieve the excruciating furnace that burns within her. Grievous, her twenty one-year old undergraduate daughter was dead. In one year, she had spent nearly all her savings to cure her child because there was no reliable health insurance policy to support her daughter’s plight. The girl had been taken to different specialist at variant private government hospitals; she had stayed there for practically ten months, with the doctors nonplussed, suggesting varied tests upon tests, consequential and inconsequential drugs, recommendations upside recommendations–all but to no avail. The Nigeria health system failed her once again, even after it had chagrined her when her husband was alive. Hence, no one could blame her grim resolution as the Nigerian hospitals failed to protect the health of her only daughter, kvetching that they could not get the requisite equipments and facilities to support the health of the vulnerable daughter, saving if she could fly out the girl to India– a mission impossible.

Today, the Nigerian health system still ebbs and deteriorates, little did we know why we suffer painfully in the hands of the current pandemic situation of Covid-19. It’s evident that we can hardly vaunt of enough tests kits, enough ventilators, enough bed spaces and equipments to fight the novel virus. Infact, the Nigerian government herself, had long stigmatized her own health care system as the last president to make effective use of a Nigerian hospital was retired General Yakubu Gowon, who when he was he was the head of state made sure that Victoria his wife had their babies at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Hence, opening that it has been over 50 years that a Nigerian president had last used a Nigerian hospital for treatment. So I ask you, isn’t that pathetic for us as a nation?

The Nigerian health care is poignantly enduring from countless undoings on a daily basis in spite of our regular ‘claim’ of being the ‘giant of Africa’. The country is monstrously ‘malnourished’ in her health care sector that even an average citizen can see for his or herself. It’s ostensive to the poor and the rich that our health centers are starked, personnel incapable, and the medical equipment is deficient and insufficient, most especially in the less regarded bucolic part of the country. True, our health system has been evolving over the years through simple health care reforms aiming to address the wide-ranging and public health issues confronting the country in her corners, which includes Nigeria’s health insurance scheme, Nigeria Immunisation Coverage Scheme, and lot more. It might be evident that some of these reforms have been successful while some could not due to the instability of plans and purposes.

Now, it’s glaring that our health care system remains emphatically weak as validated by the political instability experienced on a daily basis. Our political system had experienced more than many governments with various health reforms which refused to enhance the necessary continuity, tampering with the growth of our health care system. Corruption also sits at the topmost place of our health system, so upsetting that a lot of money has over the years been infused into the hospitals yet we are still stuck in the same potholes our forefathers left us.

Consequently, the federal apportion for the health sector is quite pathetic in a country with little or no infrastructure to carry the most basic necessities that even some hospitals rely on unreliable generators to perform surgeries on patients, a risk which might tamper with the lives of the victims. Some of our hospitals also run on vacuous and empty equipment that even as the pandemic spreads at this moment they will never know how to handle the situation. It’s blatant we suffer in the midst of plenty. Many other wretched conditions Nigerians encounters also includes low-level synchronization, fractured mileages, diminutive resources, insufficient and inept manpower, an unstable economy, and a lot more have all contributed to the present day of a deplorable condition of our health care.

Moreover, we need to ask the questions of if this is how we shall continue to leave our health care system in a deplorable condition? That when malaria, diarrheal diseases, road injuries, hepatitis, cancer, meningitis, stroke, and tuberculosis hit Nigerians, that shall we still run to the same hospitals that can not care for itself? Maybe we say that we shall continue to die unnecessarily from preventable conditions and disease if there are no proper programs designed to address each of these problems. The first WHO Global Status Report on non-communicable diseases listed Nigeria and other developing countries as the worst hit with deaths from non-communicable diseases. These diseases with a rising burden in Nigeria include cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, sickle cell disease, asthma, coronary heart disease, obesity, stroke, hypertension, road traffic injuries, and mental disorders. Again a 2011 World Health Statistics, malaria mortality rate for Nigeria is 146 per 100,000 population, that Malaria remains the foremost killer disease in Nigeria. It accounts for over 25% of under 5 mortality, 30% childhood mortality, and 11% maternal mortality. So I ask, Isn’t this cumbersome enough for us? Maybe the government might need to answer

Dear readers, don’t you think that it’s high time that we overhauled the Nigeria health system, fixing it now or ever. Don’t you think we have suffered enough deaths in the hands of bad health conditions of our health system and unqualified personnel? Don’t you think that when consequent pandemic problems come devouring, that shall we be equipped to facing them? Don’t you think our leaders must wake up and declare a state of emergency in our health sector? If you don’t think so, I do. The Nigerian health policy deciders need to devise health care reforms to address the lack of social, financial, and all general protection for her vulnerable populations. Maybe Nigeria needs to follow the suggestions of the World Health Organization (WHO) of effective implementation of the provisions of her National Health Act, which sets out the responsibility and roles of different players in the Nigerian health sector and provides for a basic health care provision fund to improve her primary health care. Furthermore, maybe there is a need for a round table discussion before we are overwhelmed by our pathetic footings. Shall we fix this now?

