Nation
300 Benefit From RCCG At 26th Anniversary
More than 300 adults and children last Saturday benefited from a medical outreach organised by an area headquarters of the Redeemed Christian Church of God to celebrate 26th anniversary.
The Calvary Area Headquarters in Lagos Province 89, located at Oshodi, organised the outreach in collaboration with Chike Okoli Foundation, Emzor PPharmaceuticals Plc. and Pharmatex Industries.
The Tide’s source reports that the medical outreach included free consultation, checking of blood pressure, blood sugar screening, deworming, body mass index check and a general check-up.
The Pastor-in-Charge of the area, Mr Jeffrey Aganbi, said at the event that the church was commitment to community development.
He said the headquarters started an annual medical outreach in 2018, by the inspiration of God, to give back to the society.
According to him, government alone could not provide all basic needs of the citizens.
“The programme is another way to reach out to our immediate community and help to provide solutions to their health challenges through nurses and doctors, at no cost”, he said.
Aganbi praised the management of Chike Okoli Foundation, Emzor Pharmaceuticals Plc. and Pharmatex Industries for supporting the church in bringing succour to the needy.
He said the anniversary, with the theme: “Generational Blessings”, which started last Tuesday, ended yesterday with a thanksgiving service.
Dr Rotimi Adesanya, a family physician and Head of Medical Service, Federal College of Education Medical Centre, Akoka, Lagos State, praised the church for the initiative.
Adesanya, who was in the medical team at the event, said many Nigerians shunned medical treatment because of economic hardship.
“What the church is doing is good for the society, it is complementary to what government is doing.
“The truth is that, in this present time, many people are unable to access healthcare due to the prevailing economic situation.
“People don’t have money to even take transport to hospital, and many of our people do what is called out-of-pocket treatment; they don’t have health insurance, they pay from their pockets.
“Now, money is scarce; so, many people cannot go to hospital, but the church is providing this service for free”, he said.
Adesanya said some people with high blood pressure were not aware that they had the condition.
“Many people with high blood pressure don’t know that they have it and they don’t have money to buy drugs.
“The church is giving them the drugs free; we saw many malaria cases too and we advised them to sleep with insecticide-treated nets”, Adesanya said.
Adesanya urged Nigerians to embrace healthy lifestyles by reducing salt intake, having regular exercises and eating healthy.
According to him, prevention is better than cure.
Mrs Esther Ayo from Chike Okoli Foundation, who was also in the medical team, said that a lot of people were hypertensive, while some were diabetic without knowing.
Ayo said many of the beneficiaries knew their health statuses through the medical outreach.
She said the medical outreach offered the community members an opportunity to know their medical conditions and have access to free drugs.
Ayo said the organisation was happy to partner with the church to show love to the community.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Ifeyinwa Obi, commended the church for the annual medical outreach, saying that the church had been a responsible organisation.
The Lagos State Government has disclosed that 26,592 public school students failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, raising alarm across the state’s education sector.
The state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, during a ministerial press briefing yesterday in Alausa, Ikeja, said that “45.7 per cent of the 58,188 students from public schools who sat for the exams did not pass.”.
This failure rate comes despite the state government’s significant financial backing N1.577 billion was paid on behalf of the students to cover WAEC fees.
“Suffice to say that the sum of N1,577,794,000 only was paid by the state government as examination fees for 58,188 students who were captured for the year 2024 WASSCE,” Alli-Balogun announced.
In a bid to tighten accountability and avoid wastage, the Commissioner disclosed that biometric and image registration was carried out to accurately determine eligible students for government sponsorship for the 2025 WASSCE.
“The exercise successfully captured and registered 56,134 students as bona fide beneficiaries of the Lagos state government’s sponsorship for the examination,” he added.
However, the Lagos State Government rolled out a bold educational intervention – the Eko Learners’ Support Programme for WASSCE and NECO candidates – aimed at reversing the tide of academic failure in the state’s public schools.
Launched on January 14, 2025, the initiative is part of a broader commitment by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to equip Lagos students with tools for success.
“This forward-thinking initiative was designed to support and empower young scholars in attestation of the ministry’s commitment to advancing interest and management of the educational system in Lagos State,” Alli-Balogun stated.
Ekiti State Government says it has vaccinated 226,429 eligible girls in the State against the Human Papilloma Virus, an infection believed to be a leading cause of cervical cancer.
The wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, said the HPV immunization exercise, which she flagged off in the State in May 2025 was a great success, noting that it reached targeted communities and protected children against cervical cancer.
The governor’s wife made the disclosure in Ado Ekiti yesterday during a one-day stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting on the introduction of Measles Rubella vaccines in Ekiti State.
She said, “The introduction of Measles Rubella Vaccines is a very crucial step towards protecting Ekiti children particularly the target age group of nine to 14 years from diseases.
“I urge all women in the State to regularly scan their breasts. This can be done with the aid of the Mammography machine which is available at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti”.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Oyebanji Filani, noted that the Measles Rubella vaccines would be rolled out nationally in October, 2025.
Filani said that the State was taking proactive steps to sensitise residents of the State before the date to ensure adequate awareness on the vaccines by citizens.
The Acting Ochimba of Ogida in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze Ndudiri Azuatalam, says peace remains paramount in the socio-economic development of Etche land.
Eze Azuatalam, however, called on his people to embrace and eschew violence at all times.
The Onwa Nagbara Oha made the call during the official commissioning of his palace at Ogida recently.
The epoch-making ceremony held at his palace saw the attendance of members of the Etche Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs; the academia; the political class; the clergy ; women as well relevant stakeholders within and outside Etche land.
The Ngbaragida of Azuafor re-emphasised the essence of peace and social harmony which he said open the window for meaningful development to take place.
He also sought the support and collaboration of his people to achieve the desired goals of development, progress and prosperity.
He noted that the peace being witnessed in the area must be sustained through collective effort, saying, contributions and sacrifices need to be made by all concerned to live in peace.
Eze Azuatalam said his aim towards building a better Ogida cannot be compromised as he and his people have no other place called home.
The Acting Ochimba said as part of efforts to build a better Ogida, he has instituted a number of development projects, adding that some of his kinsmen have been empowered through his hard-earned money and resources, saying, he will continue to assist the less- privileged around him.
He reaffirmed his desire to impact positively on the lives of his people as the engagement of the youths will help to reduce social vices in the area.
He thanked members of the Etche Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs for honouring his invitation.
He specifically thanked the Onyi Ishi Etche and Ochie of Etcheland, His Eminence E mmanuel Opurum for leading Etche on the path of prosperity, and described the revered King as a role model to the younger generation.
He said his fatherly role has been a source of hope and inspiration to his subjects.
The palace was unveiled by His Eminence with the assistance of Ochimba of Abara, Eze Jonah Nwala and other prominent Etche traditional rulers and chiefs while the Onyi Ishi Etche was represented by Eze Ken Nwala, Onyi Ishi Agwuru, Ulakwo/ Umuselem Clan.
The Onyi Ishi Etche urged other prominent sons of Etche to emulate the kind gesture of Eze Ndudiri Azuatalam as his magnanimity is being seen and appreciated by his people.
Eze Azuatalam also applauded the efforts of Prof Mekuri Ndimele, former Vice Chancellor of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education in the growth of Etche land.
According to him, during Ndimele’ s tenure, a lot of development projects were sited at the institution, including the development of Etcheland and empowerment of Etche people.