The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the establishment of a neuropsychiatric hospital. The hospital will be for the North Central Zone in Kwara State. Dr Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora, the State’s Minister for Health, broke the news. He conveyed the approval to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq in Ilorin. The proposed facility site is in the Budo Egba area of Asa Local Government Area, Kwara. It will exist to serve all the states in that region.
The Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye quoted the minister in a statement to the Governor. The quote explained that the approval was made due to the Governor’s request for the facility. The Governor mentioned that the facility would serve the North Central Geo-Political Zone.
In July 2021, the Senate passed a bill on psychiatric hospitals. The bill sought to amend the Psychiatric Hospitals Management Board Act of 2004. The purpose was to establish the Federal Psychiatric Hospital in Budo-Egba, Kwara State. The bill would also provide a legal framework for already established psychiatric hospitals. The bill would also ease the training of specialists personnel for the hospital.
The Chairman of the Committee, Yahaya Oloriegbe (APC, Kwara Central) supported the bill. He stated that there was no psychiatric hospital in the North-Central area of Nigeria. He cited the increase in Nigeria’s population as a good reason for on. He explained that they needed adequate psychiatric hospitals to meet the rising needs.
This month, the Minister sent a letter with news of the approval of the facility. The letter conveyed the President’s approval for establishing a neuropsychiatric hospital. The proposed site would be at Budo-Egba.
He also asked the Kwara Government to meet with its counterparts from the Federal Ministry of Health. The meeting should occur during the month to kick off the project. Kwara State Government sent their regards to the president for approving Kwara State as the host for the project.
The Governor was quoted calling the approval a “dream come true” for the administration and the three senators from Kwara State. He also specially cited Senator Yahya Oloriegbe (Kwara Central), for working hard with the others to make it happen.
“This facility, like a few other federal initiatives already won by the state and those being put in place by our administration, seals the place of Kwara as the new go-to place in not just the north-central but in the entire northern region,” Ajakaye quoted the governor.
