By Ayo Onikoyi

A corps member in Oyo State, Dr Naomi Oghenefega Ovwighose (NYSC/UIB/2014/158174) embarked on a community development project to give a facelift to the dilapidated veterinary hospital complex.

The Veterinary Hospital Complex, Mokola, Ibadan was built in 1978 and commissioned in the year 1980 while the main hospital building was commissioned in the year 2001 by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Until Dr Naomi’s efforts, the Hospital had never been renovated or re-painted as routine maintenance measures.

The poor state of facilities at the state veterinary hospital had a negative impact on veterinary services as most people in Ibadan did not believe that this hospital was still functional because of its dilapidated and unappealing state.

Dr Naomi Ovwighose, a trained veterinarian from the prestigious University of Ibadan, a Batch B corps member with code number OY/2014B/0881 and a Facilitator of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), changed the patronage of the Veterinary Hospital Complex, Mokola, Ibadan.

She is a youth with a difference and a change agent who created a lasting impact in the veterinary profession in Oyo State. This she did by mobilizing funds from well-meaning veterinarians and other stakeholders of the profession. She painstakingly ensured that the project is completed with the little funds donated within a 3-month period (₦253,500.00 only).

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) Oyo State, Dr Ibikunle Faramade, the renovation of the building and supply of certain internal facilities would go a long way in the promotion of standard best practices in veterinary profession in Oyo State as the Mokola Veterinary Complex remains the major veterinary outfit owned by the Oyo State Government.

The NVMA Oyo State, in recognition of the selfless efforts of Dr Naomi Ovwighose and her significant contributions to the veterinary profession in Oyo State, recommended her for a state award. Also, Dr Naomi Ovwighose was commended by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for being an outstanding corps member. In response to these endorsements, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) gave her a state award for excellence in July 2015.