A father, Lawal Arishekola, expressed disbelief and joy after his wife delivered a baby at Ikosi Primary Health Centre in Ketu, Lagos, for a fee of N5,000. The amount, he said, was described by staff as a maintenance charge, not a delivery fee, as the facility does not officially charge for childbirth. The health centre, located under the Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area (LCDA), was rebuilt as a modern two-storey facility and officially commissioned on July 9, 2025, by First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Its reconstruction was overseen by LCDA Chairman Princess Samiat Abolanle Bada. Arishekola praised the quality of care, noting that over four midwives attended his wife during delivery. Another woman, Olajumoke Adeeko, confirmed low costs, stating she spent less than N20,000 for two deliveries at the same facility. Social media users lauded Bada's leadership, with some attributing the success to empathetic, female-driven governance. A midwife at the centre confirmed the N5,000 base charge but noted additional costs may apply for complications or medications. The original centre, established in 2006, was demolished before reconstruction. During construction, services were limited to antenatal care under a temporary canopy.
Princess Samiat Bada's leadership at Ikosi-Isheri LCDA stands out not because she built a health centre, but because a functioning public facility in Lagos now feels like news. The fact that a mother can deliver for N5,000 and citizens treat it as a national event exposes how starved Nigerians are of basic, working governance. Her name is now trending not for grandstanding, but for delivering a service so fundamental it should be routine.
This story cuts through the noise of federal-level dysfunction to spotlight what local governance can achieve with focused spending. While many local councils vanish with monthly allocations, Bada's administration rebuilt a defunct 2006 facility into a modern, two-storey primary health centre, later flagged with a commissioning date in 2025 by the First Lady. The social media praise, particularly the contrast drawn between empathetic female leadership and stereotypical male mismanagement, reflects a deeper public fatigue with performative politics. The fact that temporary antenatal services under a canopy were the norm during reconstruction shows how far behind many facilities were.
For residents of Ikosi-Isheri, this means access to safe, affordable childbirth and prenatal care without being pushed into debt. Pregnant women, especially low-income earners, no longer face the usual dilemma of choosing between health and survival. The ripple effect includes job creation for midwives and health workers, and indirect relief for overstretched tertiary hospitals.
This is not an outlier but part of a quiet shift in Lagos's LCDA model, where some chairpersons are delivering infrastructure while others still treat local government as a payroll scheme. Bada's project, including a fire service station in the works, suggests a pattern of prioritising functional, life-touching amenities over vanity projects. It proves that when funds are directed with purpose, public trust can be rebuilt brick by brick.
