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NYSC’s Rural Dweller initiative Impacts 3-Million Nigerians-Brigadier General YD Ahmed

Published

6 months ago

February 9, 2024

Joel Ajayi
In it’s continues moves to improving well being and healthy living of Nigerians especially the Rural Dwellers, the National Youth Service Corps’ Health initiative for Rural Dweller HIRD vehicle of free medical for Nigerians stormed the Junior Secondary School Gosa-Sarki in the federal Capital city where hundreds of citizens received free medical treatment, free consultation and Referrals for the people of the community.
It will be recalled that, the interventions of the HIRD platform have brought succor to over 3 millions of people in the country over the nine years of its birth.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja during the flagged off of the 2024 edition of HIRD at the School premise in Gosa Sarki, the Director General of NYSC Brigadier Gen YD Ahmed said the Scheme target is to reach at least five hundred thousand additional beneficiaries this year.

According to the DG, the HIRD is the platform on which the NYSC caters for the health needs of the people in rural communities, who have little or no access to quality healthcare.

“In essence, we are deploying the resources at our disposal to compliment the efforts of the Federal Government towards achieving universal health coverage as part of its social welfare programmes.

“In driving this initiative, we leverage the expertise of Corps Medical Personnel, such as Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, and Laboratory Scientists, that are deployed to render free and qualitative medical services to communities across the country. We also mobilize medical consumables, including drugs, to treat ailments, while referrals are made to relevant health facilities, when necessary.

“I am pleased to report that since the commencement of the programme, we have reached out to three million six hundred and fifteen thousand Nigerians by way of sensitization on causes and prevention of diseases; treatment of ailments; and referrals. Our target is to reach at least five hundred thousand additional beneficiaries this year.

“It is heart-warming to note that the successes recorded in the programme over the years have been partly due to the support of various stakeholders, especially those that provide resources, such as drugs and other consumables for use during outreaches of this nature. I, therefore, wish to use this opportunity to once again express our profound gratitude to Government Agencies, non-governmental organizations as well as public-spirited individuals that have continued to lend helping hands towards sustaining this laudable initiative.”

He commended the patriotic zeal of Corps members of successive batches, who have been the field implementers of the HIRD in all States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Indeed, your dedication to this humanitarian endeavour is not only touching the lives of Nigerians positively, but also contributes to the visibility the NYSC as a Scheme that is responsive to national needs.

In her opening remarks, the Community Development Service and SP Hajiya Z. Isah revealed that the scheme have mobilized 50 Corps Medical personnel, comprising 20 Doctors, 12 Pharmacists, 10 Nurses 8 Medical Laboratory Scientists to attend to members of this community for the two day initiative in the community.

Highlighting of activities for the event Director of Community Development Service said the next two days will witness sensitization on causes and prevention of diseases; diagnosis; checkups and treatment of a wide range of ailments.

She said that, the medical conditions that require greater expertise or more sophisticated facilities than the ones at the disposal will be referred to the appropriate facilities.

She however, appreciated all the stakeholders for their contributions to the success of this initiative.

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NAPTIP Restates Commitment To Fighting Human Trafficking

Published

2 days ago

July 25, 2024

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

… decries corruption in law enforcement, weak legislation

The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, has pledged the agency’s commitment to fight human trafficking.

Waziri-Azi gave the assurance during an anti-corruption radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, in Abuja.

The commitment by NAPTIP follows an investigative report by Human Angle Media exposing how many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt are inhumanely treated and exploited by their sponsors.

Represented by the agency’s Director of Public Enlightenment, Mrs. Kehinde Akomolafe, decried the rising number of Nigerians who are victims of trafficking, pledging that “NAPTIP is fighting on all sides to curb human trafficking.”

Akomolafe disclosed that the agency is aware of the report of Nigerians trafficked to Egypt and has already commenced interventions to rescue them while warning citizens to be wary of “offers that are too good to be true.”

She identified weak legislation, lengthy judicial processes, and corrupt law enforcement officials as factors aiding and abetting trafficking in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world.

“Corruption is endemic and cuts across other countries of the world, and that’s why trafficking is easily perpetrated in Nigeria and around the globe. You find law enforcement officials aiding and abetting traffickers. Some of them know these traffickers from their operations either at the entry or exit point. They give them something or become too familiar with them.

“Apart from the bribery aspect, we also have officials turning a blind eye to trafficking activities, and that’s why for us at the agency (NAPTIP), we are not resting.”

According to her, the agency, from inception, secured 672 convictions, 67 in 2023, and 35 persons so far this year (2024). She added that “NAPTIP is winning the war against trafficking but still wants stiffer punishment for traffickers and the support of the judiciary in hastening cases.

“weak legislation is aiding trafficking. That’s why the agency continues pushing for amendments. Currently, NAPTIP is pushing for stiffer punishment against traffickers that will lead to confiscation of their monies and property.

“NAPTIP Director-General (Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi) is fighting on all sides against human trafficking.

“Where law enforcement officials are found complicit, NAPTIP Director-General does not take it lightly; she doesn’t compromise her anti-corruption stance even when a staff is involved,” Akomolafe stated.

According to the Editor of Southern Operations, Human Angle Media, Kabir Adejumo, many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt engage in forced labour. They are also living in fear as authorities go after illegal immigrants.

Adejumo said victims interviewed during the investigation are willing and interested in returning home, but their sponsors refuse to release their travel passports and threaten to implicate them.

He also revealed that the NAPTIP and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) are aware of the plight of Nigerians trafficked in Egypt and have currently rescued one person.

On her part, the Programme Manager of the Human Angle Foundation, Angela Umoro-David, expressed satisfaction at NAPTIP’s response to trafficking cases while urging the agency to stay on course with their mandate.

Umoro-David called on Nigerians to use a Freedom of Information platform (foi.humananglemedia.com) to help citizens navigate requests for public records from different government parastatals and agencies.

She stressed that the platform “is a website where people can submit their FOI requests to us (Human Angle), and we’ll submit it on their behalf to the particular agency. So we act as middlemen, connecting these government parastatals to the citizens”.

Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation

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