Unhygienic Environment and Power Outages Stall Effectiveness of Ogun Rural Community’s General Hospital

Last year, PIJAlance Journalist Enoch Oyedibu, visited Odeda, a rural community in Ogun State that hosts the Odeda Local Government Council Secretariat, on multiple occasions. Initially, the visits were intended to track water projects awarded by the Nigerian Presidency’s Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDG) office in 2023 and 2024. However, while these projects were unexecuted as previously reported in the PIJAlance investigation, Oyedibu uncovered more pressing challenges facing the community, with no glimmer of hope. He reports.

The Luxury of Power Supply in Odeda

With a population exceeding 186,300, Odeda Local Government—comprising over 11 agrarian communities with dense vegetation—lacks a stable power supply. This inadequacy hit the local government the hardest, leaving the only General Hospital in Odeda Community and its residents grappling with an epileptic power system.

Without any iota of doubts, the unstable power supply at Odeda General Hospital poses a significant risk to its ability to run an emergency unit. Notably, the facility lacks a blood bank—an essential component of any emergency medical service, Doctor Njoku Ihechukwu, one of the medical doctors at the General Hospital, told PIJAlance’s Journalist who feigned identity as an NGO representative offering to assist with the hospital’s basic needs.

Dr Ihechukwu said that electricity shortages have paralysed the facility’s operations.

“The hospital is lacking in various areas, but the most pressing need is power supply,” Dr Ihechukwu said. “Without it, we cannot run an emergency procedure because we don’t have a blood bank.”

In a roughly 10-minute phone conversation with our journalist, Dr Ihechukwu explained that while the hospital has a refrigerator, the absence of constant electricity renders it unusable for blood storage. “If we cannot have a blood bank, it becomes difficult to store blood or facilitate blood donations, which are critical for forming an emergency unit,” he said.

Dr Ihechukwu’s concerns are supported by a 2017 journal published by the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. The journal emphasised that blood banks are vital to hospital operations, particularly during crises like natural disasters, pandemics, or power outages. Similarly, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that a constant power supply is essential for running effective emergency units equipped with blood banks.

But for Odeda General Hospital, a steady power supply remains an elusive luxury.

A Community Struggling in Darkness

In October, during a visit to the community, PIJAlance’s journalist met Ọbá David Ishola Olorunnisola, the first Olu of Odẹda, Gbadewolu 1, seated under a neem tree within his compound. From afar, it first appeared the monarch was enjoying a moment of serenity. But reality soon set, revealing that the shade served as the monarch’s refuge from the stifling heat caused by a lack of electricity.

“If there is electricity, I would turn on the air-conditioning or my fan, but because there is no power supply, I am here under the tree,” the monarch lamented. “I just got back from somewhere, and I am overheated. The Federal Government said the electricity provider (IBEDC) should increase our megawatt supply, but the power often doesn’t reach Odeda. As you see me, I am sweating.”

Worthy of note, Odeda Local Government had recently emerged from nearly two years of power interruption. While not including the entire rural communities in the local government, Odeda community alone now receives just two hours of electricity per night. However, this is not enough. It only leaves “Phone chargers,” local entrepreneurs who use generators to charge mobile devices, exploit the outages and the community needs.

Oba Olorunnisola expressed frustration at the government’s neglect of the community. “The Local Government tells us there are no allocations to address our needs. We heard on the radio that President Bola Tinubu promised direct allocations to LGs. Maybe then we will see change, but for now, they don’t care for us at all,” he said.

Meanwhile, after the Supreme Court favourable judgement on Local Government autonomy in July, 2024, PIJAlance surveyed that from August 2024 to December, up to ₦1.502trn allocations have been received by local government authorities.

Neglect Beyond Power

Beyond the power crisis, the hospital faces other grave issues. During PIJAlance’s visit, a grounded ambulance and weeds overtaking several hospital buildings were observed. Adjacent to the hospital, a mountain of stinking refuse sat undisturbed—a potential breeding ground for airborne diseases.

The road leading to the General Hospital is in dire need of rehabilitation, leaving its condition a silent cry for construction.

For Odeda’s residents and the General Hospital, the situation paints a stark picture of neglect and failure in governance. Without urgent intervention, the community remains trapped in a cycle of poor infrastructure, health risks, and dashed hopes for development.

Reactions of the Authority

When contacted, Honourable Folashade Adeyemo, the Chairperson of Odeda local government, refused to comment on the mounting issues of Odeda General Hospital. Though she first answered our call, upon learning about the question relating to Odeda General Hospital, she abruptly ended the call and refused to take our subsequent calls, hitherto.

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