The Ilawe Ekiti community in Ekiti Southwest Local Government of the state on Tuesday said that the town lost two prominent sons who took ill and died while being rushed to Ado Ekiti, the state capital, due to lack of adequate medical facilities in the community.

The Ilawe-Ekiti community which ranks as the third largest and most populous town in Ekiti State, according to the last Population Census conducted by the National Population Commission, said the implication of not having good medical facilities was that people died before they could be rushed to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti or Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti.

Briefing newsmen on the 2024 Ilawe Ekiti Unity Day, the Chairman of the Planning Committee, Mr Femi Bankole said that the community is desirous of raising N500 million to equip and make functional the teaching Hospital Annex located in the community.

Expected dignitaries at the event included the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Blodun Abayomi Oyebanji, Oba Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi the Ooni of lle-ife. Arch Sir. Oladipo Gabriel Ajayi, the Chairman of the Occasion and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, among others.

Bankole said: “We need help to ensure that the hospital is put to proper use. The implication of not having good health facilities is that people will be dying. Before you move people from here to Ido Ekiti Teaching Hospital or Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital, something terrible could have happened to them.

“The consequence of not having befitting health facilities is that due to the lack of adequate medical facilities we have lost two very prominent sons of the community. One is a bishop and the other a professor. They got ill and because there was no good hospital to take them to on the way before they got to Ado Ekiti, they gave up the ghost.

“We have come to realize that the best thing for us is to have a standard hospital. Ilawe is a very big town and a single hospital won’t do for the town.

“We want people living in the environs including Igbarsa Odo, Ikogosi, Ogotun to join us in enjoying the hospital that is why we are doing the launching.”

Bankole also said that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) would also be on ground to lecture the youths on the effects of hard drugs.

“We want to help our youths who are presumed leaders of tomorrow to quit drugs. We want to teach them, sensitize them. Our priority is the youths. The NDLEA is coming to train our children to quit drugs.”