A total of 2000 people in Bauchi state who are having hearing impairment are to be supported with hearing aids worth N6b by the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation in partnership with Starkey Hearing Foundation.
Already, the gadgets that will support the hearing have been donated to the selected residents drawn from across the 20 LGAs of the state, on Saturday.
Speaking during a four-day ear check and distribution exercise of the hearing aids, Chief Executive Officer of the OOF, Dr Olalekan Makinde, said that the gesture would be extended to the 2,000 lucky people in the state.
Olalekann Makinde explained that each of the hearing aids is estimated at a cost of N3 million, stressing that children would be prioritised in the distribution exercise.
According to him, “The Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation is about transforming lives. We are focused on Africa and give the people reasons to live life to the fullest.”
He added that, “Hearing mission is about giving people with hearing impairment another hope for hearing and another hope for living.”
The OOF ED added that, “Most of these people can’t afford this hearing aids, so we are trying to give it to them free of charge with batteries, the ear mode and everything they need for them to hear.”
“We are prioritising the children first because when you lose your hearing, you eventually lose your speech as they work together. Adults that are waiting would be attended to after the children,” he said.
He also affirmed that many people’s lives would be transformed with the gesture, saying this is because it’s not about the beneficiaries but about a whole family and the communities they live in.
He called on them to take good care of the kits, adding that they will be introduced to engineers they can reach out to in case the items develop any problems.
One of the beneficiaries who spoke on behalf of others, Mohammed Sani, a student of Special Education Centre, Bauchi, appreciated the foundation for providing them with the items.
According to him, “All of us can hear and listen to our teachers in class now while the reverse was the case before this intervention.”
“May God bless Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation and the partners for providing us with these hearing aids,” he prayed.
