The Nation Newspaper

Category: Southeast report

  • Ex-governor Orji trains youths in agric

    Ex-governor Orji trains youths in agric

    No fewer than 165 youths in Abia central senatorial zone of Abia State have been trained in various branches of agriculture under the youth empowerment scheme of Senator Theodore Orji.

    Senator Orji, a former governor of the state, represents Abia Central in the National Assembly.

    Speaking in Umuahia, the state capital, Orji said that 20 of the trainees selected from the six local government areas of the zone were trained in mechanised farming at the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, Ilori, Kwara State.

    He said 80 were trained at the National Root Crop Research Institute Umudike, while 65 were trained at Federal College of Agriculture Isiagu, Ebonyi State.

    The senator explained that the specific areas the youths from his senatorial district underwent the training include, fishery, piggery, poultry as well as soap making, adding that the aim is to make them self-reliant.

    The senator who was represented by his former legislative aide, and Commissioner for Public Utilities, Abia State, Chief Chidiebere Nwoke, said the beneficiaries would receive take-off grant along with others in an elaborate empowerment programme coming up shortly.

    He said 15 tricycles, liquid fertilizsers, farming implements, sewing machines and other empowerment tools would also be distributed to people at the event to enable them become self-reliant.

    Orji said that over 180 undergraduates have benefited from his scholarship scheme in the last three years, adding that he was highly concerned about the future of youths in his zone, hence his relentless efforts towards establishing them.

    He explained that the reason he decided to train more youths in agriculture was to make them part of the solution to the food crisis in society as agriculture is becoming the mainstay of Nigerian economy.

    The Senator said he had also attracted some major projects in the district including roads, motorized water bore holes,  rural electrification and transformers among others for the benefit of his people.

    He used the forum to urge all eligible voters and youths from the zone to get their voter’s card so that they will take part in the 2019 general elections, while promising to deliver more democracy projects in the months ahead.

    In a related development member representing Abia Central Senatorial district at the senate, Senator Orji has called on people of means in the society to invest in education as one of the ways to empower the teeming youths of the state and the country.

    Speaking in Umuahia during his third scholarship scheme program for indigent students in the tertiary institutions in country, Orji said that education is the best base for the foundation of upcoming youths in the country.

    Orji said that education is the bedrock of all human endeavors which is structured into levels and progressed on departments with the aim of grooming the mind and energise the hands into skills.

    The former Abia governor said that seeing the plight of youths who are intelligent but do not have money to further their education, “Made me to resolve to contribute in my own little way to advance this noble cause of humanity”.

    He noted that it is through education that the world has been reduced to a global village where people could get connected through telephone handsets, televisions and other electronic gadgets.

    Orji said, “Beyond gadgetry, our health and aviation world have been greatly enhanced through education, some highly infectious and incurable diseases of the past are now curable with materials like laser machines which are used to do surgery without a drop of blood”.

  • Umahi flags off medical outreach

    Umahi flags off medical outreach

    Hundreds of people in Ivo Local Government Area, Ebonyi State have been treated free of charge during the maiden edition of the Caring Heart Foundation Medical outreach.

    Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi flagged off the outreach, which was sponsored by a member of the House of Representatives (Onicha/Ivo/Ohaozara Federal Constituency) Linus Okorie.

    The flag-off at the Akaeze Development Centre Headquarters, Ugwuagba was attended by the state commissioner for Health, Dr Umezurike, Commissioner for Environment, Chief Din Njoku and his counterpart for Economic Empowerment, Uchenna Orji.

    Others were the Deputy Chief of Staff Prof Okpara, Ivo council chairman, Senior Advisers, traditional rulers, and town union presidents, among others.

    Governor Umahi who was represented by his deputy, Kelechi Igwe commended Okorie for his people-oriented representation at the National Assembly.

    He said such health outreaches will compliments the efforts of the state government in the health sector.

    He highlighted some of the programes initiated by his administration highlight like the construction of a modern virology centre in the state, fight against female genital mutilation and reconstruction of general hospitals in the state.

