Enigma.

The man who survived COVID-19.

And many more can be used to describe Prof. Akin Abayomi, the man that occupies a hinge-position in Lagos State

After all, they say “health is wealth”, but that might be better put as “health is life”, because if your health breaks down totally, you will not be able to function in the other facets of life.

Lagos State attracts droves of people and the man at the helms of affairs of a very crucial ministry would have a busy schedule, but he created a window for us.

In our delegation were Exemplars (winners of the maiden edition of the ELP Exemplary Awards), and there were lots to talk about.

Coming from the Ebola incident of 2014 and deriving from the aforementioned droves of people swelling an already teeming population, Lagos needed a bio-shield, and a man committed to bio-security was part of the team saddled with the task of scaling Lagos up to readiness for similar future occurrences.

The completion of a structure for that project, the dedication and vision of the man; led to bringing him onboard the Babajide Sanwo-olu administration.

That was the lead-up.

In the present, Prof. Abayomi’s ministry has been active in the drive to achieve proper diagnosis of malaria; which has yielded good results. Health sector stakeholders are no longer lumping feverish feelings under malaria, this has led to more effective treatment and better recognition of other fevers.

Lagos State is also working on a holistic health sphere that recognizes the input of urban planning, commuting, housing, food, clothing, mental and physical wellness.

As it was with the aftermath of the  Ebola incident, Prof. Abayomi is already part of the team focusing on the 30-year development plan of Lagos State, in anticipation of what the terrain would be and ensuring proactive resilience.

ELP mentioned the prevalent drug-abuse issue in the state, and the HC told us about steps being taken to ensure better regulation of the process of pharmaceutical procurement and mode of prescription and consumption of medicines.

There are also plans for improved community participation in dealing with drug-addiction and a structure dedicated to expert services in management/rehabilitation of drug addicts.

We brought to the notice of Prof and his team; the perception of the people concerning Public Health Centres, as they are seen as medical centres for small children; which has led to the overrun of the General Hospitals; because they treat lots of cases that should have been dealt with at the PHCs level.

He promised to look into it.

Prof commended Environmental Lagos Platform, speaking on the tenacity and upheld values of the organization in working with the government to make Lagos State better.

We looked at areas of collaborations and future endeavours.

Drape time was a joyous one, and we left; knowing there are people dedicated to making lives better and healthier, Prof. Akin Abayomi is one of them.