Lagos: Eko Club Int’l offers free medical care to 6,000 indigents
The Eko Club International (ECI), a global body of Lagos Diaspora indigenes, has offered free medical check-ups, medications and treatment for over 6,000 indigent residents of Lagos State.
Chief Saheed Olushi, the President of ECI, disclosed this to newsmen at the dinner organised at the palace of Elegbeda of Egbeda, Oba Abdul-Hammed Oorelope-Laka, after the club’s 2024 Medical Mission, held in some Lagos communities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the intervention in Egbeda in Alimosho Local Government, was carried out in partnership with the Omo Adugbo Egbeda Association, a community-based group.
According to him, the club, with 25 Diaspora chapters including Canada, UK and US, finds it necessary regularly to come together, provide resources and channel them back to their state of origin, for the benefit of the people.
“This project is something that we have been doing since 2007, giving back to the community. Our intervention in the community spreads across a few cadres,
“Healthcare is the primary one and that is why we are here this time for our 2024 medical mission. During this mission, we have visited five different locations to provide free healthcare services, free medication, free eyeglasses, free dental services and others.
“We have also offered free cancer screening for the women, prostate screening for the men. We are also sponsoring paediatric limb deformation surgeries- the children who have some type of bone deformation in their legs.
“We are doing corrective surgery for first 10 now ongoing at the General Hospital in Lagos as we speak. We have reached out to about 6,000 people in this 2024 intervention,” Olushi said.
The president added that medical equipment and supplies valued at millions of US dollars were also brought from abroad to Lagos for donation to Lagos State Hospitals, in conjunction with the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
He listed communities touched in the 2024 medical mission to include Oko faaji community in Lagos Island, Egbeda and Ipaja-Ayobo areas in Alimosho area, Ikosi- Ejinri in Epe and Ipakodo in Ikorodu since Nov. 2 it started.
He said that the club would also distribute some palliatives to various groups and indigent residents on Friday before returning to their various nations of abode.
According to him, apart from the mega medical mission that requires bringing a good number of medical practitioners and nurses every other year into Lagos, the club has similar outreaches that holds every three months for people.
Estimating money spent on the exercise, Olushi said that the budget for the 2024 ECI Medical Mission in Lagos was about N150 million and the fund has been exhausted.
He said that that did not including the value of the equipment and supplies brought from abroad as well as the cost of shipment, the cost of cleaning among others.
The president listed other interventions by the club to include scholarships for many school children and food palliatives.
He said that as a social organisation, the club would continue to support government’s efforts to alleviate suffering of the people, especially in various underserved areas.
Olushi applauded members of ECI in the UK, Canada and in the United States of America, “who continuously give of their money and their time to make sure that we are able to serve different locations.”
Chief Sunday Obisesan, the Atona-Odo of Egbeda Kingdom and President of Omo Adugbo Egbeda Association, a community-based group, applauded the organisers, saying the gesture aligned with the association’s objectives of alleviating sufferings.
Obisesan noted that many residents had benefited from the gesture “that Eko Club International brought to us, we are glad to partner with them. This is not the first time we are partnering in any way.”
Recalling how the club doled out palliatives during the COVID-19 period to people, Obisesan said that well-meaning Nigerians should not wait until they had millions before helping to lift some burdens off the suffering masses.
Also speaking, Elder Akindele Ojo (JP), the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Omo Adugbo Egbeda Association, who also commended ECI said that the intervention has removed burdens off from hundreds of people in the community.
Akindele said that high cost of medical care and drugs had pushed many poor masses, without wherewithal to go for testing, diagnosis and treatment of various ailments, to early graves.
He urged the Federal and State government to subsidise some drugs for the masses especially medications for treatment of diabetes, prostate cancer, hypertension and others.
Some beneficiaries of various free health interventions, Messrs Adeleke Adekoya, Abolaji Sode and Mrs Olayinka Ogunsola took turns to applauded the ECI for the gesture.
Commenting at his palace, Oba Abdul-Hammed Orelope-Laka, the Elegbeda of Egbeda Kingdom said: “I am very excited to see members of Eko Club Intentional coming together to help the struggling masses. As the king here, this is motivating.”