    Mr Okorie in his speech said the outreach is his own little way of giving back to his constituents who have shown him so much live by voting him into the House of Representatives two times.

    He said the outreach will be carried out in the three local government areas of the Constituency in the coming months to improve their health standards.

    Over 150 under five children (with one critically sick baby rushed to the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki with the ambulance), 60 pregnant women (with six identified as very high risk requiring special attention) and 239 older children and adults ( with one prolapse case) were treated.

  • Residents to contractor: return to site

    Residents to contractor: return to site

    Residents of Ovom and Waterside areas of Aba, Abia State, have been groaning since a contractor handling a major road linking their communities to other parts of the commercial city abandoned work about a year ago.

    The road and Waterside Bridge were in disrepair until the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu administration started fixing the road. Since the contractor stopped work, the residents have been agonising over their fate.

    Some of the residents and other road users who spoke to our reporter over the leaching of some parts of the bridge expressed fears that it could collapse soon if nothing is done quickly.

    They urged the state administration to order the contractor back to site. They also demanded that if the contractor is found to be incompetent, the government should replace him with somebody who will do a good job.

    When our reporter visited the site, equipment of the contractor were seen rusting, an indication that it was long they have been abandoned at the site.

    Some of the respondents including a man that gave his name simply as Chima who spoke to our reporter want the state government to deploy a team of experts to the site to assess the situation and fashion out a better way to address it.

    “The truth is that we were happy when the state government under Governor Okezie Ikpeazu started working on the road and the bridge. If you look around, you will see how they were able to check what could have been erosion menace in the area. We were surprised that the contractor over a year now has not been to the site.

    “This road was designed to link Azumini-Opobo Road, Emelogu, Pepple, Aguwa, Akpu and Ngwa roads with the city centre in such a way that if you are going to Azumini, Ovom or Opobo road, you don’t need to get to Bata or Ogbor Hill, that is when you are coming from Port Harcourt Road or Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.

    “But here we are, if you go up to Good Morning Market and other parts of Ngwa Road, you will be able to see how the contractor abandoned the work and left till date. The erosion which is washing away parts of the bridge started gradually and if care is not taken and government does not do anything to address the situation, we are afraid that by the next time you will come here as we are entering rainy season, this bridge will be impassible. We are afraid that we are going to be cut off from the rest of the city center.

    “I want to use this opportunity to call upon our dear listening governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and our brother who is the commissioner of works, Hon. Eziuche Ubani to come and ensure that the situation is addressed now before it gets out of hand. They should mandate the contractor to come back to site or engage another competent hand that can address the situation and complete this project. It is a project that is dear to us because we know the economic and social benefits that we stand to gain if this road project is completed. But importantly, they should come and fix this erosion now that it is still small before it becomes full-blown.

     

  • Donor retools UNTH

    Donor retools UNTH

    a Germany-Based Nigerian medical practitioner, Dr. Alanna Ebigbo has donated a set of equipment to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH).

    The donated items included an endoscopy machine, the Olympus exera III, 190 series, processor, light source and three scopes.

    Receiving the equipment, which are said to be the latest models in the market, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Chris Amah described the gesture as a lifetime medical intervention.

    Amah, who was represented by the director of administration in the hospital, Mr. Bernard Ugwu, said the equipment came at a time when they were upgrading their units and departments to meet patients’ care.

    “We will remain grateful to you for having good motive for our people; I assure you our competent personnel will take good care of the machine,” Ugwu remarked.

    The head of the Endoscopy Unit, Prof. Sylvester Nwokediuko, expressed joy that their collaboration that started last year had blossomed, adding that between that period and now Dr. Alanna Ebigbo, had donated two sets of endoscopy machines and six scopes to the hospital.

    He stated that apart from the equipment, Dr. Ebigbo, also sponsored some of the UNTH staff to undergo training on endoscopy operation in Germany.

    He said, “You have noticed some lapses here, we will address them, in fact, with the latest machines I will invite the Post-Graduate Medical College of Nigeria for full accreditation of the department in the college of Medicine of the University of Nigeria, Enugu campus.

