The Osun State Government and the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governorship Campaign Council have traded accusations over the condition and performance of the state’s primary healthcare system, citing differing interpretations of recent national assessments.
In a statement issued on Friday by Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye, the media head of the Osun APC Campaign Council, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration was alleged to have weakened the health sector, according to a report by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA.
The council claimed that the agency’s assessment ranked Osun 35th among states with functional primary healthcare centres and identified 326 facilities as non-operational, describing the situation as alarming.
According to the statement, the report “confirmed longstanding concerns about the nonchalant attitude of the current administration towards healthcare delivery.”
The APC campaign council contrasted the findings with achievements recorded under former governor Adegboyega Oyetola, stating that the state had previously ranked sixth with an 87 per cent performance score in a 2022 assessment.
It added that “the previous administration revitalised hundreds of primary healthcare centres and upgraded general hospitals, while also constructing facilities for medical personnel to improve service delivery.”
The opposition council also alleged that healthcare costs in state-owned hospitals had risen and staffing levels had declined following the disengagement of health professionals recruited under the previous government.
It accused the current administration of “failing to expand infrastructure and taking credit for projects initiated by its predecessor,” among other allegations.
However, in a separate statement issued on Saturday, the Osun State Government rejected the APC’s claims and accused the opposition of misrepresenting the NPHCDA report.
The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, said the report merely highlighted inactive facilities across states and did not constitute a comprehensive national ranking of primary healthcare performance.
Alimi maintained that “Osun remains number one in primary healthcare access in the South-West according to results from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge.”
He stated that the state emerged as the best-performing state in the South-West region in both 2024 and 2025, adding that Osun also improved its national standing from fourth position in 2024 to third among zonal champions in 2025.
According to the government, “the awards, which included financial grants of 500,000 US dollars on each occasion, were reinvested into the health sector to support ongoing upgrades and service improvements.”
The commissioner outlined measures taken by the Adeleke administration, including “the phased renovation of 332 primary healthcare centres, provision of solar power and water supply, and the establishment of standard laboratories across local government areas.”
He also cited “improved welfare for health workers, including the implementation of a Grade Level 09 entry point for nurses and the payment of full hazard allowances, as part of efforts to strengthen service delivery.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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