By Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir
The recent revelation that Kwara State currently has no functional MRI machine is not just an embarrassing headline — it is a damning verdict on the tragic decline of the state’s healthcare system under Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq since 2019.
For a state that once stood proudly among Nigeria’s few destinations for advanced medical diagnostics, this development is a disgrace of monumental proportions. It is a painful reminder that under this administration, essential public infrastructure has not merely suffered neglect; it has been deliberately abandoned, mismanaged and pushed into collapse.
There was a time when Kwara could boast of a steadily improving healthcare sector driven by vision, investment and genuine commitment to public welfare. The Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre (HADC), Ilorin, established under the administration of Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was not built for propaganda. It was built to save lives. It was equipped with cutting-edge diagnostic equipment and became one of the best facilities of its kind in Nigeria. Patients from across the country visited Kwara to access services that were scarce elsewhere, making the state a hub for medical tourism and advanced diagnostics. That was a rare achievement and a major public asset that should have been preserved, upgraded and protected.
More importantly, the administration that succeeded Dr Saraki did not destroy what it met. Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, with responsibility and continuity of governance, ensured that the facility remained functional and in good condition. He maintained the standard he met and kept the centre running for the benefit of Kwarans and Nigerians beyond the state. This is what leadership looks like — preserving and improving what works, regardless of who initiated it.
Sadly, that culture of continuity ended the moment Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq took over. Since 2019, the pattern has been consistent and disturbing: rather than build on existing progress, the administration appears obsessed with dismantling legacy projects it did not originate. It has treated public investments as political trophies to be conquered, not assets to be sustained for the people. And the health sector has suffered gravely because of this destructive approach.
The Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre, once a symbol of hope and excellence, has been allowed to deteriorate into a shadow of its former self. Machines procured under the Saraki administration — many of them durable, top-grade Philips products designed for high performance — have either become non-functional, disappeared, or been abandoned. The list of equipment that was available and functional before this administration speaks volumes: MRI, CT 16-slice, CT 64-slice, X-ray, fluoroscopy, mammogram, ECG machine, Sonoscape (3), chemistry analyser, Cobas E411, haematology analyser, and many more. These were not luxury items. They were lifesaving tools that placed Kwara on the map of serious healthcare delivery.
Today, Kwara is being mocked across Nigeria because it cannot provide a basic service that a serious government should prioritise. The absence of an MRI machine is not a minor inconvenience. It is a dangerous healthcare gap with real consequences. It means that patients with suspected stroke, spinal injury, cancer complications, internal bleeding, and other life-threatening conditions are forced to travel out of the state — wasting precious time, risking deterioration, and spending money they do not have. For some families, this delay is the difference between life and death. This is not merely a healthcare crisis; it is a moral failure and a human tragedy.
Even more disturbing are the reports surrounding how this collapse was engineered. Information in the public space suggests that the generator procured to keep the diagnostic centre running round-the-clock — a critical requirement for powering an MRI facility — was allegedly moved from the Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre to Kwara Hotels. If this allegation is true, then it is not an error. It is sabotage. It is the deliberate removal of the lifeline of a public medical facility. A government cannot remove the heart of an institution and pretend it did not know the outcome. That single act would have crippled operations, destroyed capacity and turned a thriving diagnostic centre into an empty building.
The deterioration of the facility was reportedly compounded by administrative recklessness and poor staff welfare. Workers were frustrated by unfavourable salary structure, many were sacked, and others were withdrawn or forced to resign out of exhaustion and hopelessness. No institution can function when skilled manpower is treated as disposable. When trained professionals are pushed out, equipment maintenance collapses, services shut down, and the public suffers. This is the kind of decay that follows leadership without competence, direction or accountability.
It is important to state clearly that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq did not create Kwara Harmony Holdings. The initiative was put in place by the administration of Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, reportedly with good intentions aimed at strengthening coordination and improving efficiency across state revenue agencies and public enterprises. However, what Governor Abdulrazaq did was even more damaging: he reportedly sacked the entire management and board, and replaced them with recklessly incompetent managers who have since run many of the companies aground. The result has been a trail of defunct public institutions and collapsed assets — including facilities that once generated revenue, provided services and employed Kwarans. A system that could have been improved was instead weaponised into a graveyard for public investments.
The public is therefore right to ask: what happened to the revenue generated from the Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre when it was functional? Where did the money go? Why were staff welfare and operational sustainability abandoned? What is the fate of the machines procured with taxpayers’ funds? Why was a functioning health facility allowed to rot while citizens suffer? Public assets do not disappear without responsibility, and institutions do not collapse without fingerprints.
In the midst of this national embarrassment, the recent video clip of the Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Ahmed Elimam, claiming that the government has now procured a new MRI machine is widely seen as a face-saving attempt following the outrage that swept across social media and the damaging reportage in some national dailies. If the administration truly had a sense of urgency, it would not have waited for public shame before acting. A responsible government does not respond to healthcare collapse only when it becomes a trending topic. Leadership is proactive, not reactive. Governance is responsibility, not public relations.
What makes the situation even more shameful is that despite years in office, this administration has failed to introduce any groundbreaking innovation that improves healthcare delivery beyond what it inherited. Instead of expanding capacity, strengthening institutions and upgrading facilities, it has largely excelled at dismantling and destroying existing structures. Kwara did not move forward; it moved backwards. The state did not gain; it lost. And citizens are paying the price with their health, their money, their time and, in some cases, their lives.
The sad truth is that what has happened to the Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre and the absence of an MRI machine in Kwara is not just incompetence — it bears the mark of economic sabotage. When a government destroys revenue-generating institutions, kills public investments, and forces citizens to seek essential services outside the state, it weakens the economy, drains household income, and deepens poverty. It is a betrayal of public trust and an unforgivable failure of governance.
Kwara deserves better than a government that destroys what it meets and then struggles to replace it. Kwarans deserve leadership that preserves, improves and builds — not leadership that sabotages legacy projects out of political bitterness and leaves the people to suffer. The absence of an MRI machine is not an accident. It is the consequence of mismanagement, poor priorities and a governance style that has shown little regard for the wellbeing of the people. The people will not forget, and history will not be kind.