    In his remarks, a renowned cardiologist at the UNTH, Prof. Ben Anisiuba, said he had to put his conference outside the state on hold, on hearing the breaking news on the arrival of the latest model of the endoscopy machine to the hospital.

    Anisiuba stated that he was in love with diagnostic instruments, such as the endoscopy equipment, as they could also be useful for cardiologists.

    The donor, Dr. Alanna Ebigbo, had said that coming to the UNTH was to him like coming home, having been born and nurtured in Enugu.

    Ebigbo, who came with his two Nigerian technical partners, Dr. Ugochukwu Ezenyirioha and Dr. Gideon Anigbo, re-affirmed his commitment to contribute his quota to the growth of the nation’s healthcare sector, adding that his scientific partnership with the hospital had just only begun.

    He explained that part of the successes achieved in securing the equipment was as a result of his reports to the Olympus Referral Centre in Germany, which in turn smoothed the ground for him.

    One of the medical staff who benefited from the training in Germany, Dr. Uche Ijoma, the UNTH Director of public Relations, Cyril Keleze and Dr. Olive Obienu were among personalities who graced the occasion.

    Dr. Ijoma had been invited as a resource person to the European Gastroentrerology conference recently hosted by Alanna’s hospital, Das Klinkum in Germany.

  • Zakat foundation reaches out in Anambra

    Zakat foundation reaches out in Anambra

    Jhaiz Zakat and Waqf Trust Fund (JZWTF), a Muslim foundation devoted to helping the needy, has provided job tools for 100 persons in Anambra State.

    The beneficiaries cut across the world’s two dominant religions, Christianity and Islam.

    The group’s Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Ambassador Adamu Babangida Ibrahim said  JZWTF was established to alleviate the sufferings of the people.

    Among the beneficiaries were 87 persons for empowerment, 10 for support in educational needs and three for medical support.

    Some of the items given to the beneficiaries included, sewing machines, industrial machines, generating sets, deep freezers, plasma televisions among other things.

    Ibrahim further said JAIZ Bank which had been in existence in the northern part of the country would soon berth in Anambra State and Southeast.

    He said majority of the business men in the country who patronise the bank were from the south east region including clergymen from different denominations,  adding that it was not meant for only Muslims.

    The Executive Secretary and CEO of JAIZ ZAKAT,  Imam Abdullahi Shuaib, told reporters yesterday that the problem today in Nigeria was allowing discrimination to eat deep in the system.

    This according to him, had aided politicians in the land to be killing one another, adding that Christians and Muslims should love themselves as enshrined in the Holy Bible and Holy Koran

    Also, about three million naira was given to other persons as part of the poverty alleviation program of the foundation.

    Some of the beneficiaries could not hold back their emotions as they cried openly when their names were reeled out.

    The beneficiaries were from Nnewi, Onitsha, Awka, Ekwulobia, Okija among other communities in the state.

    Some of them like Raji Mariam, Hajia Milbert Okenwa, Mariam Yusuf, Ukamaka Agbataekwe, Victoria Okoye, commended the organizers for finding them worthy to benefit.

    They said they were not aware of being in the list of beneficiaries, adding that names were submitted by the Imams from different locations to the organisers.

     

  • Enugu hosts global campaign against diabetes

    Enugu hosts global campaign against diabetes

    Experts from around the world gathered in Enugu to tackle diabetes, known to be among top killer diseases. 

    Health Minister Prof Isaac Adewole and others have sounded the alarm loudly enough. Late last year, the minister said Nigeria accounted for a quarter of 15 million diabetes prevalence cases in Africa. Some have said nearly two million Nigerians living with the disease, according to a conservative figure, are unable to produce insulin, or that the insulin they produce cannot properly regulate their blood sugar. This condition exposes them to all manner of grim realities, including heart diseases, blindness, amputations and death.

    That was why health experts across the globe converged on Enugu to seek ways of combating the disease.

    The experts were drawn from China, Belgium, Congo, Cameroon and Nigeria.

