Commission, Others Take Sickle Cell Awareness Campaign To Ondo

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has expanded its landmark sickle cell awareness campaign to Ondo State, as part of its renewed efforts to address the prevalence of the disease across the Niger Delta region.

The outreach, organised in collaboration with the Ebiere Women Foundation, Sickle Cell Awareness Initiative Ireland–Nigeria (SCAIIN), and the Beyond Sickle Cell Foundation, was held at the State Specialist Hospital, Oke Aro, Akure, the state capital.

Speaking at the event, the managing director of the NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said the campaign, first launched in Port Harcourt earlier this year, aims to promote public health and drive broader awareness to combat the growing burden of sickle cell disease in the region.

Ogbuku, represented by the Ondo State Director of the Commission, Ene Karaki Benson, noted that the NDDC’s interventions extend beyond infrastructure to encompass the health and well-being of Niger Delta residents.

He said: “NDDC is involved in numerous intervention projects. Recently, here in Ondo, we commissioned a major power project in the South Senatorial District, which had been in darkness for over 50 years, bringing joy to the people in the six local government areas.

“Our ‘Operation Light Up the Niger Delta’ with solar-powered street lights is ongoing, and our scholarship programmes, both local and foreign, have helped people pursue and achieve their dreams. So this sickle cell campaign is another major intervention. Organisations and society must show compassion to sickle cell patients, and that is the support the NDDC is bringing.”

In her remarks, Esther Pepple Onolememen, Convener and Founder of SCAIIN, said the initiative was created to bridge gaps in sickle cell management and care.

Onolememen, a clinical psychotherapist, emphasised the need to eliminate stigma and support patients emotionally and medically.

The Deputy Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Alonge Taiwo, commended the NDDC and its partners for the initiative, describing it as “timely and impactful.”