…Attends to over 1,000 residents

Nigerian Army has extended its ongoing medical outreach in Kwara State to Ilemona, the ancestral home of President Bola Tinubu’s Aide De Camp (ADC,) Nurudeen Yusuf, in Oyun Local Government, where over 1,000 residents trooped out for the programme.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shuaib, represented by the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs, Major General Musa Awwal Etsu-Ndagi, said the Nigerian Army civil-military cooperation initiative was accompanied with range of medical interventions.

Addressing the community, the COAS listed the interventions to the community to include: general consultations, dental and eye care, laboratory investigations, counselling, medication and health education, providing residents with access to presumed elusive medical services.

The COAS said the exercise was to combine healthcare delivery with moves to strengthen trust and understanding between the military and host communities.

According to him, the nation’s Army uses the medical outreaches as part of its civil-military cooperation programmes “to improve the welfare of communities where its personnel operate.

“We are holding this medical outreach today. Medical outreach is one of those civil-military cooperation activities that we carry out in the Nigerian Army, not only to support the local communities where we operate in terms of medical care, but also to show them how much we love them,” COAS said.

He appreciated the Ilemona people for accepting the initiative and urged them to take advantage of the various services provided by the medical team.

COAS hinted that the programme was the fourth in a series of medical outreaches, with several others expected to be conducted under the initiative.

Beyond treatment, the programme also featured a symbolic deworming exercise for children and the distribution of mosquito nets to selected women as part of measures aimed at promoting preventive healthcare and reducing the risk of malaria and other health challenges.

Represented by the chairman of Ilemona community, Richard Agbola, the traditional ruler of Ilemona, Oba Nurudeen Yusuf commended the Nigerian Army for extendng its medical services to the community, believing it would strengthen the relationship between the military and the people.

The monarch said the outreach had encouraged residents, particularly those who might otherwise have been unable to seek medical attention, to come forward and receive care.

“Most of them came out and they have been taken care of,” he said, noting that some residents might previously have remained silent about their ailments for lack of financial solution or the confidence to seek help.

The community leader described the outreach as a demonstration of the Army’s growing engagement with communities beyond its traditional security responsibilities.

According to him: “I actually see the Nigerian Army going out of their traditional role and now interfacing with the community to bring support to them.”

He added that the improved relationship between the Army and the civilians could also encourage residents to share useful information with security personnel, particularly in situations where community members might previously have been reluctant to approach people in uniform.

On behalf of the community, the secretary of Ilemona Decendants Progressive Union (IDPU), Pastor Folorunsho Banjo described Saturday as historic, saying: “your presence here is not just a display of military strength, but a profound demonstration of compassion, care, and the commitment of the Nigeri Army to the well-being of the civilian populace.

“We are aware of the numerous challenges facing our people regarding access to quality healthcare. Therefore, the timing of this outreach could not be better.

“By extending the Army’s civil-military cooperation to our soil, you have proven that the Nigerian Army is indeed a “People’s Army.” You have shown that while you secure our borders, you also care for our health,” he stated.

A beneficiary, Mamud Yahaya, said the programme really alleviated the plight of those who cannot afford basic medical demands.

“If this programme continues at least on a quarterly basis, it would help the less priviledge with healty challenges. I really thank and appreciate the initiators of this programme, may God continue to factor them in His plans,” he wished.

The Ilemona women leader, madam Aderibigbe Sikira, appreciated the Federal Government for the initiative, commending also, the Nigerian Army’s foresight.