Korede Abdullah in Lagos
The Nigerian Navy has commissioned a newly constructed mini health centre in Odawu Joinkrama III, Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Friday under the Special Intervention Quick Impact Project Scheme, was facilitated by Rear Admiral Clinton Izu, an indigene of the community.
“The idea of building this mini health centre was conceived as a stop-gap measure to breach the challenge of accessing health services following the moribund Joinkrama Main Hospital at Ususu Joinkrama I,” said Izu, noting the hospital was built in 1936 and had long ceased to meet the community’s needs.
Rear Adm. Izu added that the facility was prioritized by the community, with backing from the paramount ruler, Izu B Izu.
“This facility we are commissioning today is comprised of a consulting room, a male and female ward, a maternity ward, a laboratory, a pharmacy, a nursing station, an immunisation station and the basic infrastructure of a borehole, among others,” he explained.
The project reflects a broader effort by the navy to undertake similar community-benefiting initiatives in Bayelsa and other regions.
Representing the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, at the event, Rear Adm. Saheed Akinwande stressed the role of civil-military cooperation in national development.
“Such efforts align with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and reflect the navy’s commitment to supporting local communities beyond its core security mandate,” Akinwande
