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Snakes Invade Lagos Clinic Where Babies Are Delivered Under Candlelight

Published by Tope Fakinlede on July 22nd, 2025.

Snakes Invade Lagos Clinic Where Babies Are Delivered Under Candlelight

A shocking investigation has exposed dire conditions at the Pota Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Badagry, Lagos State, where patients — including expectant mothers — are treated in near-total darkness, and the facility has become overrun with snakes.

The state-run clinic, once a crucial lifeline for residents across more than 15 towns and 40 communities, has fallen into ruin. According to findings by Badagry Today, numerous snakes have been spotted and killed inside the premises, including in critical areas like the labour ward, consulting rooms, and even the toilets.

Photographs and eyewitness accounts submitted by residents paint a grim picture of the health centre, which now functions more like an abandoned building than a healthcare facility. A visit to the centre revealed crumbling infrastructure, broken equipment, and a complete lack of essential utilities.

Nurses working at the clinic, who spoke anonymously for fear of repercussions, reported that over 20 snakes have been killed in the facility in recent months. The power situation is just as dire — the centre has no stable electricity supply. Night shifts are conducted under candlelight and with the help of a single solar-powered bulb. A generator once donated by a nearby mosque has been rendered useless due to the government’s failure to provide fuel.

“This place is in total darkness,” a health worker lamented. “It’s almost unbelievable that in 2025, we are still delivering babies by candlelight.”

Despite repeated written complaints and reports submitted to the Badagry Local Government — the body responsible for maintaining the clinic — staff say their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. “Officials come, they listen, and then leave. Nothing ever changes,” one staff member shared in frustration.

The last meaningful support the centre received came not from the government, but from a private initiative. In 2021, the Sesi Whingan Foundation, led by Hon. Sesi Oluwaseun Whingan, donated critical supplies including beds, fans, benches, and wheelchairs. Since then, no further improvements have been made.

To add to residents’ frustration, a brand-new health facility was recently unveiled in Ajido, another community within the same LGA. Locals are questioning why authorities are launching new projects while existing ones like Pota PHC are collapsing.

“What’s the point of building new centres if the ones we already have are left to decay?” a resident asked. “Fix what’s broken first.”

Access to the health centre is another ordeal. The Mowo–Ikoga–Zebbe Road, which leads to Pota PHC, has been in a deplorable state for over ten years. Potholes, erosion, and seasonal flooding have turned the road into a hazard. During the rainy season, it becomes nearly impassable — with reports of schoolchildren drowning in flooded portions of the route.

The state of the Pota clinic and its access road raises serious questions about the Lagos State Government’s commitment to inclusive infrastructure, as outlined in Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES Plus Agenda. While parts of the state have seen notable development strides, Badagry appears to

have been left behind.