Oyebamiji’s Health Sector Claims Delusional, Says Adeleke’s Aide

The Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor on Public Health, Dr Akindele Adekunle, has described the lackey governorship candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Bola Oyebamiji, as suffering from what he termed “chronic delusional syndrome,” following what he called misleading and hollow claims by the opposition candidate on the state of the health sector.

Dr Akindele made the remark at the Annual General Meeting Dinner and Award Night of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Uniosun Teaching Hospital branch, where he delivered a comprehensive, data-driven account of the concrete reforms and investments carried out under the administration of Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke.

Reacting to Oyebamiji’s recent promise to “overhaul the health sector” if elected next year, Dr Akindele said such claims were detached from reality, especially coming from someone who served as Commissioner for Finance under the defeated APC administration of Gboyega Oyetola, which, according to him, presided over a heartless neglect of the sector.

“Before the emergence of the Adeleke administration, health workers in Osun State were demoralised, impoverished and treated like strangers in their own land,” Dr. Akindele stated. “They endured years of stagnation, half salaries and harsh conditions of service. It therefore beats logic for those who supervised that era of such neglect to suddenly present themselves as redeemers.”

The Special Adviser noted that upon assumption of office, Governor Adeleke’s administration swiftly approved the prompt payment of improved CONMESS and enhanced hazard allowances, a move he said immediately stemmed the mass exodus of doctors from the state.

“We have verifiable records showing that this administration has retained over 90 per cent of its health workforce, reversing the brain drain inherited from the previous APC government,” he said.

Dr. Akindele highlighted that the Adeleke administration adopted a strategic and systemic approach to revamping healthcare delivery, beginning with the grassroots.

According to him, over 200 primary healthcare centres across the state have been rehabilitated, equipped with boreholes and solar power to guarantee 24-hour water and electricity supply, a development that has repositioned primary healthcare as the bedrock of service delivery.

He further disclosed that reforms in leadership and management of PHCs have earned Osun State two consecutive leadership challenge awards, ranking it among the best six PHC structures in Nigeria and the best in the South-West zone.

On tertiary healthcare, Dr. Akindele revealed that Governor Adeleke approved the upgrade of critical facilities at the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, including ICUs, theatres and call-duty rooms, alongside the provision of solar lighting within the hospital complex to create a safer and more conducive working environment.
He also confirmed the approval and payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund, describing it as a deliberate investment in academic excellence and professional development of Resident Doctors in the state.

In what he described as unprecedented, Dr Akindele announced that the Adeleke administration recently approved a tax waiver for health workers, in recognition of their sacrifices and dedication to duty.
“These are not campaign promises; they are measurable actions already implemented,” he stressed, adding that governance must be judged by evidence, not rhetoric.

While calling on health workers to reciprocate the government’s goodwill with sustained professionalism and dedication, Dr Akindele assured the Association of Resident Doctors of continuous engagement and partnership in building a resilient health system.
He congratulated the award recipients and guests at the event, reiterating the administration’s commitment to prioritising workers’ welfare and delivering quality healthcare to the people of Osun State.

“Against this background,” Dr Akindele said, “any claim by those who oversaw years of harrowing neglect to suddenly ‘discover’ the health sector can only be described as delusional.”