VSF Donates Ambulance to Health Centre, to Empower Displaced Persons

By George Okoh in Makurdi

The Chairman of Victims Support Fund (VSF), General Theophilus Danjuma, has donated a tricycle ambulance to a Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Igede Central, Oju Local Government Area of Benue State.

The Chairperson, Emergency Support Programme of VSF, Mrs. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, who delivered the ambulance to the centre on behalf of the chairman of the fund, said that the ambulance was donated to the health facility to reduce the challenge of running around in search of ambulances during emergencies.

Akarele-Ogunsiji said that it would be used specifically for pregnant women during labour, children and the aged, adding that it could be of service to other health facilities in Oju and its environs too.

She said: “This is the first of its kind in Benue Statee. It came with medical consumables as well as non-medical consumables like wheelchairs, beds and even fire extinguisher.”

According to her, the VSF had also concluded arrangements to provide economic empowerment to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in seven local government areas in the state to enable them to stand on their own.

“We are going to offer them technical training support in tailoring, garri processing among others and at the end of the training we will give them start up packs and money.

“We will strictly monitor them for six months to ensure that they make judicious use of the skills they acquired and the funds disbursed to them.

“The cash will go to them directly so that those who want to do petty trading can venture into it.”

Responding, the Officer in Charge of the PHC, Mrs. Martha Okpoto, said that the centre highly appreciated VSF for the kind gesture.

“We are very happy to have the ambulance, it will aid us to discharge our duties with ease and we will use it judiciously and for the purpose it was donated,” Okpoto said.

The Director, Oju Health Authority, Mr. Emmanuel Ube, applauded the VSF and stressed that only God would reward them for what it had done to the Oju people.

Ube sued for extension of the support to other wards in Oju Local Government Area that are also passing through a lot of challenges to a access healthcare.

A Member of VSF team, Mr. Sunday Oyibe, encouraged them to take very good care of the ambulance, emphasising that if they maintain it, more good things would come to them.