Itowolo residents seek completion of health centre stalled for four years
Residents of Itowolo Community in Ikorodu West Local Council Development Area of Lagos State are asking the authorities to complete a health centre whose construction they say stopped about four years ago.
A recent visit to the community found the project still at foundation stage, while residents said the absence of a functional health facility nearby has made routine care and emergencies more difficult.
Community leaders and residents said pregnant women, sick residents and people needing urgent treatment often have to travel outside Itowolo to access healthcare in areas including Ajegunle, Ogolonto, Agric and Ikorodu.
Project remains at foundation stage
The Baale of Itowolo, Chief Sikiru Aregbeshola, said construction of the health centre began about four years ago but stopped before the facility could be completed.
He said the project had been facilitated through the councillor representing the community.
However, the current source record does not establish the project’s approved budget, contractor, procurement status, formal commissioning authority or original delivery date.
Those details remain necessary to determine which public authority formally owns the project and why work stopped.
Residents travel outside community for care
Residents say the lack of a nearby health centre is particularly difficult during emergencies.
Community leader Saheed Adeoye said pregnant women and other patients sometimes have to travel roughly 13 kilometres to reach a health facility or general hospital.
Other residents described travelling to Ajegunle, Ogolonto, Agric and Ikorodu for antenatal care and treatment.
The accounts consistently point to the same problem: Itowolo residents must leave the community to access routine and emergency healthcare.
The precise distance to the nearest functioning health facility has not been independently established.
Death claims remain unverified
Some community members also alleged that residents had died while being transported to hospitals outside Itowolo.
Adeoye cited the cases of an adult man and a child who, he said, died before reaching hospital.
Those claims have not been independently verified through medical, emergency-service or official records.
They therefore remain attributed to residents and should not be treated as evidence that the unfinished health centre directly caused the deaths.
Responsibility for project remains unclear
The project presents a direct accountability question.
Residents say construction began about four years ago and remains incomplete.
What is still not established from available records is the commissioning authority, approved budget, contractor, original delivery date and reason work stopped.
Those records are necessary before responsibility can be assigned to the LCDA, another Lagos State agency, a contractor or any other public body.
Efforts reported by Punch to obtain a response from Ikorodu West LCDA Chairman Sulaimon Olanrewaju were unsuccessful because his telephone line could not be reached at the time of filing.
The council’s explanation for the stalled project therefore remains absent from the current public record.
Healthcare access is the citizen consequence
For residents, the central issue is the service the unfinished facility was intended to provide.
Pregnant women, children, older residents and people facing emergencies must rely on transport outside the community before receiving care, according to residents interviewed.
The community is asking the Lagos State Government and relevant local authorities to establish responsibility for the project and ensure that a functioning health facility is delivered.
The next accountability test is whether the responsible authority identifies the project’s status, explains why work stopped and provides a credible completion plan.
Until then, the verified position is that the Itowolo health-centre project remains incomplete about four years after construction began, while residents continue to seek healthcare outside the community.
