The Ilawe-Ekiti community on Saturday will launch N500m support fund for the functionality of Federal Teaching Hospital Annex in the Town.
Addressing journalists in Ilawe-Ekiti on Monday to kickstart the activities of its 2024 Unity Day Celebration, the Chairman of Ilawe Unity Day Organizing Committee, Femi Bankole said the fund will enable the Town to provide tertiary medical facilities for the Hospital in order to be functional.
Bankole lamented over the recent death of two prominent indigenes of the town as a result of non-functional tertiary health facility.
His words, “Ilawe-Ekiti which ranks the third largest and most populous town in Ekiti State, according to the last population census conducted by the National Population Commission and confirmed by the National Bureau of Statistics lacks many crucial social amenities and infrastructure, among which are befitting and many equipped medical facilities to match her status and cater for the citizens.
“We want adequate health facilities. We have lost prominent indigenes of this town, a Biship and a Professor. They took ill and there was no teaching hospital to attend to them and before they got to the state capital, they gave up the ghost. That’s what we prompted us to say we need a standard hospital.
“There are hospitals in Ilawe, a general hospital and the Ekiti state is working on improving a facility but there are some situations that require tertiary treatment, that’s the reason we are in dire need of a tertiary health facility and that’s the reason the community is raising this fund to ensure the functionality of Federal Teaching Hospital Annex”.
Bankole added that the Alawe of Ilawe-Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi will confer a chieftaincy title on the lawmaker representing Abia North Senatorial District, Senator Orji Kalu, at the grand finale of the event.
Bankole said the former Abia state two-term Governor will be conferred the title for his contributions to the growth and development of Ilawe-Ekiti and Nigeria at large.
“He’s a friend of Ilawe-Ekiti, he has contributed immensely to the development of this country. There’s no way they will mention senators and not mention his name. He has been working hand in hand with our own Senator here too”.
Bankole said the event is aimed at uniting illustrious sons and daughters of the Town both In Nigeria and in diaspora for developmental purposes.
“The purpose of this day is to bring together Ilawe Illustrious sons and daughters all over the world for felicitation and for developmental purposes”.
He highlighted Programme of events to include: Environmental Sanitation on Tuesday, Youths Assembly on Wednesday, Ilawe Unity Day Lecture on Thursday, Indoor Games and Jumat Service on Friday, and Thanksgiving Service on Sunday.
Dignitaries expected at the event include: Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi as the royal father of the day, Senator Orji Kalu as the Chief Launcher, among others.