Nigerians, especially top functionaries, have been advised to imbibe the habit of regular medical checkups to ascertain their health status for healthy living.
The advice was given by the former President, Chief Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo, while launching his foundation, the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation (OOF), at the New Banquet Hall of the Governor’s Office in Bauchi on Sunday.
The former President stressed the importance of monitoring the sensory organs of the body, particularly the eyes, nose, and ears, which he described as the most essential parts of the human body.
Sharing his personal experience, Obasanjo said, “I was unaware that I was 25 percent deaf until I attended a meeting abroad and struggled repeatedly to hear the conversation around me. Someone was speaking to me and insisted nothing was wrong with my ears. The man asked for my permission to check my ears, and I agreed.”
“To my shock, after the results came out, it was revealed that I was 25 percent deaf. After receiving my results, I also asked the man to check my Chief Security Officer, and shockingly, he was more deaf than I was.”
He explained that this experience led to the creation of the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation (OOF), which has helped thousands of Nigerians by providing ear treatments and hearing aids.
Obasanjo lamented that many people suffer from deafness unknowingly until a medical checkup reveals their hearing capacity.
He then flagged off the distribution of hearing aids to over 10,000 indigent people in the North East region, starting with Bauchi State, where 2,000 people will benefit.
According to him, “No human being is 100% healthy; there must be one issue or another. That’s why we should always go for checkups. I did it, and now I know what my health challenge is.”
The former President emphasized that the Foundation would provide testing kits to assess the level of hearing impairment in order to offer the appropriate treatment.
He also mentioned that the hearing aids would be distributed free of charge by the Foundation and urged beneficiaries to maintain them, as they would be essential for their well-being.
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The Foundation, in collaboration with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, aims to provide humanitarian services, including hearing aids, support for the visually impaired, and treatment for other communicable diseases.
In his remarks, Bauchi State Governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, assured that his administration would continue to partner with and support such humanitarian interventions.
The State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Sani Mohammed Dambam, noted that the Foundation’s programs align with the Bala Mohammed-led administration’s healthcare blueprint.
On behalf of the beneficiaries, the Emir of Bauchi, Alh. Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, expressed gratitude to the former President for bringing vital healthcare services to Bauchi State’s doorstep.
The launch marks a significant step towards improving the lives of Nigerians with hearing challenges.
