FG Should Devote Serious Attention Into Rebuilding Health Sector – Oyinlola
…. Unveils Institution, Names It After Late Mother
A former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, on Thursday, urged the Federal Government to devote serious attention to rebuilding the health sector in Nigeria.
This was as he said one of the problems facing the education sector in Nigeria is the lack of engagement of professionals.
He spoke at the unveiling of Alolade Oyinlola College of Health Sciences and Information Technology, a private institution he established and named after his late mother in Okuku, headquarters of Odo-Otin Local Government.
The former military administrator of Lagos State while speaking with newsmen, said the institution will operate with the highest standards, adding that students will gain practical knowledge which will impact society.
He said, “The greatest deficiency in healthcare programmes in Nigeria today is the health sector. The incidents of ‘Japa’ is because people believe that there are greener pastures somewhere else.
“My advice to the Federal Government is that it must devote serious attention to the rebuilding of the health sector in Nigeria. Health workers should be properly paid and encouraged and there won’t be the need for anybody to rush out of the country.”
Oyinlola said the country’s leadership need to engage professionals with the capacity to tackle deficiencies in Nigeria’s educational policies.
He noted that the vision of the college is to promote wellness, quality, and ethical practices through excellence in education, service, and community engagement.
He continued, “If we want to run education in the proper perspective, all we need to do is gather the professionals to give a template and it will be done. It seems we do neglect our own eggheads and these are the same people performing wonders outside our country.
“As a private institution, we seek to operate with the highest standards knowing that the future of our youths depend on how they are trained today.
“The College, therefore, offers our students an environment of innovation and creativity that inspires them to explore new ways of thinking and achieving. At AOCHSIT, students will gain practical knowledge and build relationships to help them excel in work and life.
“They will also be equipped with the skills needed to build their future. From orientation to graduation, students’ learning and their future will be at the heart of all we do. Our commitment is to help our students realize their potential and graduate to success.”
Speaking on why he named the school after his late queen mother, Oyinlola said, “If by chance in the next generation, people ask who is Olagunsoye Oyinlola, unless if there is no Lagos State again that the name will not reflect in history, unless, if there is no Okuku again that is when people will forget that there was one Oba Moses Oyewole Oyinlola who has passed. In 250 years, who will remember that woman who gave birth to Olagunsoye Oyinlola, hence the naming of this institution after her.”
On the goal of the college, Oyinlola said the school aims to build highly qualified health and technology talents to foster innovation.
He added, “Our goal is to support leading-edge teaching in Health Sciences and Information Technology thinking and practice by students and teaching staff who bring real-world experience, knowledge and workplace context.
“Build highly qualified health and technology talents to foster innovation, progress, and increase access to high-quality education for a broad group of learners ranging from those entering the post-secondary environment for the first time to those Health Sciences and Information Technology professionals and their allied counterparts who are already working.”
The chairman of the implementation committee of the college,
Prof Peter Okebukola, while answering questions on the discrimination among education certificates in Nigeria, insisted that every certificate is relevant as there was no difference between a Degree, Diploma or Certificate.
Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, said there is a need for a reorientation on the value placed on certificates from higher institutions in the country.
He urged Nigerians to pay attention to the value a certificate holder could add, rather than the type of certificate being held.
“Every certificate is relevant. Most developed societies place value on the service rendered more than certificates. The way forward is for us to reverse that trend one certificate is better than the others. We need a reorientation of our recognition system for certificates.”
Corroborating Okebukola, Ogunmodede, a former Vice Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Prof Eyitayo, said remuneration in Nigeria is not based on productivity.
“Nobody exposed to education can say the Polytechnics and colleges of education are not relevant. Certificates tend not to be relevant in this country because remuneration is not based on productivity.
“It looks like everybody is getting money from what we realise from oil and so whether you go to work or not, you get paid at the end of the month. If the government starts to remunerate people based on their productivity, you will discover that certificates will be much more relevant than some of those on parade today,” he said.
Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.
