IJAYA MATERNITY CENTER, AKOFA: A MATTER OF URGENT CONCERN AND A LEGACY IN RUIN DUE TO LEGISLATIVE DOCILITY
IJAYA MATERNITY CENTER, AKOFA: A MATTER OF URGENT CONCERN AND A LEGACY IN RUIN DUE TO LEGISLATIVE DOCILITY
The deplorable state of the IJAYA Maternity Center, Akofa, stands today as a painful reminder of abandoned public investment and the consequences of legislative inaction. This is not just an oversight—it is a matter of urgent concern that directly affects the health and wellbeing of the people of Akofa and the entire Remo-North Local Government Area.
This project, with code 2021ZIP1875, was executed as a Zonal Intervention Project and domiciled under the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development during the tenure of Rt. Hon. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga as Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development. Notably, this was during her first term in office, as the project was captured in the 2021 Appropriation Act.
It is important to clearly state that the circumstances surrounding this project have created a clear and viable pathway for its full takeover by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, thereby ensuring its functionality and sustainability.
The Key Circumstances Are as Follows:
1. The project was initially domiciled under the National Centre for Women Development, an agency within the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
2. As a Federal Government initiative, the responsibility for staffing, funding, and operations does not automatically fall on the State or Local Government. However, the State Government retains the prerogative to take over the facility, presenting a valuable opportunity to expand healthcare delivery within the region.
3. The nature and scope of the facility align directly with the mandate of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), making its transition and integration into federal healthcare structures both seamless and practical.
4. The center also fits squarely within the framework of specialized healthcare service delivery, particularly in the area of free emergency obstetric care under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
5. The Federal Ministry of Health can readily assume funding and operational responsibility through established initiatives such as the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the Midwives Service Scheme (MSS), ensuring adequate staffing and efficient service delivery.
In light of these clear pathways, what is required is neither a new budgetary allocation nor inclusion in subsequent appropriation cycles. Rather, a decisive legislative motion, backed by strategic follow-up, is sufficient to activate this facility for public use.
Proposed Legislative Action:
A Motion for Urgent Action for the Full Takeover of IJAYA Maternity Center, Akofa, for Staffing, Funding, and Comprehensive Healthcare Service Delivery by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
This is a straightforward and achievable step—one that demands urgency, competence, and commitment to public service.
The continued neglect of this facility underscores a broader issue: when politics is prioritized over competence, the people bear the cost. The residents of Akofa and Remo-North should not be subjected to avoidable hardship due to inaction where simple solutions exist.
The time to act is now.
©️ SAWI MEDIA
