Adebayo Adenrele
A former Lawmaker representing Ekiti North Federal Constituency I, Bimbo Daramola has launched a Special Health Scheme in support of the State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji by unveiling ambassadors of ‘BAOWALK Initiative’ across the 16 local government areas in the state.
The ambassadors, in their hundreds were unveiled on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, through a ‘Health and Fitness Card’ that will enable them and their referrals to benefit from the initiative.
Unveiling the initiative, the Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Ekiti State, Barrister Sola Eleshin said the initiative was necessary in order for Ekiti residents to enjoy the dividends of democracy in good and sound health.
He hailed Daramola for convening the initiative, saying such steps complement the efforts of Governor Oyebanji in the health sector, in making sure people enjoy effective and quality healthcare delivery.
He urged the ambassadors to take ownership of the project in their respective wards, geared towards reducing residents’ expenses in Hospitals.
His words, “We are here to unveil the BAOWALK organised by the Honourable Bimbo Daramola. It is an exercise designed to keep our people fit.
“If we say we are in government and our people are not healthy, they will not even appreciate what we are doing as a party or as a government.
“That is why we give kudos to Honourable Bimbo Daramola for doing a human-centered job. He has been helping us make our people healthy by walking and that, in essence, makes them fit to do whatever they want to do in our society.
“It is one thing for people to be healthy, it’s another thing for them to believe that the government is doing something. When you are not healthy, you may not even be able to benefit from government activities.
“My message to them is to continue the good job they are doing. They should try as much as possible to enlighten our citizens across the state so that they can participate actively in future exercises”.
Speaking with journalists, Bimbo Daramola said the purpose of the programme was to strengthen the sustainability of the ‘BAOWALK Health Initiative’, which just recently spanned across 8 local government areas in the state.
Daramola described the initiative as a coordinated and structured framework to make BAOWALK sustainable, in order for Ekiti residents to take ownership of the Health project.
He explained that the Health and Fitness card also gives opportunities for the participants such as access to medical support and other benefits for chronic health challenges.
“A whole lot of people have advised us that after you finish your own local government tour and you move to another, what happens after you’ve left? The governor expressed that kind of concern and a number of well-meaning people have also raised it.
“Originally, we thought about it but I didn’t want anyone to misconstrue what I’m doing by saying, perhaps people are pulling out structures or something like that.
“So we decided that we would come to this point halfway into the exercise and unveil our sustainability plan. Today is basically to announce that there will be a coordinated, structured framework to make the BAOWALK very sustainable.
“The participants who attended today will pick a few people from different areas eho will form part of the ethical movement. They will go home and serve as booster stations where they can continue to promote healthy lifestyles from their local communities, without waiting for the main team to return.
“That is why we have started with ambassadors
through a Health and Fitness Card that will enable them to benefit from this initiative. The card aggregates opportunities such as access to medical support and other benefits for chronic health challenges but the only access to getting those cards is when you are a BAOWalker which shows that you have taken responsibility”. He added
Another highlight of the event was a walk around some parts of the state capital such as Fajuyi, Okesha Market, King’s Market, Atikankan, among others.
