Osun Govt Fires Back At Critic Over ‘False Claims’ On Health Sector

The Osun State Government has slammed Prof. Oyewole Durotoye, a vocal critic of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration, calling his claims about the state’s health sector “baseless” and “intellectual fraud”.

In a statement, Dr Akindele Adekunle, Special Adviser on Public Health, challenged Durotoye to provide empirical data to support his claims of deaths in state hospitals, saying “baseless dumping of imaginary mortality figures is not scholarship; it is intellectual fraud”.

“It has come to the attention of Dr Akindele Adekunle, the Special Adviser on Public Health to the Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the unguarded vituperation of a street-corner rabble- rouser, parading himself as Professor Oyewole Durotoye, who recently descended into reckless insults and blatant falsehoods against the Adeleke administration, particularly on the health sector.

“Ordinarily, characters of Mr Durotoye’s intellectual depthlessness deserve no response. However, for the sake of unsuspecting members of the public who may be misled by the unearned toga of “Professor,” it has become necessary to set the records straight. It is indeed embarrassing that a supposed Professor who struggles with the simple pronunciation and understanding of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) would attempt to lecture a government that is methodically and systematically revamping Osun State’s health sector with results already visible to discerning minds.

“The Adeleke administration operates as a holistically pragmatic government. Upon assumption of office, Governor Ademola Adeleke ordered a comprehensive needs-assessment of state-owned health facilities. That exercise clearly established that an MRI facility was to be optimally installed at the newly delivered Alakija Hospital, which is purpose-built to host such advanced equipment. There was therefore no justification for duplicating such installation at the existing teaching hospital at a time the state was opening up several fronts of development.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the CT Scan at the UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital was procured during the PDP administration of Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola and criminally abandoned and grounded for over 12 years under successive APC administrations. This government has since taken steps to restore functionality and address systemic decay inherited from the past.

“Contrary to the misinformation peddled by Mr Durotoye, over 200 primary healthcare centres have been rehabilitated across Osun State. Additionally, the renovation and comprehensive upgrade of Ede and Iwo General Hospitals have received Governor Adeleke’s approval, with work scheduled to commence in earnest in the first quarter of next year.

“If Mr Durotoye is truly a Professor and not merely bearing the title as a nickname, he should present empirical data to substantiate his reckless claims of deaths allegedly occurring in state hospitals. Baseless dumping of imaginary mortality figures is not scholarship; it is intellectual fraud. Notably, if Osun’s health sector were performing as poorly as he alleged, the state would not have won the National Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge consecutively, an achievement earned through verifiable performance metrics.

“A true Professor works with facts, evidence, and reasoned analysis, not partisan desperation, hollow jargon, and propaganda for political paymasters. Offending the sensibilities of the public with concocted statistics insults the intelligence of educated Osun citizens who can see beyond political handouts and staged outrage.

“It is equally baffling that a supposed Professor would find it expedient to condemn the massive road infrastructure revolution under Governor Adeleke. Does Mr Durotoye prefer that Osun roads remain dilapidated and impassable as they were before this administration? Even a freshman understands that functional healthcare delivery requires good access roads, particularly for emergency medical cases.
Mr Durotoye is entitled to parade his absurdities, but he should spare the people of Osun State the insult of assuming they cannot read between the lines, both of his incoherent utterances and his unkept intellectual posture.

“Furthermore, if Mr Durotoye truly merits the title of Professor, he should acknowledge Governor Adeleke’s giant strides in education. Under this administration, Osun State has moved from the APC-induced 31st position to 7th position nationally in educational ranking. Our tertiary institutions are now receiving focused attention, restoring them to parity with high-performing institutions across Nigeria.
These milestones are the products of a Governor who prioritises governance over propaganda and refuses to squander state resources hiring idle hands like Mr Durotoye for political theatrics.

“Durotoye and his employers should brace themselves. Governor Ademola Adeleke will not relent in delivering good governance, and as his achievements continue to mount, the frustration of his detractors will only deepen, reducing loud but empty critics like Durotoye to mere political motor boy .