The Forward Operating Base (FOB) of the Nigerian Navy, Badagry, Lagos, on Wednesday extended medical rhapsody to 769 indigents of Iworo and Epeme communities in Badagry, Lagos State.
Navy Capt Leye Omotayo, the Commanding Officer, Forward Operating Base (FOB) of Nigerian Navy, Badagry, Lagos in a group photograph with men and officers of the Base and traditional ruler of Iworo Kingdom, Oba Oladele Kosoko, the Oniworo of Iworo Kingdom during a medical rhapsody exercise at his palace in Iworo.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise recorded an impressive turnout as hundreds of community members received free medical consultations, medications, and essential health sensitisation.
NAN also reports that a substantial volume of drugs and medical supplies were dispensed, reflecting the Navy’s commitment to enhancing community health and welfare.
Speaking before the take-off of the ceremony Navy Capt. Leye Omotayo, the Commanding Officer, FOB, Badagry, said the medical rhapsody was not only a gesture of goodwill but a lifesaving intervention for the residents of Iworo Kingdom.
Omotayo noted that the Medical Rhapsody was conducted in alignment with the Nigerian Navy’s Civil-Military Cooperation objectives.
“This is in strict compliance with the strategic directives of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral A. Abbas, aimed at strengthening trust, partnership, and security within host communities,” he said.
He noted that the medical rhapsody was meant for the elderly and vulnerable who might be facing challenges in accessing quality healthcare.
“The initiative underscored the Nigerian Navy’s dedication to addressing pressing health issues and enhancing the quality of life in its host communities,” he said.
Omotayo said they had medical personnel and medication for between 600 and 1,000 residents of the kingdom.
“We have four medical doctors and many other personnel to attend to the residents.
“We have pharmacists and drugs for them, once they go through the process and they prescribe drugs for them; they will go and get it immediately,” he said.
Omotayo urged residents to take advantage of the healthcare services, describing the rhapsody as a “hospital setting brought to the doorstep of the community.”
Also speaking, Dr Nimotallah Olajire the Medical Director, FOB, Nigerian Navy, Badagry, said the medical rhapsody would include medical consultations, medical education, malaria parasites test, blood pressure, sugar check and deworming exercise, among others.
Olajire urged the residents of Iworo Kingdom to pay attention to their health.
In his remarks, Oba Oladele Kosoko, the Oniworo of Iworo Kingdom, commended Omotayo for his remarkable leadership and unwavering commitment to the wellbeing of the local populace.
He expressed profound gratitude on behalf of the community and the local council to the Commanding Officer, the officers and men of FOB Badagry, and the Nigerian Navy at large.
Mrs Afusat Liadi, a resident of Iworo, one of the beneficiaries of the medical rhapsody, said she was treated for malaria and was given different drugs.
She thanked the Navy for bringing the free medical outreach to them, urging them to always extend the exercise to them regularly.
