Abia, Obasanjo Foundation Distribute 1,000 Hearing Aids To Residents

The Abia State Government, in partnership with the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation, is set to launch the Sound Intervention Hearing Mission 2025, aimed at providing 1,000 hearing aids to persons with hearing impairments in the state.

The program, which will be held on April 2 in Umuahia, is said to be part of a broader initiative to enhance access to healthcare and improve the quality of life for vulnerable groups in the state.

Speaking during a press briefing at the government on the outcome of this week’s state executive council meeting, chaired by the governor, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Kanu, said the program will be flagged off by the state governor, Dr Alex Otti, alongside the formal launch of the formal sector health insurance scheme.

He emphasised that the health insurance scheme would mark “a new era of proactive healthcare management in Abia,” adding that the initiative is a testament to Governor Otti’s commitment to inclusive governance.

“This programme will afford about 1,000 Abians with hearing impairments the opportunity to receive hearing aids. That will definitely improve their hearing abilities and their lives generally,” Kanu said.

As part of the same healthcare-focused activities, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Uche, added that the state’s Ministry of Health will also hold a medical outreach on April 2.

Shortly after the launch event in Umuahia, the outreach will then move to Aba for a series of intensive medical interventions, targeting underserved populations.

Furthermore, in a bid to enhance hygiene and public health, the government has announced the return of sanitary inspectors across the state, which Kanu said is in line with the government’s Clean Abia initiative, which has seen notable improvements in the sanitation conditions of major cities like Aba and Umuahia.

“Abia streets, particularly the streets of Aba and Umuahia that were previously regarded among the dirtiest in the country, have been transformed,” Kanu stated.

Meanwhile, in the education sector, Governor Otti has directed the construction of a 5,000-capacity hostel and a new cafeteria at Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), in addition to efforts to rehabilitate collapsed drainage tunnels within the campus.

The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof. Uche Eme-Uche, while speaking during the press briefing, lauded the governor’s reforms, particularly in neglected institutions like the Abia State College of Education Technical Arochukwu (ASCETA), which she said was in ruins before the current administration’s intervention.

“His Excellency has undertaken to bring that place to a world-class educational institution. We are getting ready for accreditation because, as far back as 2017, all their programs lost accreditation,” she said.

According to her, the state government has already installed a 500 kVA transformer, launched a water project, fenced the over 30-hectare facility, and assessed abandoned buildings for renovation.

She also hinted at major developments at Dr Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic and emphasised the administration’s goal of elevating state institutions to degree-awarding status.

Additionally, she noted that the state government has concluded the computer-based recruitment test for teachers and pegged the cut-off mark at 45 per cent. Qualified candidates will be notified via SMS in the coming week, with interviews to follow shortly.

THE WHISTLER reports that as part of Governor Otti’s road infrastructure push, the Commissioner for Information has also announced that two major road projects in Umuahia will be flagged off on Tuesday, March 25.

He noted that the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, is also expected in the state on April 2 to commission the 45-kilometre Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Akara-Alayi-Abiriba road, which is currently being fitted with solar-powered street lights, and assured residents that the road “will be coolly lit at night,” enhancing safety and aesthetics.

Abia, Obasanjo Foundation Distribute 1,000 Hearing Aids To Residents is first published on The Whistler Newspaper