In the heart of Igbo-Ora, a rustic community in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State, a ray of hope shines bright.
The General Hospital, Igbo-Ora, a 60-year-old institution, has been transformed, thanks to the generosity of the Adedigba family.
This remarkable story of philanthropy and community spirit is a testament to the power of giving back by the famous Adedigba family in Igboora. Just a year ago, the family constructed and donated a multimillion naira ultra-modern health Centre in the memory of Alhaji Jimoh Atilola Adetonwa Adedigba at the Muslim Association of Nigeria (MAN Centre), Joyce B Road in Ibadan.
The latest remodeling and renovation of the General Hospital, Igbo-Ora, by The Adedigbas was in preservation of the hospital founded on February 9, 1963, as the Ibarapa Project, a collaborative effort between the University of Ibadan, the Western Nigeria Government and the Ibarapa community.
The Rockefeller Foundation provided seed funding, while the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene offered technical support to medical staff.
The hospital’s objectives were threefold: teach medical students and doctors through practical work, study healthcare delivery problems in the Ibarapa community and conduct research into various aspects of health and diseases.
Over the years, the hospital has served the community tirelessly, but the passage of time took its toll on the facilities.
The infrastructure was crumbling and the equipment was outdated.
The hospital’s capacity to provide quality healthcare was severely compromised.
Enter the Adedigba family, who decided to honor their patriarch, Alhaji Jimoh Atilola Adedigba, by giving back to the community.
They embarked on an ambitious project to remodel and renovate the General Hospital, Igbo-Ora few months back and successfully handed over the project to the Community and the State Government for the quality health care delivery of the residents of the area.
The scope of the project was extensive.
The family rehabilitated the Female Ward, Theatre Complex, Mortuary Complex, Consulting Rooms, Record Department, and Ante-Natal Hall.
They also installed a Solar Panel Street Lighting System, ensuring the hospital’s energy needs are met sustainably.
The Adedigba family’s generosity has revitalized the hospital, providing a conducive environment for healthcare delivery.
The renovated facilities are a far cry from the dilapidated structures that once stood.
The hospital now boasts modern equipment and the staff morale has received a significant boost.
The impact of the Adedigba family’s philanthropy extends beyond the hospital’s walls.
The community has embraced the renovated hospital and the demand for healthcare services has increased.
The hospital’s capacity to provide quality care has been enhanced, and the lives of countless individuals have been touched.
As we reflect on this remarkable story, we are reminded that philanthropy has the power to transform lives and communities.
The Adedigba family’s legacy of healthcare philanthropy will be remembered for generations to come.
A distinguished career civil servant, Late Alhaji Jimoh Atilola Adedigba was born on the 30th of August, 1943, in Oke Iserin quarters of Igbo-ora in the Ibarapa division of the old Western region. He bagged a Master of Public Administration post graduate degree with distinction from the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and a certificate in Human Resource Management from the university of Connecticut. He had earlier obtained his first degree in Geography from the University of Ibadan, between 1968 and 1970 and thereafter pursued a prestigious career in the Oyo state civil service. He rose through the ranks to retire into active participation in community development among which is the establishment of Nawair-ud-Deen Grammar school, Igbo-ora, which also has a block of classrooms donated by the Adedigba family.
Last Friday’s event in Igboora which drew royal fathers; community elders; religious leaders; State and Local Government officials and beneficiaries of late Adedigba’s laudable good deeds while alive, would be remembered for years to come by the residents of the area who trooped out in their thousands to celebrate the newly renovated hospital by the family.