    Declaring the summit open at the International Conference Centre of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State, the Provost, College of Medicine of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Prof. Ernest Onwasigwe, said the institution prioritises research and manpower development as a means of achieving academic excellence.

    Onwasigwe explained that in order to boost learning and encourage research among academic staff, the university introduced inaugural lecture series, adding that the lecture provides the platform for their academic staff who had attained the status of professor to periodically educate the university community on their different fields.

    He said, “In the College of Medicine here, I can proudly say that we have medical doctors who are gifted with such amazing intellectual quotient like Prof. Ifeoma Ulasi, the leader of this research group. The world also recalls that our team of surgeons pioneered open heart surgery in Africa in 1976 and the first separation of Siamese twins several years back”.

    He said that the workshop on diabetes could not have come at a better time than now when the disease is ravaging the world. He expressed the hope that at the completion of the research study, Nigeria and the entire world would reap abundantly from the findings of the Prof. Ifeoma Ulasi-led team on diabetes.

    The provost also commended the contribution of the chairman of the UNTH Open Heart Centre, Prof. Basden Onwubere, who was known for supporting good vision.

    Prof. Xilin Yang of the Tianjin Medical University, China, called on African leaders to increase budgetary allocations to the health sector, stressing that with an improved healthcare programme for the people, the scourge of diabetes can be better controlled.

    Yang challenged stakeholders in healthcare to join hands and fight diabetes. He praised Prof. Ifeoma Ulasi for organising the workshop with help from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Belgium.

    Also speaking on the occasion, the senior programmes manager at the International Diabetes Federation, Belgium, Dr. Belma Malanda, disclosed that of the 425 million people down with diabetes globally, 200 million are women.

    In his lecture titled “Bringing Research in Diabetes to Global Environment”, Dr. Malanda, lamented that the huge patients’ figure on diabetes calls for great concern by both the government and stakeholders in the healthcare.  He stated that as part of efforts to address the issues of diabetes, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) now has 231 member associations in 165 countries of the world, including seven Regional offices adding that the population of its members had hit 2 million.

    The coordinator of the state’s Research Team on Diabetes and organizer of the summit , Prof. Ifeoma Ulasi, had explained that the objective of the group was to wipe out diabetes in Nigeria and the entire Africa.

    The renowned scholar said that by the formation of the Diabetes Association of Nigeria (DAN) since 1982, Nigerian doctors had demonstrated their readiness to combat the scourge of diabetes in the country to zero level.

    Describing diabetes as a global epidemic, Prof. Ulasi, who is of the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, called on the government to subsidise the treatment of patients with diabetes, especially the poor among them due to the harsh economy.

    The chairman of the University of Nigeria teaching Hospital (UNTH) Open Heart Centre of Excellence, Prof. Basden Onwubere stated that the University of Nigeria would continue to support research efforts as a sure way of improving the academic horizon of its staff and commended Prof. Ifeoma Ulasi for embarking on the research on Diabetes, even as he noted that everyone stands to gain at the end of the study.

    The Research team, led by the coordinator, Prof. Ifeoma Ulasi, had paid courtesy visits to the Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sintan Ekochin, the Chief Medical Director, UNTH, Dr. Chris Amah and the Provost, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Prof. Ernest Onwasigwe. Members of the state’s research team were drawn from University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital and Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Teaching Hospital, Parklane, Enugu.

  • ‘Our old-fashioned, life-saving bridge’

    ‘Our old-fashioned, life-saving bridge’

    Do not judge the bridge by its look. It may be old-fashioned but it means the world to the people of Amainyi community in Ihite Uboma Council Area of Imo State. It links them with other neighbouring communities. It is via this bridge that farm produce from the agrarian community is taken to the market in the city. Long files of pupils also take the bridge every morning to school in other villages.

    At a time in the past, Amainyi community was famous for the wooden bridge which was the envy of other surrounding villages which could not afford the comfort of such infrastructure.

