The Oyo State Government has clarified that it is not responsible for the non-utilisation of the 80-bed Mother and Child Specialist Hospital in Pakiotan, Ogbomoso North Local Government Area.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the government described reports portraying the facility as an abandoned Oyo State Government project as misleading.

Oyelade explained that the hospital was neither constructed by the state government nor officially or unofficially handed over to it for operation.

According to him, the facility was a Federal Government project facilitated by former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, and inaugurated on May 27, 2023.

He said available reports indicated that the facility was subsequently handed over to the Federal Ministry of Health through the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

The commissioner therefore said the state government could not be held responsible for the hospital’s failure to commence operations or for decisions concerning its staffing, management and commissioning.

Oyelade also disclosed that the facility had suffered vandalism and looting before recent reports and political campaigns drew attention to its non-utilisation.

He recalled that The Punch reported on August 15, 2025, that valuable equipment and installations had been removed from the facility by suspected vandals.

The commissioner said the state government recognised the importance of the hospital to residents of Pakiotan and neighbouring communities and shared their concerns over its failure to become fully operational.

He, however, maintained that responsibility for the ownership, management, staffing and operationalisation of the facility should be properly attributed to the relevant Federal Government authorities.

Oyelade added that the state government understood how to deploy and utilise such a facility for the benefit of residents, reiterating its commitment to improving access to healthcare across Oyo State.

He urged the public to disregard attempts to portray the Pakiotan hospital as an abandoned project of the Oyo State Government, describing such claims as misleading.

The Oyo State Government has clarified that it is not responsible for the non-utilisation of the 80-bed Mother and Child Specialist Hospital in Pakiotan, Ogbomoso North Local Government Area.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the government described reports portraying the facility as an abandoned Oyo State Government project as misleading.

Oyelade explained that the hospital was neither constructed by the state government nor officially or unofficially handed over to it for operation.

According to him, the facility was a Federal Government project facilitated by former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, and inaugurated on May 27, 2023.

He said available reports indicated that the facility was subsequently handed over to the Federal Ministry of Health through the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

The commissioner therefore said the state government could not be held responsible for the hospital’s failure to commence operations or for decisions concerning its staffing, management and commissioning.

Oyelade also disclosed that the facility had suffered vandalism and looting before recent reports and political campaigns drew attention to its non-utilisation.

He recalled that The Punch reported on August 15, 2025, that valuable equipment and installations had been removed from the facility by suspected vandals.

The commissioner said the state government recognised the importance of the hospital to residents of Pakiotan and neighbouring communities and shared their concerns over its failure to become fully operational.

He, however, maintained that responsibility for the ownership, management, staffing and operationalisation of the facility should be properly attributed to the relevant Federal Government authorities.

Oyelade added that the state government understood how to deploy and utilise such a facility for the benefit of residents, reiterating its commitment to improving access to healthcare across Oyo State.

He urged the public to disregard attempts to portray the Pakiotan hospital as an abandoned project of the Oyo State Government, describing such claims as misleading.