Chairman of the Gateway Front Foundation (GFF), Otunba Senator Gbenga Daniel, has hailed a 40-member team of American doctors and paramedics for performing about 300 free surgical procedures in Ogun State. He spoke at a luncheon held in their honour, which also marked the Foundation’s 25th anniversary.
The volunteers came from Sharing Hope Medical Mission, USA. Over two weeks, they brought relief to hundreds of patients, with the Foundation sponsoring the surgeries locally so that beneficiaries paid nothing.
“Behind every successful surgery is a human story,” Otunba Senator Daniel said, describing a patient relieved of pain, a family freed from anxiety and a life given a fresh chance. He told the visiting team that medicine is “not merely a profession but also a noble calling to serve humanity.”
He singled out the team lead, Dr Emeka, and thanked Juliet Achilike and Amra for helping to facilitate the collaboration.
The Foundation also paid tribute to Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, and the management of Redeemed Health Village, where the surgeries took place. Otunba Senator Daniel praised the Chief Operating Officer, Lady Laura, for coordinating the mission while hundreds of patients thronged the facility daily. He also thanked Dr Dada and the Redeemed Health Village team for their cooperation.
Turning to the silver jubilee, he said GFF has been guided for 25 years by the belief that everyone deserves to live with dignity. Its work has covered scholarships, medical support, interest-free microcredit for small businesses, and tractors and equipment for farmers. It has also donated hundreds of wheelchairs to persons with disabilities, supplied tools to artisans, and given vehicles and other empowerment resources to hundreds of beneficiaries.
For the next 25 years, he said, the Foundation will deepen its medical outreach, expand scholarships, promote vocational training and youth development, and scale up microcredit. It will also keep supporting persons with disabilities and farmers. He added that GFF must build stronger institutions anchored on good governance, transparency and measurable results.
He also made a special appeal to well-to-do Nigerians to give back, saying philanthropy does not always demand enormous wealth. “A scholarship, a medical intervention, a business tool or support for a struggling family can change the course of someone’s life,” he said. While government carries the primary duty of providing public services, he noted, individuals, companies, religious bodies and foundations have a role in complementing it.
Describing the jubilee as “not the end of our journey” but a call to greater service, Otunba Senator Daniel urged members, donors and partners to stay committed to the Foundation’s vision.
Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
