By Magnus Chukwudi, Port Harcourt.<\/p>\n
The Dikenafai Ancient Kingdom in Ideato South Local Government Area LGA of Imo state, has celebrated the first public outing of its new traditional ruler, the Eze Ebubedike II of Dikenafai, His Royal Highness HRH Eze Ezekiel Uchenna Odoemena.<\/p>\n
The event held at Ezumezu Dikeoshie, marked the monarch’s first official presentation and celebration of leadership, unity, and cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
Highlights of the ceremony included: free medical outreach, showcasing of the kingdom’s commitment to community welfare. Other activities were ; peace talks with traditional rulers, emphasising unity and cooperation; and conferment of chieftaincy titles on illustrious sons, who had contributed to Dikenafai’s development. The programmes further comprised a visit to the Orie Ukwu market, promotion of local farm products and distribution of goods to restore the market’s glory and traditional wrestling, ‘Ekere Mgba.’<\/p>\n
Eze Ezekiel Odoemena affirmed that the ‘Ezumezu’ festival is meant to unite the people, just as it signifies a new beginning for the community. He observed that the medical outreach was not just about providing healthcare, but also about building trust and unity in the community.<\/p>\n
The royal father noted that the community recognised the critical challenges in healthcare access and used the medical outreach to bridge the gaps in healthcare delivery in Dikenafai.<\/p>\n
The Chairman of the Central Planning Committee of the event, Chief Joachin Olumba, Emetumba I, described the outreach programme as a unique opportunity for the people to access free medical care, assuring that, it would help unite them.<\/p>\n
He stressed: \u201cThere is nothing better than peace, because there can be no development without it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He applauded the free medical outreach, which provided essential medical services, including check-ups, treatments, and health education. He also commended the team of doctors, nurses, and volunteers, who worked tirelessly to make a positive impact on the community.<\/p>\n
He said that the medical outreach provided numerous benefits, including improved access to healthcare services for underserved populations, free medical treatment and health education to promote preventive care. <\/p>\n
The Traditional Ruler of Umuakam Autonomous Community, the Akamigbo III of Umuakam, Eze P.E. Ewuzie, commended Eze Odoemena, for facilitating the medical outreach, which brought doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to the community level.<\/p>\n
He congratulated the Dikenafai monarch on his formal recognition by the Imo State Government and on receiving the support of his people. <\/p>\n
The Chairman of the Sub Committee on Publicity and Protocol, Chief Azubuike Erunugha, Ph.D, stressed the importance of regular medical check-ups. <\/p>\n
He stated: \u201cTrue community health goes beyond treatment to sustained awareness, lifestyle adjustments, and prevention.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cOur focus is not only on treatment but also on prevention, through sensitisation and community health education,\u201d he said.
\nErunugha expressed gratitude to partners, volunteers and community members, noting that their collaboration amplified the programme\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n
The Head of the Medical Outreach team and the Dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Lagos, Prof. Francis Duru, credited the success of the outreach to the collaboration between Eze Odoemena and other stakeholders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis initiative underscores the power of collaboration. We were able to mobilise resources, personnel, and expertise to achieve remarkable outcomes. The smiles we see today are our greatest reward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Prof Duru assured that the medical outreach would now be an annual event with better services. He thanked the medical professionals who participated in the outreach programme.<\/p>\n
The President, Inclusive Health Corporation USA, Dr Ikechi Okwara, observed that the medical outreach, organised at the instance of Eze Odoemena was exploratory in the sense that it laid the foundation for future medical interventions.<\/p>\n
He said that, beyond providing basic medical services to the less privileged, the medical outreach also served as a platform for health education, raised awareness of diseases and their prevention, and promoted healthy practices.<\/p>\n
Dr Okwara said that by educating the community, the outreach would encourage healthier lifestyles and the adoption of preventive measures to reduce the burden of diseases. <\/p>\n
He stated that the medical outreach would help level the playing field, ensuring that more people have access to the care they need, regardless of their economic status.<\/p>\n
Also speaking, a former member of the House of Representatives, Right Hon. Pascal Chigozie Obi, remarked that the medical intervention had given hope to the hopeless and helpless. <\/p>\n
Another member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Barr Ikeagwuonu Onyinye Ugochinyere, graced the occasion. ###.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Magnus Chukwudi, Port Harcourt. The Dikenafai Ancient Kingdom in Ideato South Local Government Area LGA of Imo state, has celebrated the first public outing of its new traditional ruler, the Eze Ebubedike II of Dikenafai, His Royal Highness HRH Eze Ezekiel Uchenna Odoemena. The event held at Ezumezu Dikeoshie, marked the monarch’s first official […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2034,1372,672,2294],"class_list":["post-10338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-life-style","tag-cultural","tag-heritage","tag-leadership","tag-unity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10338"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10340,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10338\/revisions\/10340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}