    But as a result of long years of abandonment, the bridge finally collapsed, bringing untold hardship on the people of Amainyi community. They were cut off from the neighbouring villages and this adversely affected commercial, social and other activities.

    Little school children had to swim across the river to school with the accompanying dangers.

    Various efforts to get the attention of the government to the plight of the people as a result of the collapsed bridge were abortive until recently when the newly installed traditional ruler of Amainyi, Eze Eze Emeka Ogbonna, drew the attention of the state government.

    Expectedly, the reconstruction of the collapsed bridge after many years brought huge relief to the community. It once more unlocked social and commercial activities crippled in the past.

    The new bridge threw the farmers and women into frenzy and not a few of them were eager to take a walk across the bridge. The news of the new bridge also ignited joy in neighbouring communities that had hitherto been unable to visit Amainyi to buy farm produce.

    The elated monarch, recounted the ordeal the people went through when the bridge collapsed, adding that the reconstruction of the bridge will once more trigger agricultural and commercial activities in the community.

    According to the traditional ruler who is a trained Pharmacist, “our people went through difficult time as a result of the collapsed bridge. Traders that were coming from other communities like Umuoke in Obowo Local Government Area to buy our farm produce could not come again and several other socio-cultural activities were totally grounded”.

    He continued that, “we were able to reconstruct the bridge after the state governor, Rochas Okorocha gave money to traditional rulers in the state to undertake grading of critical community roads. So we met and decided to use part of the money to rebuild the bridge. So today the people are happy because they are now reconnected with other parts of the State. But we are yet to repair the road that connects the bridge and we are sure that the governor will still intervene”.

    The monarch also disclosed that the Eze-in-Council is currently completing abandoned water projects in the community, adding that “we are working hard to revive abandoned and uncompleted projects in the community to make life easier for our people”.

    Some of the villagers who spoke with The Nation, expressed joy over the wind of development that is currently sweeping through the community.

    Nze Durumba Nwaokocha, a widowed octogenarian, particularly relished the reconstruction of the ancient bridge, “when I was a young man we used to take turn to service the bridge. Different age grade takes turn to repair the bridge by replacing decayed logs and clearing the narrow path to the bridge”.

    He stated further that, “I was devastated when the bridge collapsed. Our young men don’t take interest in community service nowadays. But during our time, most of the amenities we had was through communal efforts,  we never waited for government to do everything for us”.

    Also expressing gratitude,  a widow and petty trader,  Madam Agnes Ikuoka, said, “I am so happy about the bridge, last week I went to Umuoke market for the first time after a long time. We thank God for using our Eze to help us to repair our bridge”.

    Meanwhile the state government has commenced massive grading of rural roads across the state to stimulate economic and social development.

  • ‘How to save your life’

    ‘How to save your life’

    At a health awareness forum in Aba, Abia State, experts make a case for balanced diet, exercise and regular checks, if you want to enhance your life. 

    It is not enough to merely chase the cash. You need to eat healthy food, cut down on stress, see your doctor regularly and embrace exercise.

    That was the message in Aba, Abia State’s commercial capital, where residents work like the proverbial bee.

    Over 200 participants attended a health forum in the city, with experts warning of severe consequences should people keep neglecting their health.

    A medical expert attributed the high rate of mortality in the business-minded city to pollution and inability of majority of residents to go for regular medical checks.

    The expert lamented the high rate of alcohol consumption and lack of exercise among residents, warning that without a comprehensive awareness campaign by the state government and non-governmental agencies, there may be serious consequences.

    The health awareness forum was organised by the Hon. Emeka Nnamani’s Foundation based in the commercial heartbeat of the state to educate Aba and Abia residents on how to manage their health and live a healthy life while trying to fend for themselves and their families.

    The event attracted residents of the commercial city especially within the ages of 50-70 years who thanked the organisers for such a wonderful seminar. They also called for such seminars to be regular as they hope that a continued health awareness seminars would help to save more persons from dying in ignorance.

    Speakers at the health awareness programme led discussions on high blood pressure and heart attack, two common diseases.

