When the now-viral video began with “Ondo don change ooo,” many laughed. Then many paused. Then many asked a harder question.
Has Ondo truly changed — or have our standards simply dropped?
Recently, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa unveiled tricycle-based ambulances in Ondo State. The symbolism was bold. The optics were dramatic. The applause was loud.
But healthcare is not theatre. It is not a ribbon-cutting contest. It is not a siren with three wheels.
It is life and death.
What Is an Ambulance — By Global Standards?
A standard emergency ambulance — even at Basic Life Support (BLS) level — is expected to include:
• Oxygen delivery system
• Suction apparatus
• Cardiac monitor/defibrillator
• Secure stretcher mount
• Emergency drugs
• Trained paramedics
• Shock-absorbing suspension
Advanced Life Support (ALS) units go further with airway management tools and cardiac stabilization capacity.
These are not luxuries. They are minimum safety standards.
So the question is simple:
Does a tricycle ambulance meet these requirements?
If not, what exactly has been launched?
The unveiling reportedly took place in Owo — a town with historic, political, and cultural significance. A huge paradox if you ask me.
The Hard Truth
Citizens are not angry because of three wheels.
They are weary of gestures being presented as governance.
In advanced systems, ambulances are not celebrated. They are assumed.
Hospitals are not political achievements. They are obligations.
Progress is not the sound of a siren.
Progress is survival rate statistics improving year over year.
If the tricycle ambulance saves lives, let the data show it.
If it cannot, let the state upgrade the system.
Ondo does not need mockery.
It needs metrics.
And metrics do not clap.
They either expose you — or vindicate you.
