What was once announced as a National Model Healthcare Centre in Ilupeju area of Ipetumodu, along Ode-Omu Road in Osun State, has become a clear example of neglect and failed public policy. Instead of serving the health needs of the people, the facility now sits abandoned, overgrown with weeds, and surrounded by thick bush.
A visit to the site shows no sign of regular maintenance or active healthcare service. The environment is unkept, the buildings appear unused, and there is no indication that the centre is operating as a functional medical facility.
Despite its name and purpose, the Ilupeju healthcare centre shows no evidence of consistent service delivery. Community members told GovernMend that the facility does not meet basic healthcare standards.
Residents say the centre only operates occasionally during the day and is usually closed at night. In emergency situations, especially after dark, healthcare workers are often unavailable. As a result, residents are forced to travel long distances, sometimes to neighbouring villages or towns to receive medical attention.
“For emergencies, we don’t rely on this place,” a resident who asked to remain anonymous said. “At night, there is usually nobody here. We have to go far into town or another community before we can find help.”
For rural communities, such delays can mean the difference between life and death.
The situation in Ilupeju is not an isolated case. Across Nigeria, governments frequently announce healthcare projects meant to strengthen primary healthcare, especially in rural areas. However, many of these projects are commissioned for public display and later abandoned.
Several investigative media reports have documented unused or poorly maintained primary healthcare centres in states such as Kogi, Niger, Osun, and other parts of the South-West.
In April 2025, Muyi Aina, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, announced that the federal government had renovated 991 primary healthcare centres across the country. He also mentioned the training of 120,000 health workers, improved maternal and newborn health outcomes, and the launch of a PHC monitoring dashboard.
While the announcement was widely reported, evidence on the ground tells a different story.
Reports from different media platforms showed conflicting figures, with some stating that 901 PHCs were renovated, while others quoted 991. In response, civil society organisations including FactsMatterNG, MonitNG, and Orodata Science submitted multiple Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the NPHCDA. They requested detailed information such as the names and locations of renovated facilities, contractors, project costs, and completion records. These requests received no response. Without clear, facility-by-facility evidence, the claims of widespread renovation remain unverified.
Primary healthcare is the foundation of Nigeria’s health system. With over 30,000 PHCs nationwide, many of them in poor condition, truthful reporting and proper maintenance are essential for public trust and accountability.
Primary healthcare centres are often the first and only point of medical care for low-income earners and people in rural or hard-to-reach areas. When these centres work properly, they support safe childbirth, routine immunisation, treatment of common illnesses, and better overall health outcomes.
Global health principles, including the 1978 WHO/UNICEF Alma-Ata Declaration, recognise primary healthcare as central to achieving “Health for All.” When PHCs are abandoned, the consequences are severe: higher maternal deaths, preventable child illnesses, and increased pressure on distant hospitals.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly stated that access to healthcare is a basic human right. Failure by the government to provide functional health facilities especially for rural and low-income populations mounts to a violation of that right.
In past reports, Amnesty has documented how poor health infrastructure, conflict, and neglect have exposed Nigerians to avoidable suffering, particularly the elderly, women, and children. Investigative journalists have also linked abandoned health projects to inflated contracts, poor planning, and lack of political will beyond election periods.
Residents of Ilupeju say their demands are modest. They are not asking for new projects or fresh announcements. They want the existing healthcare centre to work.
“We don’t need another building,” one resident said. “We just need this place to function better, with staff, equipment, and proper care.”
A healthcare centre overtaken by weeds is more than an abandoned structure. It is a reminder of missed priorities and forgotten communities. For the people of Ilupeju, quality healthcare remains a promise yet to be fulfilled, one that continues to exist on paper, but not in reality.