By Samuel Sunday
Legal icon and philanthropist Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, OFR, SAN, has donated a fully equipped Mother and Child Maternity Complex to the State Specialist Hospital, Ikere-Ekiti, to strengthen maternal and infant healthcare in Ekiti State.
The facility, named the _NewCruse Mother and Child Maternity Complex_, was unveiled on Tuesday by Governor Biodun Oyebanji. Built and furnished by the Olanipekun family, it meets international standards and includes operating tables, neonatal monitors, incubators, oxygen concentrators, and specialized surgical equipment.
Speaking at the commissioning, Olanipekun said the project reflects his family’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery in Nigeria, beginning with their hometown.
“What greater contradiction exists than a mother, the vessel of life, losing her life during childbirth? And what deeper societal failure can be conceived when both mother and child are lost?” he asked.
Citing a 2023 World Health Organization report, he noted that more than 700 women die daily worldwide from preventable pregnancy and childbirth complications, with Nigeria accounting for about 75,000 maternal deaths annually. He stressed that most of these deaths are preventable with access to functional facilities and skilled care.
Olanipekun added that government alone cannot meet all healthcare needs and called for stronger partnerships between the public sector and private stakeholders.
“Provision of healthcare should not be left as a sole responsibility of government. It is the primary responsibility of government to create an enabling environment for partnership with well-meaning citizens,” he said.
The donation is the latest initiative of the Wole Olanipekun Foundation, which has produced over 4,253 beneficiaries across Nigeria since 1996. Other projects include an ICT centre for Amoye Grammar School, a law auditorium at the University of Ibadan, a Bar Centre for NBA Ikere, a High Court building in Ikere, and a Senate building for Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology.
Earlier the same day, Governor Oyebanji also unveiled the Wole Olanipekun Digital Centre at Amoye Grammar School, a 150-capacity facility to advance digital learning.
Dignitaries at the event included Deputy Governor Chief Monisade Afuye, former Ekiti Governor Engr. Segun Oni, former Osun Governor Chief Bisi Akande, former Ondo Governor Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, members of the National Assembly, and the Ekiti State Executive Council.
Governor Oyebanji commended Olanipekun’s commitment to Ekiti’s development, describing the donation as a landmark intervention in maternal and child healthcare. He urged other indigenes to emulate the gesture and pledged his administration’s support for partnerships that advance the state’s shared prosperity agenda.
“Success is only meaningful when it positively impacts others,” Oyebanji said. “I call on every Ekiti indigene whom God has blessed to come home and help our people.”
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa described the donation as “philanthropy at its best” and a model of the civic responsibility Nigeria needs for faster development.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Dr. Mohammed Ali Pate, represented by the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, said the facility demonstrates how individuals can make a powerful impact on community health.
Chief Bisi Akande said Olanipekun’s legacy reflects a patriotism rooted in service, while the Ooni of Ife prayed for the donor and described the facility as a world-class intervention for mothers and children.
