ONE BILLION NAIRA GERIATRIC CENTRE: IJESALAND SCORES ANOTHER FIRST! ....See photos from the commissioning ceremony

“Unity is strength… when there are teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” – Mattie Stepanek

The success of any community lies in the sense of identifying major needs that would create lasting impacts on the people and collectively meeting those needs. The Covid-19 pandemic brought a new wave of consciousness to us all. Although all age groups are at risk of contracting COVID-19, older people face significant risk of developing severe illness if they contract the disease due to physiological changes that come with ageing and potential underlying health conditions. It was at this moment that the innate drive towards a health-related project as our next phase of community-driven development agenda was conceived.

“Good health and good sense are two of life’s greatest blessings.”- Publilius Syrus

Ijesaland Geriatric Centre came under the auspice of Ijesa Health Is Wealth Project as a medical priority-area that would not just meet the medical need of the aged and elderly but serve as leading institution for medical gerontology in Nigeria. A novel idea to create the second ever Geriatric Hospital in the Africa most populous nation. A rare feat with full community-driven development approach with No Government Funds. The mystery in winning as a group is participation, coordination and diligent work. Since these attributes are found in every project we have embarked upon in Ijesaland, it is evidenced that the beam of the rising light in Ijesaland will continue to glow to the uttermost part of the world wherever sons and daughters of Ijesa are found.

The Second Geriatric Centre in Nigeria is commissioned for usage, after uninterrupted, resilient works by diligent people for ten (10) months on Thursday, 31st March 2022. This is a testament to the fact that Ijesaland has rekindled the spirit of IJESA CAN, which we did in 1934 with the establishment of Ilesa Grammar School by our great forebears in Egbe Atunluse Ile-Ijesa.

We are persuaded beyond every reasonable doubt that ‘yet in the blood of man there is a tide, an age-long pattern in the bloodline, rather, that is somehow akin to the twilight, which brings him the deep yearning of beauty from however far away, this pattern in the bloodline comes from the fabulous quarter of his lineage, defining legendary actions of old and defying status quo of their times inorder to live as gods among men’ This fully captures the ideals of Ijesa that has been demonstrated in the execution of the Ijesaland Geriatric Centre.

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The One Billion Naira (N1,000,000,000) Ijesaland Geriatric Centre received funding with over Six Hundred Million Naira (N600,000,000) in donation from Ijesa sons and daughters while over Four Hundred Million Naira (N400,000,000) worth of medical supplies have been secured from MedShare in United States of America. The Ijesaland Geriatric Centre built from the scratch without government funds has the following world-class facilities: The General Out-Patient Building (GOPD) which comprises of the Centre's Registry; Consulting Rooms; and Pharmacy; The Administration Building which comprises of the Director's Office; Geriatric Centre Secretariat; The Ophthalmology and Dental Building which contains Ophthalmology and Dental Consulting Rooms and Clinics; The Physiotherapy Building which contains the physiotherapy machines and tools; The Theatre Complex which comprises of two operating theatres and adjourning preparatory rooms; The In-Ward Building which contains four units of Male Ward and four units of Female Ward; The Digital Imaging Building which would house the X-Ray machine, Ultrasound Machine, and CT Scan whenever available; The Commissary Building which houses the Kitchen and convertible Conference/Training Room; The Immunization Building which houses the Adult immunization unit; The Building Basements which house the ECG unit, the Blood Tests Laboratory; Doctors' Offices, Stores, etc

The journey towards a transformational destination in any land starts with the birth of an idea from a man. By divine providence, the Ijesaland Geriatric Centre was initiated by the able Chairman of the Project Management Team (PMT); Asiwaju Yinka Fasuyi, The Asiwaju of Ijesaland who also provided thought leadership without which the project wouldn’t have successfully been delivered. The courageous, dogged and resilient efforts with which he mobilized the entire Project Management Team together with the Vice Chairman, Revd Lowo Adebiyi; the General Secretary, Mr Adewale Idowu; the Treasurer, Chief Afolabi Igbaroola; the Legal Adviser, Chief (Mrs) Dupe Ajayi Gbadebo; and the Technical Adviser, Engineer Busayo Aluko led the project to an enviable success. The Project Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (PMEC) under the dynamic leadership of Alhaji Lateef Bakare and The Project Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) under the profound leadership of Prof Isaac Folorunso Adewole who all have shown that the future can be recreated by our unwavering commitment to self-chosen, community-driven development. We would also like to place on record the tremendous motivation and support received on this Project from one of the esteemed Leaders in Ijesaland, the Baba Sawe of Ilesa, Chief Akinwande Ayinde Akinola. History would surely remain eternally kind to you for your unquenchable selfless service to Ijesaland.

We are extremely satisfied and pleased with the magnitude of the success recorded at the project completion of Ijesaland Geriatric Hospital, the Second Geriatric Centre in Nigeria.

"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” - Helen Keller

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