Again, Mimiko Honours His Promises on Abiye Initiative

The safe motherhood initiative of Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has once again received another significant boost. Few weeks after the official commissioning of the latest Mother and Child hospital in Ondo town (Nov 30, 2012) by Governor Olusegun Mimiko, the edifice has since then become a busy rendezvous where pregnant women in their hundreds have considered as centre of succour to address their antenatal concerns, irrespective of their religion, political affiliation, ethnic or nationality. The facility is located on Laje road and it is the second of such facility to be constructed and inaugurated by the administration of Dr Mimiko in less than four years.

This essential service is not just rendered free to the people of Ondo State by Mimiko's led administration, but equally involves qualified and dedicated personnel with sufficient provision of state-of-the-art facilities. Just like the Akure Mother and Child Hospital, the newly inaugurated one in Ondo town has become an oasis of hope and survival for pregnant women, especially those with complications that require caesarean section surgery which is done at no cost. The commissioning and take off of the Ondo town arm of the hospital has ultimately helped to resolve proximity constraints, and it is expected to relieve the one in Akure of its overload as many people often come from the southern senatorial district and some parts of the central district as well as Ekiti, Osun, and Edo States could now patronize the one in Ondo town instead of embarking on any tedious journey to Akure.

Commending this development, Honourable Joseph Iranola Akinlaja a federal parliamentarian whose constituency is the direct beneficiary of the newly inaugurated hospital lauded Governor Mimiko's peoples' oriented programmes, saying the caring heart initiative of the Governor has direct impact on the people especially the downtrodden. Akinlaja said the Mother and Child Hospital is a major component of the Abiye Safe Motherhood programme which is targeted at reducing the rate of infant and maternal mortality that has reached an alarming proportion not just in Nigeria but in sub-Saharan Africa.

So successful has the one in Akure become that the state government has said it would replicate same in the three senatorial districts of the state. This laudable initiative has assurance that the same facility would be replicated in Ikare-Akoko and Okitipupa in the northern and southern senatorial districts of Ondo respectively.

Impressively, the medical provision in Ondo state, particularly its Mother and Child innovation also known as Abiye in local parlance continues to draw attention beyond the state and indeed, it has attracted global attention thus necessitating a move by paediatricians and gynaecologists to decorate the Governor Mimiko with barrage of awards year in year out. Records show that the Mother and Child Hospital, in Akure records on the average 25 deliveries per day. In just 18 months of operation, the hospital was able to do over 1,000 caesarean sessions. Interestingly, over 20 percent of patients come outside the state because of the quality of service and more importantly the fact that access is at no cost. One thing that is unique again about Mimiko's health initiative is that drug wastage is at zero percent in Mother and Child Hospital, because the state clinically utilises drug procurement and enforcement procedure that leaves no room for wastage or out of stock mentality.

Through his quiet revolutionizing and redefinition of governance, the Mimiko-led administration has succeeded in overcoming mutual distrust and suspicion that hitherto characterized the relationship between government and the people, bridging the disconnect between government and the governed and successfully changing the psyche of the good people of Ondo state especially those in the rural communities from 'they' to 'we'. Ondo State Government has achieved a lot in terms of structural infrastructures since the Mimiko administration came on board, emplacing a string of people-oriented projects which by sheer magnitude and quality have benchmarked Ondo state for Nigeria, and indeed in many respects, Africa.

As promised in 2009, Mimiko did not shy away from what was considered the obligation of government in a society like Nigeria by delivering programmes directed at ensuring that the weak in the society were given opportunities to develop and actualize their potentials. The Caring Heart Government had in less than four years formulated policies that were informed by the collective interests of the people, executed projects focusing on the primacy of man in the scheme of development and generally democratized access to the good things of life for the people of Ondo state. Through consistent delivery of responsible and responsive governance in the last three and a half years, Mimiko and his team have been able to establish firmly a regime of peace in Ondo state, thus making it one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria and a virile and veritable investment destination.

Mimiko's daringly innovative caring heart agenda which has to-date successfully addressed issues like poverty alleviation, agriculture and food security, industrial growth, health care, housing, education and capacity building, wealth creation, roads and infrastructure, women empowerment, tourism, youth development, employment and empowerment, community development, urban and coastal renewal etc, is fully on course to take Ondo state to the desired destination.


Emmanuel Ajibulu wrote from 3 Arms Zone Abuja. He is media Aide to Hon Joseph Iranola Akinlaja (representing Ondo East/West Federal Constituency) [email protected]

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Articles by Emmanuel Ajibulu