PUNCTURING THE LIES OF OSUN DEFENDER NEWSPAPER
Calculated attempt to undermine Achievements of Governor Adeleke is dead on arrival – Commissioner for Health, Akintola.
Like Budha once said, “Like the sun and the moon, the truth will always rise”.
The front-page report of Osun Defender Newspaper published on Friday April 18, 2025 captioned “Dearth of Staff Hits Osun Primary Healthcare Centres” can best be described as a calculated attempt to deliberately propagate falsehood against the Ademola Adeleke-led Administration in Osun State, with the sole aim of undermining the enviable achievements of Mr. Governor in the health sector.
Ordinarily, judging by the antecedents of the Newspaper and her low level of acceptability and credibility amongst the populace, the Osun reading public in particular, such misleading headlines and jaundiced report would not have been dignified with a response. However, giving consideration to the wise saying: “When a lie is being told repeatedly, it tends to be believed”, therefore, in order to disabuse the minds of the public and set the records straight, this rejoinder becomes necessary.
Also, considering the fact that the Health Sector is unarguably the best performing sector in terms of governance in Osun State, with empirical facts, asides the several awards and recognitions attracted nationally and globally; the serial falsehoods and media wars launched to undermine these laudable wins are not unexpected. The recently sponsored press conference granted by a faction of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Workers (NULGE), which falsely asserted that Primary Healthcare Centres in Osun State are under lock and key and that pregnant women and children are denied their inalienable rights to ante-natal care /deliveries and routine immunization respectively comes to mind.
While it remains indisputable that granting interviews on grounds of anonymity falls within the permissible principles of investigative journalism, the burden of proving genuineness of such claims of poor conditions of service allegedly made by three (3) supposed Staffers of Primary Healthcare Centres from Egbedore and Oriade Local Governments, two of which the report claims were Nurses lies upon the reporter. We are sure there isn’t a scintilla of truth in that.
Considering the several lies in the said report as compiled (or concocted) by Kazeem Badmus of Osun Defender Newspapers, the following clarifications shall be made:
i. Alleged claim of staff being “overworked”: While there is indeed shortage of staff in the non-focal PHCs, occasioned by non-recruitment of staff to replace retired ones in the 12 years of preceding the present administration, judging by the appropriate strategies deployed to mitigate against getting staff of PHCs overworked, which include, but not limited to, deployment of Imole Youth Corps, who are trained and certified Nurses, CHEWS, JCHEWS and other Health Professionals/workers to our PHCs in their respective Local Government Areas; Effective Shift Work Management, Training and Re-training of Staff, prompt payment of salaries and allowances, regular incentives and special allowances for various public programmes, to mention but a few. There is no moral or justifiable ground for any staff to be overworked as claimed by the newspaper. It is best described as a figment of the widest imagination of the reporter.
ii. Alleged claim of Lack of Amenities: The only aspect that carries a truth value in the make-believe interviews is the acknowledgement of upgrade of Primary Healthcare Centres from the sorry state of decay, which the present administration inherited them, by one of his supposed respondents. However, the reporter claimed another respondent revealed her workplace is “lacking amenities”. It is a known fact that Governor Ademola Adeleke recently embarked on massive upgrade / renovation of 332 Focal Primary Healthcare Centres at one per ward throughout the 332 wards of Osun State (200 of which had been completed and work already began on the remaining 132) and which include provision of Solar Energy with guaranteed 24 hours power supply, Borehole water supply etc.
iii. Alleged claim of insufficient drug supplies: Sentiments apart, one of the aspects that the Governor Adeleke-led administration prioritized in the rejigging and rejuvenation of Primary Healthcare Centres in Osun State is regular and adequate supply of drugs to these Centres and same are being dispensed free of charge to the public. The veracity of this claim can be ascertained via a carefully conducted and sincere survey of opinion of members of the public, who are the direct beneficiaries of the Imole Free Drug Supply. The alleged insufficiency of drugs supply to the PHCs remains the most laughable and fallacious claim of the newspaper report.
iv. Alleged Sack of Oyetola’s Recruits: It is considered an utmost mischief that the express denial of sack of non-existent new recruits as made by the Commissioner, Hon. (Barr.) Jola Moses Akintola , upon enquiry by the reporter was not included anywhere in the report, thus confirming the possibility of deliberate image smearing likely to be sponsored by God knows who. For the purpose of clarity, at no time did Governor Ademola Adeleke, through himself, his appointees or officials disengage any such new recruits in the Osun State health sector. Such claims of sacking of new recruits is false and carries no truth whatsoever. However, the reporter rightly quoted the Commissioner in the aspect of secured approval for new recruits. The recruitment process will kick-start anytime from now, by God grace.
Having made the above clarifications, it is important to state that the current Administration in Osun State, ably led by His Excellency, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, remains undistracted by the shenanigans of yellow journalism. Their sole aim, which is to discredit the unprecedented and massive human and infrastructural developments, especially the Imole Medical and Surgical Outreach, where surgeries are performed free of charge on ailing members of the public (among other things), enrolment of Pensioners, People Living with Disabilities (PLWD), HIV/AIDS patients and Tuberculosis (TB) patients in the Osun Health Insurance Scheme, among other interventions attained in the Osun State health sector will forever remain a mirage.
It is understandable that the numerous awards and recognitions attracted so far calls for envy, especially amongst opposition elements. For the purpose of emphasis, our score-card shared at the 2024 Health Sector-wide Joint Annual Review (JAR) held between 6th and 8th November, 2024 revealed that in the area of Antenatal Care Coverage, Osun State came 2nd in the whole of the Federation behind Lagos State with 92% coverage (Lagos has 95% coverage). This is well above the national average of 58% coverage. Also, out of 36 States of the Federation, Osun emerged 2nd in the area of Modern Contraceptive Prevalent Rate (MCPR), 3rd in Health Budget Allocation and Performance, 7th in proportion of births assisted by skilled providers (skilled Birth Attendants) and 9th in the area of proportion of fully immunized children.
Osun State proudly came 1st at the Malaria Commodity Logistics System (MCLS) Annual Workshop to share experiences and Reward High Performers in the Global Fund (GF) Support States. Most significantly, specifically on the 12th day of December, 2024, Osun State emerged as the South West Champion of Primary HealthCare (PHC) Leadership Challenge Award held at the Banquet hall of the State House, Abuja and the award came with a whopping $500,000.00 cash prize.
Therefore, with the enviable heights attained in the Osun health sector, the criticisms are not unexpected but welcomed, constructive ones though. It gives credence to the saying – “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing”.
Media Unit,
Office of the Honorable Commissioner for Health,
Osun State.