By Joseph Treasure
A legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN has donated an ambulance to the Ikere Ekiti Specialist Hospital in memory of his late mother, Iyaafin Bosede Olanipekun.
Handing over the ambulance to the management of the Ikere Ekiti Specialist Hospital in Ikere Ekiti on Tuesday, Chief Wole Olanipekun who is a native of the town said, the gesture was necessary to boost the performance and productivity of the Amenity Ward he built for the hospital some years ago.
Chief Olanipekun used the opportunity to appeal to the Permanent Secretary of the Ekiti State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Dr Sola Badmos and the Chief Medical Director of the Ikere Ekiti Specialist Hospital, Dr Catherine Akinsipe to capture the staff of the Amenity Ward in the salary structure of the State and ensure regular payment of their salary.
He reminded them that he was the one who paid the salaries of the Amenity Ward staff for two years at the opening of the health facility some years ago.
The legal Icon also pledged his commitment to be paying the salaries of the staff of the Amenity Ward for another two years and promised to employ two drivers who are native of Ikere Ekiti that will be driven the ambulances.
He commended Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, His Royal Majesty, Oba Adejimi Adu Alagbado for demonstrating love and care for the Ikere people through donation of a 50 KVA generator.
Advising the Chief Medical Director, Chief Wole Olanipekun promised her necessary support to succeed in her position.
The philanthropist called on the Permanent Secretary to looked at the State of the hospital and do the needful.
He commended the Chairman of Ikere local government and urged him to lead the people of the town Ekiti wholeheartedly.
Olanipekun equally promised to assist the local government Chairman to re-energized Amoye Micro Finance Bank in Ikere Ekiti by seeking support of prominent Ikere sons and daughter in giving a facelift to the community bank.
In her address, the Chief Medical Director of Ikere Ekiti Specialist Hospital, Dr Akinsipe Catherine thanked the donor who has been supporting the Specialist Hospital in Ikere Ekiti over the years.
Akinsipe eulogized the precious roles of Chief Wole Olanipekun in single handedly building and equipping the specialist hospital with a brand ambulances and Mikano generator in the past.
She also praise Chief Olanipekun for considering it necessary to donate another ambulance for the same Amenity Ward of the Ikere Ekiti Specialist Hospital. She also called on other well meaning sons and daughters of Ikere Ekiti to continue to support the hospital in other areas of needs such as provision of solar lights in the hospital.
In his own remarks, the Chairman of Ikere Ekiti local government area, Chief Adamolekun Olu Egbejoda hailed Chief Olanipekun for counting it worthy to donate a new ambulance for Ikere specialist hospital. He described his donation of the new ambulance as an emblem for the people of Ikere Ekiti.
He described his previous contributions in the area of the provision of Bar Centre, Church building and Scholarship awards among other things as the major imparts of the legal luminary in his country home of Ikere Ekiti.
The local government Chairman urged the people of Ikere Ekiti to be inspired by the contributions of the Elder statesman to the Ikere Ekiti community.
Also, speaking, the Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, His Royal Majesty, Oba Adejimi Adu Alagbado appreciated the literacy already being exhibited by the Chairman of Ikere Ekiti local government.
The Ogoga also commended Chief Olanipekun and declared that he is no doubt an honorable man even in his own home town. He described him as a gentle, humble and generous man.
The Kabiyesi thanked God for giving them Chief Wole Olanipekun in Ikere Ekiti. He prayed for his good health, sound mind and long life.
He also pray that all his children who are already Senior Advocates will also live to produce their own children as SANs.
He eulogized the present generation to be up and doing to also become great like Chief Wole Olanipekun to enable them replicate his good gestures in the town
The Ogoga also said, as his own contributions, because of power problem to the hospital, promised to bring in his own 50KVA from his private residence to the hospital for the own use of the hospital.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Human Services, Dr Sola Badmos while speaking, promised to inform her Commissioner about the largess from the Kabiyesi, the Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti.
She thanked everybody who has been supporting the hospital.
The Permanent Secretary explained that the staff employed by Chief Wole have written to the Ministry as well as the Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, promising to work on the letters, so that the staff can have their employment retained as permanent staff.
She appealed to the Kabiyesi to caution the members of the public against being hostile on the nurses and doctors working in the hospital to attend to the patients.