The Oyo State Government has dismissed allegations of poor primary healthcare delivery levelled against Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration by the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation, describing the claims as misleading, politically motivated and inconsistent with verifiable records.
The government maintained that Oyo State has emerged as one of Nigeria’s leading states in primary healthcare reforms, citing the recruitment of 3,933 healthcare workers, improved healthcare financing, infrastructure development and significant progress in maternal and child health.
The government’s position was contained in a press release signed by the Special Adviser on Media to Governor Makinde, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, and issued on Monday, November 9, 2026.
According to the statement, the state has successfully implemented the Primary Healthcare Under One Roof (PHCUOR) policy, established the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board in 2015 and strengthened the legal and administrative structures for effective healthcare delivery.
It explained that the reforms had transferred the management and administration of primary healthcare personnel to the board, while introducing improved monitoring, evaluation and supervision mechanisms across the 33 Local Government Health Authorities.
The government also identified the recruitment of 3,933 health personnel, including doctors, nurses, community health officers, pharmacists, nutrition officers and other support workers, as one of the major achievements of the Makinde administration.
On healthcare financing, the statement disclosed that the state had established a legal framework dedicating 7.5 per cent of local government statutory allocations to primary healthcare programmes, describing the initiative as an innovative and sustainable funding model.
It also rejected allegations of poor performance under the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF), insisting that Oyo State remained compliant with the programme’s requirements, including counterpart funding, direct facility funding and quarterly performance reporting.
The government further stated that it had renovated, upgraded and equipped several primary healthcare facilities previously affected by years of neglect, while expanding healthcare services to cover mental health, dental care, eye care, adolescent health, geriatric health and school health.
Highlighting improvements in nutrition and child health, the statement said recent assessments showed that childhood stunting had declined from historical estimates of between 34.7 and 37 per cent to 26.8 per cent in the MDHS 2025/2026 report.
It added that under the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) programme, stunting had dropped from approximately 34 per cent at baseline to 23.1 per cent.
The government also reported that wasting prevalence declined from 14.4 per cent in the NDHS 2024 to 6.6 per cent in the MDHS 2025, while under-five underweight prevalence reduced from 26.1 per cent to 17.7 per cent.
Similarly, minimum meal frequency for infants and young children reportedly increased from 11.4 per cent to 39.4 per cent, while minimum acceptable diet rose from 5.8 per cent to 12.9 per cent.
The statement disclosed that the state committed ₦227 million in UNICEF matching funds towards the implementation of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS), while Vitamin A supplementation coverage among children increased from 39.1 per cent to 69.4 per cent.
On digital healthcare, the government said it had invested in digital infrastructure, deployed computers and other equipment to primary healthcare facilities, trained health workers and commenced the gradual implementation of electronic medical record systems.
It added that hundreds of primary healthcare facilities were currently operating under the BHCPF programme, with additional facilities recently approved following assessments by relevant federal authorities.
The government maintained that its achievements in healthcare delivery could be verified through documented interventions and measurable outcomes, insisting that the claims by the Senator Alli Campaign Organisation failed to reflect the situation in the state.
While acknowledging the importance of constructive criticism, Olanrewaju urged political actors to base their assessments of the healthcare sector on facts and objective evaluations rather than partisan considerations.
He reaffirmed the Makinde administration’s commitment to building an accessible, resilient and people-centred healthcare system, stressing that the government’s performance should be judged by functional facilities, motivated health workers and improved health outcomes.
