By Uchay Okobi
It was a day of joy and new beginnings for a large demographic of residents of Lagos State and environs between March 1 and 4, 2025, as former President Olusegun Obasanjo came to the rescue of over 1000 people with hearing impairment, through the hearing mission of his non-governmental organisation, the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation (OOF).
The mission, tagged “So Nigerians may hear,” was organised in collaboration with Starkey, the hearing aid company, to alleviate the challenges of hearing disability among many Nigerians, especially those who could not afford medical attention and hearing aids to correct their hearing loss.
The hearing mission in Lagos was part of a series of programmes and week-long activities to mark Obasanjo’s 88th birthday on March 5. Similar events had been held in Oyo and Ogun states last year. Before that, the OOF had been to the North, where states like Bauch and Kaduna, benefitted from its programmes.
During a grand event in Ogudu, Lagos, on March 3, to host beneficiaries of the hearing aids, Obasanjo emphasised that the fondation was designed to be for all areas of human endeavour, education, health, food, nutrition, security, employmemt, “all these are very important to the life of any Nigerian.”
He said: “We in OOF, we cannot take (charge of) everything, but we said we will make education, advocacy and raising awareness, but we will pay particular attention to girl child education, because that is very important,”
He concluded by saying: “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and make a difference in the lives of others. This celebration is not just about me. It is about the collective impact we can achieve when we come together for a common cause.”
At the venue of the outreach on March 1, all participants who registered online and presented themselves for screening were attended to by courteous medical professionals, and all those who needed hearing aids were fitted with the appropriate hearing devices to correct their hearing disability.
Dr. Olalekan Makinde, chief executive officer of the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation, consultant public health physician, coordinated the programme, which also emphasized overall ear care, early detection and correction of hearing impairment. The event also featured a keynote address by otolaryngologist, Prof. Nwokolo, on ear care, early detection of hearing problems and measures to combat hearing loss.
In a chat with Daily Sun during the medical outreach in Lagios, Dr. Makinde said: “The hearing mission is just one of the things we are doing in healthcare. We have done many other missions before now, and we will do more in the future.
“Our foundation works in four major areas: health; with a special focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs); education, with a special focus on girl-child education; youth empowerment and employment; and agriculture and nutrition security.
“We have done many NCD screenings all over Nigeria and other African countries. We do about 200 free cataract surgeries yearly during our yearly World Diabetes Day programme. We have been giving free eye care and recommended glasses yearly, for more than seven years now.”
Makinde noted that the foundation has been resolute and singleminded about fulfilling its purpose of alleviating suffering, building a prosperous nation and helpmg people to live a better life, without making much noise or playing to the gallery.
The OOF, he said, has distributed more than one million textbooks and notebooks to schools across all regions of Nigeria, as well as equipped schools with laptops, and so on.
“Our focus is on touching lives and not media razzmatazz. All sectors of Nigeria have benefited. The people who need the hearing aids are well aware of our programmes. We have already given out more than 7,000 hearing aids across Nigeria free of charge.
“We have been to the core North: Bauchi, Kaduna, and so on. We are just finishing a mission in Lagos after several missions in Oyo and Ogun states. And we are now planning to go to the South East.
“All regions are benefiting from our mission. We don’t discriminate. We are moving to the South East by next month and from there to the South-South. For the hearing mission, we are moving to the South East and South-South now. Abia and Enugu have shown interest, and we are already planning.
Nigerians know this is one foundation that caters to all.”
One highlight of the event was the interactive session between Obasanjo and some beneficiaries of the hearing aids. A good number of them were children under the age of 10. The childrem’s parents/guardians expressed gratitude to the former President and his foundation for coming to their assistance with hearing aids, which were expensive and unaffordable for them. Their happiness was visible as they looked forward to the future where their wards would partake fully in the pursuit of success and happiness without any impediments posed by hearing loss.
Makinde observed that “‘Baba’ Obasanjo has a great soft spot for children that no one can deny. But, also, children benefit most from these hearing aids than adults. When a child loses her hearing, she will eventually lose the gift of speech as well. But once we restore the hearing early in childhood with the aid, speech can also be restored.
“When we started the project in 2017, we gave hundreds of children the hearing aids in Kaduna, and it was widely reported that about 100 of them left the school of the deaf and returned to a normal school. Now they can live a normal life. The same has happened everywhere we have been to. In Bauchi, last year, we gave a number of children hearing aids and the First Lady of the state was so moved when she saw the large number of children that left the school of the deaf to normal school. So, for children, hearing aids can redefine their life.”
The foundation has given out more than 7,000 hearing aids, between August last year and now. It gave out 2,000 in March last year to mark Obasanjo’s birthday, and about 5,000 in 2017. OOF has given out more than 1,000 in this current mission in Lagos.
Reacting to Daily Sun’s observation that the Lagos programme was held amid tight security and meticulous planning, with beneficiaries placed in different batches and time slots to prevent over-crowding, intruders and stampede, Makinde said: “The programme was so well planned that all the patients were very grateful. Stampede at such a programme is more likely than sharing rice and money. Do you know how many millions one unit of hearing aid costs? Just find out, and you will understand.
“These hearing aids are quite expensive and have been procured from Starkey for the underprivileged with hearing problems who wouldn’t be able to afford them on their own. In fact,our hearing aids are not meant for the rich: if you are rich, please, go and buy one for yourself. This is only for the poor.
“Starkey is our strategic partner, and we are glad to work with them. Other partners are also welcome. The goal is to help the hearing impaired.
“Our foundation is open to partnership and collaboration in all the five areas of focus, and Nigerians can contribute towards all these great projects. We can be reached by email, [email protected]. You can learn more about us by visiting our website, www.olusegunobasanjo.foundation. Follow us on Facebook, @olusegun obasanjo foundation, Instagram, @objfoundation, and WhatsApp channel @olusegun obasanjo foundation.”