Following the global celebration of World’s Hearing Day, the former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, while celebrating his 87th birthday on Sunday, March 3, has pledged to give over 2,000 free hearing aids to people in Abeokuta, Ogun state.
This announcement was disclosed on Sunday by Mr Kehinde Akinyemi, the Special Assistant on Media to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The event was organised by the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation with the sole priority of rendering a helping hand to people with hearing loss and impairment.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the foundation, Dr. Olalekan Makinde urged the government to prioritise the well-being of people with hearing impairments, create more awareness of this pressing health issue and make treatments available to patients with hearing loss.
“The 2000 figure recorded so far on the first day of the exercise indicated that the government needs to as a matter of urgency come to rescue those in need of hearing aids, as the number of those affected goes higher every year.
“The hearing aids are also not easily accessible and are very expensive, but the foundation, in collaboration with her partners, will be giving out no fewer than 2000 hearing aids to people for free.” Dr Makinde explained.
The CEO further went in highlighting the crucial need for the availability as well as the accessibility of hearing aids to patients in Nigeria. He also added that aside from celebrating World Hearing Day, the program would continue to ensure that the 2,000 target is met by Tuesday.
The Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation, in collaboration with partners further pledged to distribute the hearing aid by the end of the exercise to tackle the hearing loss.
