OGHENETEJIRI NYEROVWO
In its’ determined bid to advance the cause of the common good of the underprivileged people in the society, Tompolo Foundation has since its’ inception one year ago spent about one hundred and forty million naira (N140million)for the overall health and educational needs of the
people just as it called on the Delta State Government to take over the day to day running of the Okerenkoko Cottage Hospital which the Foundation renovated, staffed and supplied drugs regularly till date for the benefit of people living in the creeks.
This call was made by High Chief Government O. Ekpemupolo, chairman/president, Tompolo Foundation while addressing journalists in Effurun on activities of the Foundation in the past one year, he expressed the Foundations’ appreciation to all those who redeemed their pledges when the Foundation was launched just as he used the opportunity to call on all those who made pledges but are yet to redeem it to do so to enable the Foundation meet its’ goals of helping
the suffering humanity.
High Chief Ekpemupolo who was represented by Com. Paul Bebenimibo, Executive Secretary, Tompolo Foundation disclosed that the Foundation in the last one year focused on two core areas of health and education, adding that it spent about one hundred and forty million
naira (N140m) that includes seventy three million, one hundred and twenty nine naira (N73,129,000.00)spent on health facilities and related projects that includes renovation, staffing, provision of drugs/dressings and day to day running of the Okerenkoko Cottage Hospital, Warri South West Local Government Area as well as donation of drugs/dressings and other medical equipments to four government hospitals/health centres namely Central Hospital, Warri, Warri South Local Government Area, Government Hospital, Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area, Government Hospital, Ogbe-Ijoh, Warri South West Local Government Area and Government Health Centre, Ugbokodo, Okpe Local Government Area.
Elaborating on the renovated Okerenkoko Cottage Hospital, Com. Bebenimibo said that apart from renovation, staffing and provision of water among others for the Okerenkoko Cottage Hospital that was abandoned for a very long time by government/its’ agency, the Foundation also donated state of the art medical equipments to Ogulagha Cottage Hospital to enable the people living in the creeks that have long been denied access to medical care to benefit saying
that government is not helping matters, he then used the opportunity to call on government to take over the running of the hospital in the interest of the masses that has been denied access to health care delivery.
According to Com. Bebenimibo who was flanked by Dr. Agagha Clarkson, Director Health Projects, Tompolo Foundation, “the Foundation took a bold step to renovate the long abandoned Okerenkoko Cottage Hospital, we equipped it with state of the art medical equipments, employed four doctors, six nurses, four laboratory scientist, four pharmacists, four
recorders, two auxiliary nurses and over twenty support staff to run the place. Also as part of our mandate to provide health services to the poor and disadvantaged in the rural communities in Nigeria, the Foundation donated state of the art medical equipments to Ogulagha
Cottage Hospital.”
The Executive Secretary of the Foundation added, “our governor is a medical doctor and he knows the importance of health care delivery to the good people of Delta state but funny enough this is not so as the Okerenkoko Cottage Hospital that is very strategic to people living in the creeks was abandoned over the years by government and its’ agency until we came in April, 2013 to breathe life into it. We are using this opportunity to call on the Delta state government to look critically into its’ health programmes for people living in the creeks, take over the overall running of the Okerenkoko Cottage Hospital from us because it is usually very difficult to access health care in the creeks. We had written to the state government on the issue with a view to take health care delivery nearer to the people in the creeks.
On education, Com. Bebenimibo further disclosed that the Foundation has since its’ inception, the Foundation spent thirty-three, fifty nine thousand and six hundred and twenty five naira (N33,059,625. 00) on educational projects that included provision of educational materials, customized learning materials, Literature books for children, sports kits for pupils/students, logistics to the Ministry of Education, capacity building programme and effective teachers training, adding, “we, in collaboration with the College of Education, Warri trained fifty (50) teachers drawn from Warri South, Warri North and Warri South-West Local Government Areas. The training was on six science subject areas namely physics, biology, chemistry, Agricultural
science, Integrated Science and Introductory Technology.
The Executive Secretary noted that the Foundation spent thirty-three million, seven hundred and twelve thousand naira (N33, 712.00) on general administration during the one year of its’ operations.
Looking into the future, Com. Bebenimibo said that baring all circumstances with more funds available to them, the Foundation would delve into other aspects of touching lives of the people outside health and education as well as move into other parts of the nation.
He disclosed that as part of activities lined up to commemorate the one year anniversary of the Foundation, it has listed four schools namely Ekpan Secondary School, Ekpan, Essi College, Warri, Ogbe-Ijoh Secondary School and Government Day Care, Warri.
He then listed the core values of the Foundation to among other things to include to support rural people, communities and Institution denied their rights and liberties by the activities of non-democratic actors, provide educational and recreational material support to kids/children in public institutions, provide health services to the poor and disadvantage in the rural communities in Nigeria.
