Ijoko, like other rural communities in Nigeria are prone to have various challenges as a result of governments’ non-challant attitude to the welfare of the people. It is no longer news that many rural areas in Nigeria are in a state of underdevelopment. They are faced with the problems of poverty, poor health condition, high level of illiteracy, unemployment, poor infrastructural facilities and so on.
Out of these, experts have always hinted that the major challenge facing the rural dwellers is health problem occasioned with deplorable infrastructural health facilities, where they are even available and accessible. Many pregnant women have suffered a lot from poor health facilities at the rural areas; they were unable to have proper pre-natal and ante-natal care, while other dwellers have been found suffering from diverse health problems such as malaria, typhoid, polio, chicken pox, diarrhea, guinea worm, measles and others.
These and many others were the motivating factors for an Ijoko born United States medical practitioner, Dr Samuel Babajide Ajanaku, to embark on first ever self-help community health centre in Ijoko, a community in Ogun state which share boundary with Ota. According to the medical specialist, the idea of having the health centre was mooted when he paid a visit to the community five years ago and was asked to help the community out. The need of the people got me thinking into how I can help in impacting life. The problem was indicated to me, that is lack of any viable medical facility and preventative medicine within the immediate area, he said.
Dr Ajanaku added that the idea is to help provide free, quality, preventative, sustaining and educational healthcare services in Ijoko and the surrounding areas. This will also help in preventing childbirth death, providing the so much needed preventative health-care and vaccination to the population.
The project, when completed according to the initiator, will not only ameliorating various health problems facing the people at the community, but would also help in solving other challenges the community is facing such as high rate of unemployment.
“The project is in the construction of a 20 bed community healthcare centre, and with the possibility of this serving as base for a vocational college of health and sciences. This will offer health education and a degree programs in various health related field comparable to the USA. This, when functional will provide much needed job opportunities to the people in these areas, as well as providing some much needed another educational opportunity”, he emphasized.
Speaking on how he has been coping in terms of getting necessary financial resource, Dr Ajanaku points out that he has not approach any government agencies since he started the project. His words: “I have not asked any governmental agencies or officials yet. I wanted to get the process started first, get all the required certification, and get the construction on the way first before moving on to the next level. So far the construction and the processes have been so slow due to lack of funding. Presently it is a one man show with some support from some of my friends here in the United States; friends that believe in the goodness and the benefit of the project."
Frowning at the attitude of some Nigerians towards the project during his visit to the community, Dr Ajanaku notes that some people were of the view that such project cannot work out in Nigeria because people usually have negative mind-set towards free projects. They believed that a free medical care and services are not a good idea in Nigeria and that it will not work due to lack of funding. That Nigerians will not support the project no matter how good it is. My fellow doctors and educators in the US indicated that it is possible and for me to just give it a trial, he hinted.
Having realised the attitude of Nigerians towards volunteerism in the area of project implementation in Nigeria, Dr Ajanaku took his idea of having a befitting community health centre in his hometown to the United States for financial assistance by registering the project as a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), hoping to get assistance from well meaning Nigerians in the Diaspora. I went ahead with the NGO, registered it with the State of Florida and an application on record with the US IRS for the tax exempt status. It has been very difficult, more than anticipated, all I am getting is sorry the economy is bad. Donation has been lacking.
Funding has been all me with the less than a $1000 in the last three years raised so far. This does not even cover the application to the agencies here for the right to function as an NGO, he said.
The grassroots health advocate cum lecturer, however notes that he has been working tirelessly in forging a relationship with the university, where is working and a foundation in the United States. If successful the relationship might be of a mutual benefit to the Ijoko rural healthcare center. According to him the two organisations will help with funding, as well as in the supplies of materials and volunteers to the center.
Dr Ajanaku reiterated that when completed and opened, the 20 Beds Rural Healthcare Centre will serve as a training ground for a Vocational College of Health and Sciences, providing a much needed Health Education, creating jobs and positively impacting the rural community. He therefore called on philanthropists, private individuals and organisations within and outside Nigerian to help the community out of numerous health problems they are facing which could be solved if good health infrastructural facilities are available and accessible to the inhabitants in the community and environs by providing financial assistance.
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