    They maintained that eating well along with being active can also lower someone’s risk of contracting diseases, adding that to maintain a healthy weight, people should eat a balanced diet.

    According to them, any act that would mount excess tension in the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body automatically leads to high blood pressure and heart attack, stressing that it could lead to renal failure, hardening of the arteries, eye damage, heart disease and stroke, as a result of brain damage.

    They also urged the participants to reduce their intake of alcohol, cakes, soft drinks, sports and energy drinks, fruit flavoured drinks, salt and caffeine intake, cigarette smoking, ice cream and frozen desserts among others, but to embrace exercise as the best way to live healthily.

    One of the participants, Comrade Joachim B. Anyanwu in an interview thanked God for the philanthropic disposition of the founder of the foundation whom God touched and has been using him to the rescue of the people.

    Anyanwu while acknowledging that the rate of mortality was on the high side coupled with extreme poverty said the awareness programme couldn’t have come at a better time than now that high blood pressure, prostate cancer were killing people silently and however lamented on the low level of health check attitude of the people who daily over stretched their bodies while trying to make more money and putting food on the tables of their families.

    “They have given us a comprehensive enlightenment and they even treated personal hygiene and how we will live healthy lives that can assist us to live long and live healthy lives. The medical tests were done without collecting any money from us.

    “The reading materials that they equally gave us were free and one could just sit at home to read it and be able to apply it in order to live optimal life. It is worthy of recommendation. I think that government of the day; both the local, state and national engage more in rhetoric than practical medical care provision. Most of what the government does is on paper. People don’t feel it and I must not fail to tell you that government initiate policies but the implementation is a major problem.

    “Some of the drugs that were supposed to be available at the hospitals are now diverted to their personal clinics and hospitals and government has not setup any mechanism in place to monitor these people and ensure that the proper thing is done. So, what we are witnessing is corruption in the health sector and this is causing a lot of people to lose confidence in government.

    “All the government needs to do is to provide the enabling environment and the right atmosphere for agencies that have the interest of providing healthcare for our people and should be sincere in what they are doing”, said Anyanwu.

    One of the experts, Dr. Nne Ihuoma Ngumoha, Director of Universal Mission, US; a charity organization in a a separate interview, called for people to live a moderate lifestyle.

    Dr. Ngumoha said, “The importance of the lecture cannot be overemphasised because it is High Blood Pressure and Heart attack is on the increase. Things have really changed. The main thing is what causes HBP is stress. There is so much stress in our society unlike in the past when people are comfortable and contented with what they have. But today, a lot of people want to have ten cars. They want to build a mansion with 20 rooms. They want their children to go to school in London and that is putting so much pressure on them.

    “So, once that stress comes it affects the functionality of the body and as a public health consultant, we have discovered that there are middle age death especially among men now so.

    The facilitator and founder Emeka Nnamani Foundation, Hon. Emeka Nnamani narrated how he lost his friends to heart attack and other related illnesses.

    He said, “It was actually meant not to come the way it came, having lost quite a number of friends in the last few months; between January and December, I have personally lost a couple of friends to High Blood Pressure and related diseases, so I felt that there was the need for the awareness on High Blood Pressure. Thank God that my partners, Universal Mission, USA and my very good friend, Dr. Umenwa who immediately put themselves together to package the material for the programme even within a short notice.

    “I chose the health sector because I have discovered that there is a great level of ignorance in that area which we have to address.  I’m not so sure that we have been able to articulate what it cost to the foundation to put up this programme. That is why it is a foundation and it is funded for this kind of event. But whatever the cost was, I believe the impact totally overrides the cost.”

  • Air Force offers free medical care in Enugu

    Air Force offers free medical care in Enugu

    Over 500 residents of Gabon Village in Emene, a suburb of Enugu, have benefited from a comprehensive medical outreach of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Ground Training Command (GTC), Enugu.

    The comprehensive medical outreach included blood pressure check, weight check, eye check, free medicated glasses, instant laboratory test, free drugs and insecticide-treated nets.

    Other packages included free condoms and family planning counseling as well as general health awareness talk.

