Health is wealth, a saying goes. There is no better way the wellness of a society is measured except through quality health care. The society that is bereft of good health has automatically been exposed to diseases and strange illnesses. It is saddening that quality health care delivery has become elusive, particularly among those at the rung of the ladder in the society. They are exposed to all kinds of diseases just because they lack the financial wherewithal to acquire right medications and get best treatment. Due to the problem they innocently found themselves, they resorted to self-help medication instead of undergoing prescribed medical treatment. And the end result of this is more complication. Ignorantly, they took uncertified drugs and also exposed themselves to medical impersonators, who leveraged on their ignorance to recommend medications that would further compound their woes.

The problem, apart from the less disadvantaged people in semi-urban areas, the rural dwellers seemed to be the most hit. Sometimes, it is not because they don’t have knowledge of what quality health is all about and how to access it, but cash invariably turned to ashes in their mouth. Another contributing factor to the lack of quality health in rural communities, is little or unavailability medical centre. Some of the centres built in the ancient communities are sited far away from where people that resident in hinterlands can access freely.

While the difficulty persists in the rural areas, some residents of rural communities chose to move to urban locations, which has consequently led to rural-urban drift. The situation has manifested in the population explosion that confronts urban settlements. Most times, heap of the blame is hurled at the doorsteps of government at all levels for not doing enough to provide health centres in rural areas, for urban is already over-stretched. Since local government is the closest to the grass root, the buck usually stops at its table for exposing innocent rural dwellers to dangers due non-provision of health centres.

Though, there is no how the government would not share in the blame, other critical infrastructures also need monetary attention. Even with that, healthiness of the people cannot be compromised. In this sickening society however, some well to do organisations are taking the bull by the hurn. They are not only waiting for government to make the provision of basic amenities as its principal responsibility, they are also initiating ways of cushioning the effect of inaccessibility to quality health.

The joy of rural dwellers in Igbomina land knew no bound on Saturday when Igbomina Community, North America branch donated a mobile clinic vehicle to them. The town went agog as front line monarchs from Igbomina origin converged on the palace of Olupo of Ajase-Ipo to witness the commissioning of the vehicle. Igbomina ethnic nationality consists of five local government areas in Kwara and Osun States including Irepodun, Ifelodun and Isin in Kwara as well as Ifedayo and Ila in Osun.

Presenting the N5million worth of mobility to the Igbomina traditional rulers under the chairmanship of Olupo of Ajase-Ipo in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Oba Sikiru Atanda Woleola II, the representative of the North America branch of Igbomina community, Dr Abdullateef Olaniyan, said the idea of donating the health facility car was conceived in August 2015.

He told Olupo flanked by Elese of Igbaja, Oba Ahmed Awuni Arepo; Olusin of Isanlu-Isin, Oba Solomon Oluwagbemiga Oloyede; Oloro of Oro Kingdom, Oba Rafiu Ajiboye Oyelaran; Elesie of Esie, Oba Yakubu Babalola and Onirore of Rore, said some Esie indigenes actually contributed money for the procurement of the moblie clinic, but chose to donate it under the aegis of Igbomina community in North America. Olaniyan disclosed that plan was afoot to roll out other laudable programmes in Igbomina communities, saying the vehicle donation was just to exemplify other goodies on the way.

"I'm very happy about the donation of the vehicle by Igbomina community in diaspora. Just like I told the royal highness, this is just the beginning, this is step one. We haven't equipped the vehicle with medications yet or equipment, but eventually we are going to do that. We are going to configure the vehicle to meet our standard for what we need it to do. After that is done, then we are going to officially give the vehicle.

"In 2014, KSANG, which comprises the whole Kwara State Association of North America, we had a medical mission at Ilorin. We saw a lot of people. But a lot of disease states that we saw were hypertension, diabetics, malaria, and from there it came about we came about what can we do to sustain this kind of programme since we are not in Nigeria all the time, and we cannot expect Nigeria people to expect us to come every year. You know there is no continuity. "So, the idea was okay, why don't we do a mobile clinic. The idea of the mobile clinic is to reach the people that are forgotten, the people that are less advantageous so that the mobile clinic can be going from village to village, from town to town in Igbomina land to provide primary care to the residents of those places.

"As of now, what we are trying to focus on is hypertension, diabetics, malaria, and education. Like what do people need to do in order to improve their quality of life, in order to live the best they are capable of living. Measures on the management of the facility "Just like you know that we are not on the ground here in Nigeria, but we depend on our partners. Because like I said, one tree cannot make a forest. We depend on our royal fathers, we depend on executive and even all the members of Omo Igbomina and we depend on our doctors, they are our eyes. They are the people that will be doing the day to day activities.

"So, we are not going to control every single aspect of this project. We depend on them to do the right thing and I’m sure with what I have seen now, they are willing to cooperate, to work together and that is what is going to sustain the programme", Olaniyan said. The Olupo of Ajase-Ipo who spoke at the symbolic presentation, warned against divisive tendencies among Igbomina indigenes resident overseas, just as he admonished them to eschew pecuniary gains in their undertakings. He said the community was proud of the way the branches of Omo-Ibile Igbomina was projecting it positively abroad.

The king assured that the monarchs of Igbomina land would continue to assist them in prayers in order to move the group forward. "I'm so happy. This is the first time in Kwara State, so I'm very happy. I have to thank them (the donor) and pray for them, anywhere Allah will be with them, God will be with them, everything they are doing there, they will do it perfectly. They should come to Nigeria and invest, so that our subjects will have places to work", the monarch admonished. Elese of Igbaja, Oba Ahmed Awuni Arepo, also stressed the need for equity and justice among the Igbominas.

He also stated that the monarchs were looking forward to the investment drive of the rich living abroad with a view to providing employment opportunity to the teeming jobless youths. Also speaking, President, Omo-Ibile Igbomina, Engineer Timothy Niyi Adebayo, expressed joy over the vehicle donation, saying the national leadership was expectant of other affiliated branches to contribute their quota to the development of Igbomina land. He admitted that government cannot provide everything needed to make life good for the people and also urged the wealthy among Igbomina that resident abroad to come home and invest.

"I feel happy because this is part of what we have been advocating, that all our branches (overseas) should come home and develop Igbomina land, and this is part of the development we are seeing now. "We appeal to all other branches both in Nigeria and in diaspora to bring more of this to Igbomina land, because government cannot do everything here alone. We rely on communal effort, and we know that Igbomina is well known for communal effort. And we have discussed with all the branches that whatever they have, they are free to come home and contribute to development of Igbomina land".