Ogungbile Emmanuel Oludotun is a final year student of the Department of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of Ibadan, Ibadan. thedreamchaser65@gmail.com

Upon the reopening of the state secretariat on Monday, 27th April 2020, Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde had an inspection tour to Akufo farm settlement.

Makinde during his visit hinted on the state stakeholders to transform the settlement into an agricultural estate that would positively impact the state economy.

In his statement shortly after the tour, Makinde said that the government was not relenting in aggregating all comparative advantages in agriculture to advance the state in line with the four cardinal thrusts of his government.

Governor Makinde further explained that though a private farm has been using the facility to produce tomato and pepper through a greenhouse farming approach, the state government would incorporate other stakeholders to harness benefit for the local market and export.

There are trails of controversies surrounding the relationship between the Oyo state government and the management of the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, with regards to the fight towards the treatment, prevention and containment of the pandemic causing havoc in the global world at large- COVID-19.

According to a program being anchored by Isaac Brown, on Fresh FM, Ibadan, there have been conflicting reports from the Oyo state government and the Management of the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, as regards the availability of a Testing Centre to aid the fight against coronavirus which has been proven to be present in the state.

Reports have it that the Oyo state government has severally claimed to have been giving supports and providing facilities for UCH, in the fight against the deadly virus. According to Oyo state government, there’s a diagnostic laboratory in UCH, facilitated by the state government.

In a contrary report, the Chief Medical Director of UCH, Professor Jesse Abiodun Otegbayo, made it known that there’s no Testing Centre in UCH.

Meanwhile, Professor Georgina, a Virologist at the department of Virology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, while speaking with Isaac Brown, acknowledged the fact that there’s a laboratory belonging to the department, and they receive blood samples from different parts of the state like Saki, and other states like Osun and Ogun. She made it known that there are no testing facilities in those places but there are trained personnel on the ground who monitor the samples.

This goes to show the dichotomy between the Management of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and that of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. The former operates under the Ministry of Health while the latter operates under the Ministry of Education. As such, while the laboratory at the College of Medicine is mainly for the purpose of research and learning, UCH is an institution expected to be at the top of health-related issues especially in this pandemic period.

Surprisingly, it was revealed that the Chief Medical Director of UCH has never taken part in any meeting with the state task force on COVID-19. Likewise, UCH was said to have not received any dime from the state government, for its operations towards the fight against COVID-19.

Furthermore, the Oyo state government has no approval from the management of UCH after making a formal request to staff its members, two weeks after taking them on board as part of the Oyo state task force on COVID-19. According to the report, UCH is requesting the fate of its members staffed by the state government, in terms of their protection and health insurance, claiming that it’s like sending them to war.

All these show that there’s a gap between the health institution and the state government. As such, one can only ask if Oyo state is potentially ready to contain the deadly virus in the state, in terms of putting effective measures in place and working collaboratively with the health sector, towards fighting against the deadly virus.

While responding to the controversies between the state government and UCH, Mr. Bisi Oladele, Southwest Bureau Chief of The Nation’s newspaper, made it known that the bickering between the two parties is needless, urging the Governor of the state, Seyi Makinde, to personally investigate the controversies surrounding the issue of Testing Centre in order to make amendments where necessary.

Oyo State has recorded another three cases of coronavirus making it a total of nine active cases in the state.

This is contained in a tweet by Governor Seyi Makinde who also doubled as the chairman, Oyo State COVID-19 TASK FORCE at around 11:55 pm on Saturday, 25th April 2020.

“The COVID-19 confirmation test for three suspected cases from the University College Hospital, Ibadan, came back POSITIVE, today. So, there are currently nine active cases in Oyo State.”

He thereby enjoined people to take necessary precautionary measures such as the washing of hands with soap and water, use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer regularly. Also, continue to maintain social distancing as gatherings in Oyo State are limited to a maximum of ten persons.

The lawmaker representing Oluyole Federal Constituency and the Chairperson House of Representative Committee on Diaspora Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe K has advises Muslim to give and practice charity during this pandemic, she urges them to follow rules and regulations that govern this Holy Month and pray for the country during this hard time.

“During the Holy month we are to read the Quran daily, observe prayers on time, seek forgiveness and build healthy relationships and visit the needy (which Covid as rendered dangerous but where there is a will we will make a safe alternative to ensure that the needs of the needy are met). Muslim, should also practice charity as one of the five Islamic pillars, be generous by showing empathy to the hungry, raising money for the poor, donating clothes and food.”

” My advice to Muslims is to engage more in charity, this is a month of fasting, prayer & reflection, Muslim citizens should avoid large gatherings and have their prayers and meals (suhoor and iftar) individually or with family at home.”

“Avoid evil thoughts and sinful behaviour.”

Sadipe in her statement said Ramadan purifies one from impure thoughts, deeds, and material desires. This allows Muslims to fully concentrate on their faith through prayers, seeking forgiveness and being there for the needy.
Ramadan Kareem and May Allah see us through.