The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Faruk Yahaya has advised Nigerians to start seeing the Nigerian army as their own rather than a tool of the government.
Major General Faruk gave the advice while flagging off the Nigerian Army Medical outreach on Monday in Abuja.
General Faruk Yahaya while flagging off this year’s Army Day Celebration Medical Outreach in the Mpape community, Abuja, said the army does not exist for itself but for the civil population.
He stated that the medical outreach which is being held across all its units and formations is part of the army’s corporate social responsibility targeted at the less privileged in their host communities to appreciate them for their support.
General Yahya advised the Mpape community to make information available to security personnel.
The corps commander Nigerian army Medical services, colonel Babatunde Solebo said the outreach was going on in Mpape and Mabushi communities.
He said the outreach will reach about 1000 people in each community
Speaking at the outreach, the Mpape District Head, Alhaji Ibrahim Gimba expressed happiness that the Nigerian army, aside from their defence function, also takes care of the health of Nigerians. He said the gesture is a show of brotherhood.
Some of the beneficiaries who gathered in their numbers for the medical screening could not hide their appreciation.
Working together with the health foundation, An NGO group that partnered with the army on the outreach stressed the importance of cervical cancer tests.
Highlights of the event were the donation of a free wheelchair to Fatu Magba. a 93-year-old woman from Ogbadigbo Local Government Area in Benue state.
The army medical outreach is conducted every year to mark the Nigerian Army Day Celebration.
