Lawmaker representing Oyo central senatorial district,Dr. Yunus Akintunde has disclosed the reasons for financing free eye treatment and surgery across the state.
Akintunde, who chairs the senate committee on environment, said it is important that people take good care of themselves especially as it relates to their sight.
Speaking at the free eye surgery and treatment, an initiative of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, jointly sponsored by him and T. Adamunul Muslimeen, Oyo State branch, on Friday, Akintunde, who is also vice-chairmen of the senate committee on police, said people of Ibadan should use the opportunity well.
“This is a great opportunity everyone should take with all seriousness. The last time, I fully funded it. I supported the T. Adamunul Muslimeen this year. And I am impressed with what the King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre has done in just a week by attending to over 7,000 people, 400 of which were surgical operations.
“This has covered the whole of 11 local government areas of Ibadanland. I like to make an appeal to the relief agency that instead of once a year, they should make it twice a year. This is for other people from other zone can benefit. I ma going to finance it.
“The motivation is that if we have agency like this that is committed to assisting our people in the area of health outreach like this, we shouldn’t spare any amount to support such. I could have limit it to my senatorial district but we have people who may have defects with their eyes and unable to finance such. This is an opportunity for them. Yes, I am a senator but this is beyond politics and aspiration. I will enjoin our people irrespective of political and religious affiliation to go out for the exercise.
The relief agency, though headquartered in Saudi Arabia has volunteers from Sudan, Saudi, Qatar, Egypt and other Arabian countries.
Only recently, Akintunde’s medical outreach which he started before becoming a senator, attended to hundreds of residents of Ogo-Oluwa/Surulere federal constituency of his senatorial district.