Opinion: Kwara’s Maternal Health Success Owes More to Toyin Saraki’s WellBeing Foundation Than Abdulrazaq’s Government.
By Bashir Ashura.
Few weeks ago, the Kwara State Government, under Mr. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has been quick to celebrate its reported achievement of Nigeria’s lowest child mortality rate, pegged at an impressive 2 deaths per 1,000 live births, as announced by Professor Nusirat Elelu. The state has also touted its collaboration with UNICEF under the European Union’s Strengthening Access to Reproductive and Adolescent Health (EU-SARAH) programme, which trained 60 healthcare workers in Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEMONC).
On the surface, these developments paint a picture of a proactive government committed to maternal and child health. But a closer look reveals a troubling reality, the Kwara State Government is reaping accolades for successes it has done nothing to earn, while the foundational work of the WellBeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), of Barr. Toyin Saraki, continues to be the unsung driver of these outcomes. The Abdulrazaq administration’s claims of progress are flawed by inconsistencies and a troubling lack of focus on the state’s healthcare system. On May 9, 2025, the same day the government was trumpeting its low child mortality rate and the EU-SARAH training, it was simultaneously advertising for healthcare workers to fill critical vacancies. Why? Because Kwara’s healthcare sector has been hemorrhaging staff throughout 2025, with many professionals leaving the state due to poor working conditions, inadequate remuneration, and a lack of investment in healthcare infrastructure.
This brain drain has left facilities like the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at General Hospital in Ilorin in a dire state, unable to admit outborn babies (those born outside the hospital) due to severe staff shortages. The NICU now focuses solely on inborn babies, forcing families with outborn newborns to seek care at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) or private facilities, which are often unaffordable for many Kwarans. This is not the mark of a government that has prioritized maternal and child health. Contrast this with the sustained, transformative work of the WellBeing Foundation Africa, founded by Barr. Toyin Saraki. Since 2015, WBFA has been a savior for Kwara’s mothers and children, implementing programs that have directly addressed the root causes of maternal and infant mortality. One of its flagship initiatives, the Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) program, run in collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) from 2016 to 2021, trained over 600 healthcare workers,doctors, nurses, and midwives across six local government areas, of Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Kaiama, Edu, Offa, and Irepodun. These trainings, which continued with in-house sessions for thousands more, equipped health workers with life-saving skills to manage obstetric emergencies and improve newborn care.
The impact was profound: health workers gained the expertise to handle complications with postpartum hemorrhage, eclampsia, and neonatal asphyxia, significantly reducing mortality rates.
Barr. Saraki’s vision extended beyond training. She sought funding to ensure the sustainability of these programs for zero maternal and infant mortality in Kwara. Her approach was grassroots-focused, targeting rural and underserved areas where maternal and child health challenges are most acute.
The WBFA’s work laid a solid foundation that has continued to bear fruit, even as the current administration struggles to maintain momentum. It is no coincidence that Kwara’s low mortality rates align with the enduring impact of WBFA’s interventions, which have been complemented more recently by initiatives of EU-SARAH and UNICEF. These external partnerships, while valuable, are building on the groundwork established by Barr Toyin Saraki’s foresight and commitment.
The Abdulrazaq government’s attempts to claim credit for these outcomes are not only misleading but also a disservice to the people of Kwara. The state’s healthcare system is in crisis. The shortage of staff at critical facilities like the General Hospital NICU is a glaring example of neglect. The government’s reliance on free delivery kits and toll-free lines to report extortion at Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) is commendable but insufficient when the broader system is understaffed and underfunded. Even the EU-SARAH training, which the government has heavily publicized, is a 14-day program that, while useful, pales in comparison to the multi-year, comprehensive efforts of WBFA. The government’s narrative reeks of propaganda, conveniently timed to distract from its failure to address the exodus of healthcare workers.
Moreover, the Abdulrazaq administration has shown a troubling lack of initiative in sustaining the gains made by previous interventions. While Professor Elelu highlighted Kwara’s high immunization coverage and the deployment of skilled birth attendants, these are strategies that were already in motion before Abdulrazaq took office. The state’s leadership has done little to innovate and expand these programs, instead relying on external partners like UNICEF and the EU to fill the gaps. This is not leadership; it is opportunism. The government’s failure to engage fathers in immunization campaigns, as noted by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi, further underscores its reactive approach to public health challenges.
In all, Barr. Toyin Saraki’s WellBeing Foundation Africa has demonstrated what true leadership looks like. Her programs were not just about training healthcare workers but about building a resilient system that could withstand challenges of staff shortages and funding constraints. By focusing on continuous training, community engagement, and partnerships with global institutions, LSTM, WBFA ensured that Kwara’s health workers were equipped to save lives long after specific programs ended.
The fact that Kwara continues to boast low mortality rates is a reality to the enduring standard of these efforts, not the fleeting initiatives of the current administration.
The people of Kwara deserve better than a government that takes credit for the work of others while failing to address systemic issues. The Abdulrazaq administration must move beyond propaganda and invest in its healthcare workforce, ensuring that facilities in the General Hospital NICU can serve all babies, not just those born within its walls. It must prioritize sustainable funding for PHCs and secondary facilities, so that mothers and newborns are not left to fend for themselves in private hospitals. And it must acknowledge the contributions of organizations, which have done the heavy lifting to make Kwara a leader in maternal and child health.
For now, Kwara’s mothers and children owe their survival not to the state government’s half-hearted efforts, but to the visionary leadership of Barr Toyin Saraki and the enduring impact of her foundation.
Ashura writes from Ilorin
