{"id":1297,"date":"2026-04-18T10:02:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T10:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/?p=1297"},"modified":"2026-04-18T10:02:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T10:02:24","slug":"ondo-govt-reaffirms-commitment-to-science-driven-healthcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/2026\/04\/18\/ondo-govt-reaffirms-commitment-to-science-driven-healthcare\/","title":{"rendered":"Ondo Govt Reaffirms Commitment to Science-Driven Healthcare"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Ondo State Government<\/a> has reiterated its resolve to build a resilient, science-based healthcare system capable of addressing evolving public health challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at a stakeholders\u2019 meeting to mark the World Health Day 2026<\/a>, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Awolowo Banji Ajaka, stressed the need for unified, evidence-driven strategies in tackling emerging health threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referencing this year\u2019s theme, \u201cTogether for Health: Stand with Science,\u201d Ajaka said it reflects both global and local realities, noting that health risks are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected across human, animal and environmental spheres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He highlighted key concerns such as climate change, zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance and food safety, warning that these issues demand stronger collaboration among relevant agencies. Environmental challenges like flooding, heat stress and vector-borne diseases were also identified as growing threats within the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Ayodele Ojo Adiji, the Commissioner called for improved disease surveillance and reporting, enhanced inter-agency data sharing, increased investment in laboratory infrastructure, and strengthened emergency preparedness and risk communication systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ajaka pointed to the state\u2019s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre as a major success, noting its effectiveness in managing outbreaks including COVID-19<\/a>, Lassa fever<\/a>, Mpox<\/a>, Yellow fever<\/a>, Cholera<\/a> and Diphtheria<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed these achievements to sustained collaboration between ministries such as Environment, Agriculture, Education and Water Resources, alongside agencies like RUWASSA and veterinary services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commissioner also recognised the contributions of international and national partners, including the World Health Organization<\/a>, UNICEF<\/a>, APIN<\/a>, Jhpiego<\/a>, Clinton Health Access Initiative<\/a> and ALIMA<\/a>, as well as federal bodies like the Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria<\/a>, National Primary Health Care Development Agency<\/a> and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reaffirmed that Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa<\/a> remains committed to prioritising healthcare under the state\u2019s OUR EASE development agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his goodwill message, Dr. Ibrahim Adebayo of the WHO underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration in strengthening Nigeria\u2019s health security and outbreak response systems. He noted that subnational coordination is vital to improving disease surveillance and preparedness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adebayo described Ondo State as strategically important due to its geographic position, while acknowledging recurring outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Lassa fever, yellow fever and measles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the WHO continues to support the state in enhancing prevention, detection and response systems, including ongoing efforts to contain a Lassa fever outbreak through coordinated interventions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also speaking, Permanent Secretary Dr. Ayodele Adiji, represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr. Stephen Fagbemi, called for deeper collaboration among healthcare professionals, institutions and policymakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He emphasised the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork involving doctors, nurses and laboratory scientists, while advocating stronger engagement between practitioners and policymakers in shaping effective health policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fagbemi further encouraged the adoption of digital tools to improve healthcare delivery, coordination and public awareness, noting that technology is increasingly essential in reaching wider populations and strengthening the health system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Ondo State Government has reiterated its resolve to build a resilient, science-based healthcare system capable of addressing evolving public health challenges. Speaking at a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1080,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1297"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1298,"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1297\/revisions\/1298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepublicsquare.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}