The Pere of Kabowei Kingdom and Paramount Ruler of Patani, in Delta State, His Royal Majesty, Major Lucky M Erebulu (rtd.), has called on prominent Ijaw indigenes to emulate the patriotism, passion and selfless spirit being demonstrated by the Special Adviser to the President/Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-Gen Paul T Boroh (rtd.), in reaching out to the rural population in the Niger Delta region, through a community-based non-governmental organisation, Rural Africa Health Initiative (RAHI).

The royal father who made the remark when a team of volunteer surgeons and nurses from RAHI, led by the founder and former president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Dr Chris Ekiyor, paid him a courtesy visit at his palace on Tuesday, said he was overwhelmed by the patriotism and passion Boroh has shown within the short period in office as Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

He noted that by taking the initiative to bring health care to the rural communities in the Niger Delta region, the new amnesty boss has immortalised his name on the sand of time, adding that the community was pleased with their son, Dr Ekiyor, who also is a member of the Chiefs Council in Kabowei Kingdom, for remembering the community at the time of need.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of RAHI, Dr Chris Ekiyor, had informed the Kingdom that the teams of volunteer surgeons and nurses, among other volunteers, were in the palace to officially inform him of the free medical outreach mission to the community.

He said the free medical outreach mission was being sponsored by the Brig-Gen Paul Boroh-led Presidential Amnesty Office in Abuja, while his organisation provides the medical expertise to reach to the communities that needed health care, using Patani community as centre to reach out to adjourning communities in Kabowei clan and beyond.

According to him, Rural Africa Health Initiative (RAHI) - being a community-based organisation, is out to bridge the health gaps in rural communities in the Niger Delta - believes that quality health care is a basic human right and that the NGO strives to uphold itself as the premier provider of integrated health care service in Nigeria, with the objective of taking healthcare to rural Africa, particularly, riverine communities of the Niger Delta region.

He said the Presidential Amnesty Office-sponsored free medical outreach programme, which started early November 2015 at Sabagreia community in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, moved to Biu-gbene community in Sagbama Local Government Area, all in Bayelsa State, with thousands of indigenes gathering on a daily basis to receive medical attention at no cost, courtesy of the Presidential Amnesty Office in Abuja.

In the process of the exercise, inhabitants of Biu-gbene, Trofani, Odi, Kaiama, Aduku, Asabase, Abare, Ewele, Ekpediama and Kanan have been attended to.

Several cases of hernioraphy, appendectomy and dental surgery/dental prostheses were also carried out, just as persons with impaired vision, arising from cataract or presence of foreign bodies in their eyes, regained clear vision after going through surgeries by RAHI volunteer surgeons at the various centres so far visited in course of the free medical outreach tour in the Niger Delta region in the last one month.