How Osun Rehabilitation Centre Was Vandalised, Looted Under Oyetola’s Govt
- NDLEA Calls For Resuscitation Of Centre For Drug Dependent Persons
- Adeleke Working To Revive O’Rehab – Aide
THE Osun Rehabilitation Centre (O’Rehab) located in Konda, Ilobu was looted and vandalised during the administration of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola, findings by OSUN DEFENDER have revealed.
The development, it was gathered has led to the referral of drug users for treatment and rehabilitation outside the state, due to its condition.
The centre, built by the government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in 2012, according to the state government and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) needs an urgent revitalisation to cater for the rehabilitation of persons with mental challenges, destitute, and those who are homeless.
In a statement made available to OSUN DEFENDER, the Osun Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to provide a standard rehabilitation centre to cater for drug-dependent persons in the state.
NDLEA Commander in Osun, Chidi Nnadi, made the call in commemoration of the 2024 United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking, stressing the need for the state government’s intervention to facilitate access to treatment for victims who are under the yoke of drugs.
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The commander noted that the unavailability of a rehabilitation centre has made the agency refer drug-dependent patients to a facility in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, and other neighbouring states.
He said: “I want to appeal to Governor Adeleke that the state is in dire need of a standard rehabilitation centre to cater for drug-dependent persons presently referred for help in neighbouring States.
“The need for government intervention to facilitate access to treatment for victims who are under the yoke of drug dependence cannot be stressed.”
Commenting on the development in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to Governor Adeleke on Special Needs, Kamil Aransi said the present administration is interested in putting the abandoned Rehabilitation Centre back in shape.
Aransi opined that his team had visited the site of the abandoned centre at Ilobu on the instructions of Governor Adeleke, saying the place had been vandalized and looted under the administration of former governor Adegboyega Oyetola without repair before he left office.
He said: “My team and I had visited the abandoned and looted Rehabilitation Center in Ilobu on the instruction of Mr. Governor as he’s interested in putting it back in shape. I can assure you that the facility will soon be renovated for the purpose intended.
“The rehabilitation center was vandalized and destroyed during the administration of former Governor Oyetola and it wasn’t repaired till he left office.”
The rehabilitation centre used for O’Rehab, according to findings by OSUN DEFENDER, also served as a temporary shelter for destitute transferred from other states for reintegration with their family.
However, the Oyetola administration throughout his four years as the governor of the state between 2018-2022 jettisoned the programme. Also, the current Governor Ademola Adeleke has not come up with a programme or idea regarding such a legacy.
Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.
