No fewer than 1,000 residents of Igbogene Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa on Wednesday benefited from the medical outreach programme of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the outreach is part of activities lined up to mark the 60th anniversary of the service.
At the flag-off, the Air Officer Commanding, Mobility Command, AVM Tajudeen Yusuf, said the service would continue to employ other non-kinetic measures to win the hearts and minds of its host communities.
“The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Hasan Abubakar, has directed that all units and formations should conduct a free medical outreach today as one of the activities to mark the day.
“Now what informs the choice of place? You will recall that the Nigerian Air Force, Mobility Command, has been in existence since 2011.
“During that time, Bayelsa State had no airport, and our role at the mobility command involves a lot of flying activities but it is not in our purview to establish one for the state.
“However, since we still needed to carry out our role, the Nigerian Air Force then decided to establish a helipad in this community and they have hosted us very well since that time.
“This is why, today, we are giving out in terms of medical outreach. We felt this community should be the first to benefit and that is why we are here today,” he said.
The commander said that within the area of the command’s responsibility, they would love to encourage everyone to be law-abiding, assuring them of their safety and security.
“If there is anything they see as abnormal, they should be free to get in touch with us, as I assure them that we are here for their safety,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Johnson Ebi, describing how he was properly checked and given the right medication, commended the NAF for the free medical outreach. (NAN)
