Army holds medical, educational outreaches in Kogi

The Nigerian Army held medical and educational outreaches targeted at vulnerable citizens in communities in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi on Monday.

The educational outreach was inaugurated by the Commander, 12 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Harunah Dasuki at the College of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Okene.

He distributed notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers, sharpeners, erasers and other stationery to students of the college.

The medical outreach tested residents in communities for high blood pressure, diabetes, malaria and typhoid; administered polio vaccines and did general medical consultations.

Dasuki said the outreach was part of activities of on-going “Exercise Still Waters III’’ to reach out to less- privileged citizens in the society.

He noted that the Nigerian Army flagged off the exercise on Oct. 30 to facilitate Yuletide celebrations in its host communities.

The commander added that the medical and educational outreaches were part of army’s civil-military cooperation and commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. -Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, for facilitating the exercise.

“I assure you that the Nigerian Army would continue to ensure a secure environment for the people for economic activities to thrive.

“We appeal to people in communities to provide adequate and timely information about criminality in their areas to enable us to keep the areas safe,’’ he said.

Responding, Mr Yusuf Suleiman, Secretary, Okene Local Government Council, who represented the chairman, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Muhammad, expressed appreciation of the army’s gesture.

He said the gesture would go a long way to improve the health of the people and enhance the academic performance of the students.

Expressing appreciation of the gesture, one of the beneficiaries, Mrs Jemilat Nuhu, said she was given anti-malaria and typhoid drugs after a medical test.

“Mosquito will no longer bite me and my baby since the army has given us insecticide-treated mosquito net,’’ a nursing mother said.

Representatives of students at the college also assured the army that they would use the materials provided judiciously.

Earlier, Dasuki visited the Margaret Garba Ohiani Orphanage Home, Lokoja, where he donated food items and cash to less-privileged children.

Mrs Regina Ejembi, who received the items on behalf of the orphanage home, appreciated the army for the gesture, saying it would go a long way to take care of the vulnerable children.

Items donated at the orphanage home were rice, detergents, sugar, noodles, spaghetti, seasoning cubes and cash.