The newly appointed Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, has reiterated the commitment of the scheme to ensure that Nigerians, especially those living in rural communities access qualitative medical facilities.
The Director General made reiteration in his address read during the 2025 first quarter NYSC Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers, HIRD, programme held at Imafon community in Akure North local government area of Ondo State.
Nafiu stated that NYSC decided to bring out the HIRD programme with the aim of mobilising volunteer Corps Medical Personnel to rural communities to give adequate medical attention to rural dwellers, who ordinarily might not have access to such as a result of neglect and remoteness of their location.
The one star General said that his focus was to reposition the scheme and make it be at the forefront of addressing the hazard occasioned by health challenges and inadequacies faced by citizens and residents of rural communities nationwide.
“I, therefore beseech the community dwellers and its environs to seize the opportunity of this programme to improve their health status, as this will lead to drastic reduction in the cases of untimely deaths among you. This will equally enhance the health care of the beneficiaries.”
He charged them to feel free to discuss any of their confidential health related challenges with corps medical personnel that will be attending to them in the course of the exercise, while assuring them that the management of the scheme had brought competent, tested and experienced professionals to their doorstep.
READ ALSO: Boiling Point: Discussants berate IBB, others over June 12
The Director General who was represented by the NYSC Ondo State Coordinator, Mrs. Kuburat Omowumi Bakare, appreciated all those behind the success of the event, saying that their unwavering support and commitment in diverse ways had continued to sustain the programme over the years.
The State NYSC Governing Board Chairman who was represented by the Director, Youth Development in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Mrs. Catherine Okukpe, disclosed that the quarterly programme was organised to promote the well-being of people at the grassroots by competent corps medical personnel who give standard and topnotch free medical services to citizens and residents of benefitting communities.
The chairman said that the government of Ondo State was appreciative of the gesture which he said was seen as an extension of the government policy of healthcare for all and sundry.
The chairman pledged to strengthen the partnership with the NYSC scheme and seek ways to expand its reach and enable more people of the state to benefit from its provision.
The arrowhead of the apex policy maker for the scheme in Ondo State pledged the support of the state government and their readiness to provide all necessary collaboration to ensure that the initiative did not become a thing of the past.
The Olumafon of Imafon Kingdom, Oba Samuel Aliu Adegbehingbe, in his goodwill message applauded NYSC for bringing such privilege to his kingdom.
The traditional ruler used the occasion to call on stakeholders to rally support for the NYSC so that life-touching impact of the scheme would be felt in all the nooks and crannies of the country.
Highlights of the programme was the health talk which touched on key areas of medical and health challenges such as Hypertension, Blood Pressure, Diabetes and maintainance of clean environment.
Participants were screened and attended to while drugs were freely given to those who presented their medical cases and history to the corps medical personnel.
