The Nigerian Navy has commissioned a newly constructed Dental Clinic and Heart to Heart Centre at the Ikate Primary Health Centre, Ikate Elegushi, Lagos, as part of its civil military cooperation and community intervention programme.
The facilities were commissioned on Wednesday, September 30, in honour of retired Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira, who facilitated the intervention under the Chief of the Naval Staff Special Intervention Quick Impact Project Scheme.
Representing the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, said the project underscored the importance of bringing quality healthcare closer to residents.
Ogunyemi said the state government viewed healthcare delivery beyond the construction of hospitals, stressing the need to ensure that residents could access essential services within their communities.
She said the new Dental Clinic would provide residents with access to oral healthcare and encourage early attention to dental conditions before they became more serious.
According to her, the Heart to Heart Clinic would also strengthen access to healthcare services, noting that proximity to quality medical care could encourage residents to seek timely intervention.
Ogunyemi commended the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, and the Nigerian Navy for supporting the project through the Special Intervention Quick Impact Project Scheme.
She said the intervention demonstrated the value of partnerships between government institutions, the military and communities in expanding access to healthcare.
The governor’s representative, however, charged the management and healthcare workers at the facility to ensure proper maintenance while providing patients with professional, dignified and compassionate care.
She also urged residents of Ikate Elegushi and surrounding communities to make effective use of the facilities and seek medical attention early rather than waiting until health conditions became emergencies.
Representing the Chief of the Naval Staff, the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Abdullahi Mustapha, said Vice Admiral Abbas would have loved to attend the ceremony personally but was engaged in national security duties.
Mustapha described Rear Admiral Ferreira as one of the finest officers produced by the Nigerian Navy, adding that his legacy of service and community development deserved recognition.
Reading the Chief of the Naval Staff’s address, the FOC said the Nigerian Navy recognised that national security and prosperity were strengthened when communities were supported through meaningful development initiatives.
He said the Special Intervention Quick Impact Project Scheme was designed to address critical community needs while strengthening relationships between the Armed Forces and the communities they serve.
Mustapha said the newly commissioned facilities would improve access to dental services as well as antiretroviral therapy and counselling, thereby contributing to the wellbeing of residents.
He urged beneficiaries and the management of the health centre to protect and maintain the facilities to ensure that the investment remained useful to future generations.
Earlier, Ferreira explained that the project was conceived to complement existing healthcare services in Ikate, where he resides, following consultations with the Primary Health Centre, the traditional institution and Lagos State Health District III.
He said approval for the project was granted in September 2023, while construction commenced in October of the same year.
According to Ferreira, the facility comprises a Dental Clinic and an integrated Heart to Heart antiretroviral centre, with dental treatment, laboratory and sterilisation facilities, waiting areas, staff rooms and other supporting infrastructure.
He said the Dental Clinic was equipped with a modern dental treatment unit, compressor, mobile dental X ray unit, dental instruments, autoclave and laboratory equipment to support diagnosis, preventive and restorative procedures and minor oral surgery.
Ferreira said the Heart to Heart Centre was designed to provide a safe and confidential environment for information, counselling, prevention support and appropriate care for people living with or seeking services related to HIV.
He added that the intervention aligned with the health component of the Lagos State Government’s THEMES Plus Agenda and would deepen the longstanding relationship between the Nigerian Navy and the Ikate Elegushi community.
The monarch of Ikate Kingdom, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, commended the Nigerian Navy for the intervention, saying the facilities would bring affordable healthcare closer to the people.
He called on government institutions and the private sector to emulate the initiative, stressing that improving the welfare of Nigerians required collective responsibility.
Oba Elegushi also announced the conferment of an honorary chieftaincy title on Rear Admiral Ferreira in recognition of his contribution to the community, while assuring that the palace would support efforts to sustain and improve the facilities.
The monarch further urged local governments to pay greater attention to primary healthcare and remain accountable to residents on the use of public resources allocated for healthcare delivery.
At the ceremony, the speakers emphasised that the long term value of the project would depend not only on the new structures and equipment but also on effective utilisation, maintenance, accountability and quality patient care.
The commissioning therefore marked another milestone in the Nigerian Navy’s civil military cooperation efforts, with the new facilities expected to expand access to dental and HIV related healthcare services for residents of Ikate Elegushi and neighbouring communities.