    Flagging off the two-day medical outreach, the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of GTC, Enugu, AVM Sampson Akpasa, said that the Nigerian Air Force takes pride in fostering good relationship with people and its host communities.

    Akpasa, who was represented by Air Commodore Abdullahi Kassimu, said that since the Nigerian Air Force would be setting up a GTC Command near the village in few days, the medical outreach was meant to enlighten them to know that Nigerian Air Force meant well for them.

    “The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has made it mandatory and possible that all Nigerian Air Force command, base and unit must relate well with their host communities.

    “He has instructed us to foster good community relationships and ensure that our host communities or villages understand that we mean well for them.

    “That Nigerian Air Force is here to support them and make their lives and communities or villages better,” he said.

    The Traditional Ruler of the Village, Igwe Okechukwu Johnson, thanked the Nigerian Air Force for bringing the medical outreach to his people.

    Okechukwu commended the officers and airmen for the peaceful relationship between the village and the Nigerian Air Force all these years; adding; “It can only get better’’.

    “I feel good. I pray that God will bless the Nigerian Air Force,” he said.

    One of the beneficiaries, Pa Chidi Nwanne, thanked the Air Force for giving him free eyeglasses, free insecticide-treated net and some vitamin drugs.

    “I am full of gratitude for this favour and kindness the Nigerian Air Force has shown me as well as everybody in the village that came out for this medical outreach. God keep blessing them,’’ he said.

    The new GTC Command had been mandated by Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) to see to all local ground training of the Nigerian Air Force personnel.

     

  • 5,000 get medical care in Umuahia outreach

    5,000 get medical care in Umuahia outreach

    About 3,000 financially-challenged persons have been examined and treated in a medical outreach organised by HannahMay Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

    Speaking during the flag-off of the outreach at Umuobasi Ugba Ibeku town hall in Umuahia North Local Government Area, the chairman, Board of Trustees of the NGO, Mr Augusto Kanu said the outreach was planned for three days.

    The outreach provided free tests on HIV/AIDS, hypertension, diabetes, and eye-related ailments, treatment of malaria, typhoid, and provision of free eyeglasses free of any charge, among other things.

    Kanu commended the founder of HannahMay Foundation and wife of immediate past governor of the state, Mrs Mercy Orji for sustaining the NGO even after her husband’s tenure ended.

    He said, “Any patient who is diagnosed with any ailment which could not be handled at the outreach, such as surgery, such patient would be referred to a reputable hospital for surgical operation which the foundation would sponsor”.

    Earlier in her speech the founder of the NGO, Mrs Orji said that the medical outreach has become an annual ritual to assist indigent persons who cannot afford to pay for medical services.

    Mrs Orji who disclosed that one of the challenges facing the foundation is funding and used the forum to commend her husband, Senator Theodore Orji for his assistance which she noted had gone a long way to sustain the free medical outreach.

    She also gave kudos to other philanthropists and other donor agencies abroad who send drugs, eyeglasses and other medical equipment that have helped to sustain the programme and called on others to lend a helping hand to enable the foundation to continue taking care of the needy people in the society.

    Mrs Orji pledged to continue to fund the foundation in its effort to ensure that the indigent people in the society are always taken care of medically, stressing that one of the best things that could happen to people is to give them medical attention when they need it most.

    Mrs Orji also called on the well to do in the state, other donor agencies and corporate bodies to venture into the area of helping the indigent people in the society as one of the ways to give back to the society.

    In their separate reactions some recipients which include Chief Nduka Anya, Mrs Regina Nwagboso and Mr Charles Ezebuiro thanked the founder of the foundation for saving the lives of Abians through her medical outreach.

    They prayed God to be with HannahMay foundation founder and her family, “For taking care of people like us may God always take care of your needs including those of your entire family, your good deeds will never go unrewarded by God all the days of your life”.

    In his own reaction the national President of Abia State youth Development organization, Prince Obinna Ehumadu extolled the philanthropic gesture of the wife of the former governor for her continued sustenance of the programme.