Outreach: Army provides free treatment, palliatives to Maiduguri residents

The 7 Division of Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, on Tuesday provided free medical treatment and palliatives to underprivileged members of Shuwari community in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council of Borno.

Speaking at the occassion, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, Maj.-Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, said the gesture was part of events lined up for the ongoing Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL).

Shuaibu said the gesture was also in line with the army corporate social responsibility and the need to strengthen the civil-military relationship between the army and host communities.

He said the medical outreach would not only provide free drugs for various illnesses but also provide health education and counselling to the people.

“I wish to assure you all that the Headquarters of 7 Division will continue to render selfless service to its communities as we are currently doing.

“To reciprocate this gesture, the division will appreciate your support and cooperation by providing us information of all manners of suspicious activities to aid our operations.

“We want to use this opportunity to register our gratitude to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. -Gen. Faruk Yahaya, for his examplary leadership and continuous support to the division which has been a key factor of our successes so far,” the GOC added.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Mohammed Ghuluze, lauded the initiative which, he said, would go along way in impacting on healthcare delivery in Borno.

Ghuluze, who urged others to emulate the army in reaching out to the public, said the gesture would further strengthen the existing civil-military relationship in the state.

Some of the beneficiaries who spoke, including Aisha Musa, Baba Isa and Maryam Ishaku, thanked the army for the gesture which they described as a timely intervention that would impact positively on their lives.

“The foodstuff I got including cooking oil few days to Eid-el-Kabir is a prayer answered by God. I want to thank the army that God use to answer my prayers,” Isa said.