A philanthropic organisation under the aegis of Frontier Club has renovated and supplied bedding materials to a government owned General hospital, Abejukolo, the headquarters of Omala Local Government Area of kogi State.
The Club has also awarded scholarship to 49 indigent students in the community.
The club dropped the hints in Abejukolo at the weekend during the presentation ceremony of the materials to the management of the hospital by the club members headed by Abubakar Sani.
The Club chairman stated that in line with the objective of the Club which is ‘service to humanity’, the bedding materials are to enhance the function of the hospital in its service delivery in the community.
He added that the scholarship scheme was embarked upon in order to assist the indigent students to further their education and make them better persons in the society .
Dr Olukoya Kehinde, the head of the government owned General Hospital , Abejukolo who received the materials on behalf of the hospital management described the frontier group as a credible organisation that is out to assist individuals and communities in solving their challenges, and praised them for extending the gestures even to government institutions to ease service delivery.
He said members of the Frontier Club appeared to be in the know of challenges staring the hospital, stressing that some beddings in the hospital were terribly bad to the extent that even a mad man would reject using it on admission.
He added that at a point, because of its obvious bad state, the management became apprehensive of the possibility of patients getting infected with other diseases after receiving treatment for the original health conditions that brought them to the hospital.
Dr Kehinde who pleaded for more assistance in view of the deplorable condition of the hospital commended the Club for the gesture, adding that the hospital lacks sensitive and important equipment like oxygen kits and an electricity generating set to handle emergency cases.
While handing the materials to the hospital, the Chairman of the club, Sani Abubakar noted that as part of their service to humanity, the Club decided to provide, “30 mattresses, 30 bed sheets and 30 pillow cases to the hospital to improve their operation for more lives to be saved in the community”.
In an exclusive interview with journalists at Abejukolo , Sani disclosed further that the club’s development activities are centred around touching the lives of the indigent people through their community projects that run across the 9 local government areas that constitute Kogi East Senatorial District.
He hinted that the club, had been supporting communities in the East of Kogi with provisions of basic primary health care infrastructure and medical equipment, science laboratory equipment and donating other educational facilities to schools in the rural rural areas.
He added that since its inception in 1988, the Club had launched a scholarship scheme under the leadership of Alhaji Sani Lulu, the former chairman of NFA(NFF) which had assisted many indigent bright students across communities in Kogi East.
It was gathered that the scholarship scheme which was designed to assist indigent pupils and students to study in secondary and higher institutions kicked off in 1997 with only 9 beneficiaries, but services about 234 students currently.
It was also gathered that the sum of over N20 million has so far been spent on the scholarship scheme by the Frontier Club.
“The key objective of the scheme was to identify and assist brilliant indigent students of poor family backgrounds ,mainly from Kogi East to pursue academic programmes in any secondary school of their choice”, he said.
A beneficiary, An 18- year-old Idris Ibrahim, HND II student of Federal Polytechnic, Idah, Department of Architecture, who spoke with journalists at Abejukolo hinted that without the club’s scholarship , it wouldn’t have been possible for him to further his education; a situation that could probably have pushed him to embrace an end in life not originally thought of.
An orphan, Amina Abubakar age 15 currently in SS3, who is also one of the beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme, lauded the Frontier Club saying, “It remains the reason that I have a voice in my family and peer group today.”
It was gathered that the scholarship scheme has been a rewarding exercise for the Club in the last 24 years as a generation of indigent youths have been empowered to receive a lifetime education for their self development.
Meanwhile, the Frontier Club has constituted a new executive committee that will run its affairs for the next two years.
The new members includes,Chairman, Abubakar Sani; 1st Vic chairman, Yahaya Husssaini; 2nd Vice chairman, Okai Aku; Secretary General, Ahmed Shaibu; Assistant Secretary, Sunday Okayi as well as Treasurer, Samson Makoji; Assistant Treasurer, David Ihiabe; Legal Adviser- Aminu Ogaji; PRO, Joban Ogwu; Project Secretary, Ishaq Musa; Sergeant at Arms, Sule E. Ocheja; including, Financial Secretary, Edime Yakubu; Assistant Financial Secretary, Saeed Yusuf; Auditor, Ayatu Oyibo and Research Secretary, Danladi Musa.
