This was disclosed during its rural medical outreach and conference in the community on Thursday, where residents turned out in large numbers to receive free medical services.
The WAF's Programme Director, Dr. Omolola Akinmolayan, who made the appeal, described the current state of the health facility as a major setback to healthcare delivery in the rural cluster, noting that the centre has remained non-functional due to lack of equipment and health personnel.
According to her, restoring the facility would not only reduce the burden on residents who currently travel long distances for medical attention but also strengthen primary healthcare services across the affected communities.
"What the members of this community have done in making sure that this health facility comes back to life is highly impressive. There is community involvement which has contributed to the success of this medical outreach. And I would like to encourage them that they should make sure that all they have been doing should continue, especially by making sure that this health facility comes back to life.
“So, I've been encouraging them to continue active community involvement and enhance community ownership so that this health clinic can come alive again. And for the government, we know that the government is working so hard in terms of revitalizing the health centres.
“I would just like to appeal to the state government to see to the revitalization of Lakiri health clinic so that this health facility that is serving one hundred and fifty communities can come back to life again in order to serve the people within the community."
She urged the government to prioritise staffing and equipping the centre to ensure sustainable healthcare delivery.
Speaking in the same vein, the Executive Director of the Wellness Africa Foundation, Akintunde Akinmolayan, commended the resilience and unity demonstrated by the Lakiri community in attempting to revive the facility.
He said their commitment to self-help and development efforts deserves swift government backing to make the health centre fully operational again.
The Executive Director said "In 2023, we conducted our first community medical outreach at the Lakiri community. Then, we found the health clinic non-functional, and we learnt that it had been that way for about 15 to 20 years. In 2024, we did a community sensitization to encourage community members to take ownership of the health clinic. The outcome was the minor carpentry and electrical repairs, and painting done in the clinic. We have sensitized them to do more.
“Only 30 percent of primary health care centres in Nigeria are functional, so it is a national thing. It's crucial to revitalize non-functional centres, as they're the foundation of healthcare. For this Lakiri Health Clinic, we're appealing to the Ogun state government to please support the effort of the community in revitalizing the health clinic,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Director in the Ministry of Community Development and Cooperatives, Abiola Mojirayo Olalekan, who was the guest speaker at the rural conference, appreciated WAF for their leadership. She commended the Lakiri CDA and other surrounding CDAs for working together.
