By Precious Oham
The Federal Government on Saturday embarked on malaria outreach among indigent residents of Ekiti State to eradicate the disease in the state.
The one-day outreach programme was organized by the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Community Engagement, South-West Zone, Moremi Ojudu, in Ado-Ekiti.
The medical outreach featured general medical consultation, blood pressure measurement, dispensing of essential drugs and distribution of food items to the vulnerable in the state.
According to Ojudu, the outreach is part of activities marking the 2024 World Malaria Day aimed at eradicating the disease in the South-West zone.
She reiterated the commitment of the federal government to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians through various intervention programmes.
The SSA noted that the federal government is working assiduously with the state government towards the growth and development of the state.
She said: “The office has gone on a malaria outreach. Malaria kills a lot people in the communities. The communities in Nigeria, particularly in the South-West are ravaged by malaria and that is largely due to poor sanitation.
“It’s world malaria day on April 25 and we are here to sensitize the people on the need to be preventive of the malaria disease. We ran test and gave out drugs for free at the grassroots level.
“The President is very magnanimous and very kind. We also gave out some food items to relieve and support them at this period.
“The President means well for every citizen of the country and he has put me in charge of community engagements, which was created to talk to people to bring governance to the people and let them know about the government plans and policies.
“We also have an initiative that no family will go hungry in Nigeria and the government is working assiduously and we are trying to ensure that everybody is well fed so that we kick out hunger.
“Governor Biodun Oyebanji is working with the President. There is a wonderful synergy between him and the federal government and I can see how well he has done so much in the state.
“My sister who is the DG of Community Communications is also here to ensure that we bring better progress and relieve to the communities in Ekiti State.”
On her part, the Director General, Office of Community Communications, Governors Office in the State, Mrs Mary Omotosho said the outreach is in line with the vision of Governor Oyebanji.
She revealed that her office and that of the SSA have been in synergy to ensure that development gets to the grassroots level in the state.
“This is in line with Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s vision in ensuring inclusivity in Ekiti State and ensure that everybody is carried along in governance and ensure that nobody is left behind in his policies, activities and programmes.
“For Governor Oyebanji, he believes that everything that happens at the state level must also trickle down to every grassroots across the state. The Office of Community Communications and the SSA, Community Engagements to the President have been synergizing and complementing each other.
“This is one of the programmes to reach out to people at the grassroots and it is to ensure we take the programmes of the President to the grassroots. This should go round in all the South-West States and we have started in Ekiti State and we are implementing this in conjunction with the Office of the Community Communications.”