Ogun Residents Laud Gov Abiodun, Await Full Operations of 250-Bed Skyview Specialist Hospital
By Bolaji Israel
Residents of Abeokuta and other parts of Ogun State have poured encomiums on Governor Dapo Abiodun for his intervention in the long-stalled 250-bed Skyview Specialist Hospital, while expressing high expectations that the facility should soon be completed and fully operational.
From Kuto to Pansheke, Ita Oshin to Ibara, residents say the Governor’s role in reviving the hospital project shows clear commitment to healthcare development—but they are also eagerly watching to see him “write his name in gold” by ensuring its completion.
“We are looking up to our Governor to complete the new hospital quickly,” said Mrs. Ayobami Bolaji, a 55-year-old chartered accountant from Onikolobo.
She revealed: “ In Abeokuta, we have the Sacred Heart Hospital, Lantoro; General Hospital, Ijaye; and the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba. These hospitals are overwhelmed and understaffed. While others are trying their best, the General Hospital is the weakest, with patients sitting for long hours waiting to access care. We don’t want to travel abroad or to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) to access intensive healthcare. Personally, I received the news of the Skyview Specialist Hospital with great excitement. The timing is perfect and the Governor should please complete the good work. We are eager.”
Adetoun Oshinaike, a trader from Pansheke, echoed the sentiment: “We thank Governor Dapo Abiodun for his intervention on the 250-bed hospital in Oke Mosan. We can’t wait to have SkyView Specialist Hospital open and start providing major healthcare to the people.”
A banker from Kuto, who gave his name simply as Olakunle, framed it in legacy terms: “This is the Governor’s opportunity to etch his name in gold. With all the damaging impact of medical tourism and unemployment on our economy, this hospital will remain a great legacy if he sees it through.”
A Vision Revived
The Skyview Specialist Hospital—located on a sprawling four-storey facility at Oke Mosan, near the State Assembly and Governor’s Office—had stalled for years despite its imposing structure and some equipment already in place. Former President Muhammadu Buhari once visited the site, but it never admitted patients.
In November 2024, Governor Abiodun formally handed over the facility to Viewpoint Health Management Services Limited and Pan African Capital Holdings under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), charging them to commence operations in 2025. “We will work tirelessly alongside them to provide world-class healthcare for our people,” the Governor pledged.
He expressed confidence that the facility, when operational, would drastically reduce the amount of foreign exchange spent on medical tourism overseas and lay a foundation for long-term growth in the state.
A recent visit to the site confirmed ongoing work, with engineers, employees, and security personnel visible. But residents are anxious for deadlines to be met, especially as Abiodun had promised operations would begin between March and June 2025.
Chairman of Viewpoint HealthShare South Africa, Tony Decoito, said his company remains committed towards ensuring the hospital’s completion.
Why Skyview Matters
When fully completed and operational, the Skyview Specialist Hospital is expected to transform healthcare in Ogun State in several ways.
A medical doctor in Sango Ota said, it will, “Reduce pressure on existing hospitals. Abeokuta’s main hospitals—Sacred Heart, Lantoro; General Hospital, Ijaye; and FMC Idi-Aba—are overcrowded and Skyview will ease that burden.”
He noted that it will also curb medical tourism with advanced facilities for cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, and more, and create many jobs across sectors through its public private partnership model.
For residents, Skyview represents more than a symbol of visionary governance. If delivered as promised, it will stand as one of Abiodun’s most enduring legacies under his “Building Our Future Together” mantra.
As Mrs. Bolaji put it: “We are eager. This hospital is hope for the common man. The Governor has started well, but completion is what will write his name in gold.”
