Sanwo-Olu Assures Completion of Africa’s Largest Psychiatric Hospital in 12 Months

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has assured Lagosians that the state’s Central Food Security Systems and Logistics Park and a 500-bed psychiatric hospital, designed to be Africa’s largest in Epe will be completed in 2025. 

During a visit to the construction sites, Governor Sanwo-Olu stated that the food hub, envisioned five years ago after the Covid pandemic, will be fully operational by the second quarter of 2025, while the hospital housing a 500-bed accommodation in different sizes, consultation rooms, dormitories and dining rooms, kitchen, and residence for health facility workers, will be operational in 12 months.

Recounting the 2020 experience and the necessity of the food hub, Sanwo-Olu said, “The food hub was envisioned five years ago because though we are not an agro-producing state, the least we can do is to have our destiny in our hands.

“Covid that happened in 2020 taught us a lesson because it was then that we saw a global disruption in the chain of food logistics. You remember at that time if you don’t have anything in your house, you continue to pray to God.”

He described the food hub as a strategic move to ending food insecurity in Lagos State saying “It was after the global disruption that we came up with a plan that Lagos should be a large-scale food logistics hub to protect itself from food insecurity. We did mention then that food is security, and it is becoming an important and even a normal threat to life’s security.  We can see that indeed that move that we made three years ago is on the right course.

Giving details of the facility, he said, ‘’The largest food logistics hub in sub-Saharan Africa is here. It is on over 230 hectares of land, about five thousand square metres, and it is going to be the largest, biggest cold and dry chain storage.”

The governor also reaffirmed his commitment to delivering a psychiatric rehabilitation centre in Ketu-Ejinrin, a facility he described as the “first of its kind”.

With a 500-bed capacity, consultation rooms, dormitories and dining rooms, kitchen, and residence for health facility workers, the governor expressed optimism that the facility, which will be the largest in Africa, will help promote mental healthcare delivery.

He said: “The Lagos State Mental Health Institute, a psychiatric rehabilitation centre in Ketu-Ejinrin, is the first of its kind. It borders the food and logistics hub and would be the largest psychiatric rehabilitation centre in entire sub-Saharan Africa. Phase one is the 500-bed health facility and it is evident that all of the structures are ready, including the 500-bed accommodation in different sizes, consultation rooms, dormitories and dining rooms, kitchen, and residence for health facility workers, among others.

Speaking on the urgent need for the state to own such a facility, Sanwo-Olu argued that, ”It is a massive health institute sitting on about 25 hectares of land. We believe this kind of health institute is equally important because we have seen enough mental health issues, and need to make a classic case, and we need to make it first class so people can come in for psychotherapy, and rehabilitation and get well in a serene environment.

He hailed the contractors of the projects for their efforts to deliver the projects.

“Phase two of it will be additional accommodation for patients who need services here and who need rehabilitation centres. We are targeting that this time next year, the project would have been completed. This project is about 50 percent done and we believe that in the next 12 months, we can bring it to completion. I am impressed with the level of work that the contractor has put into it,” he concluded.