Residents and worshippers at RCCG Living Praise Assembly, Kajola Road, Onihale, Ifo LGA, Ogun have received a boost of hope as Africa Needs U (ANU), a US-based charitable, faith-based organisation, donated food items and other relief materials to beneficiaries, alongside a medical outreach.
It was to mark its 20th anniversary, and God’s faithfulness in ministry.
Speaking on the initiative, the President of Africa Needs U Incorporation, USA, Rev. Oladele Taiwo, said the organisation is a Faith-based, and was established to respond to practical needs while strengthening lives and communities across Africa. He said ANU was committed to extending support to Christian communities across Africa, particularly where assistance could make a meaningful difference.
His wife and Vice President of ANU, Mrs Yinka Taiwo, also stressed the importance of giving that goes beyond material assistance. According to her, the organisation seeks to touch lives through practical interventions that provide relief, dignity and encouragement to families facing difficult circumstances.
She believes the NGO can do with more funding, as that remains one of the challenges.
The preacher, Pastor Folorunso Adedayo, Zonal pastor-in-charge, Chapel of His Grace, Lagos Province 62 spoke on the theme of the 2-day program: ‘Believe God for greater tomorrow-Africa is truly changing’.
Pastor Adedayo said, ‘Power of life and death are in the tongue’, hence brethren should say good things to themselves, irrespective of circumstances.
‘Just as God promised in Isaiah 43:19-
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth…” that speaks about God bringing about something new, making a way where there seems to be none, and creating hope for the future. Never ever give up.”
The medical component of the outreach also provided an opportunity for participants to learn about preventive healthcare. Dr Bankole Abiola, who participated in the programme by screening participants with his team, emphasised the need for people to take their health seriously before symptoms become emergencies.
Speaking on sudden death syndrome, as ocassioned by untreated or poorly managed diabetes, hypertension, poor nutrition, and heart conditions, as seen in most of the people screened, Dr Abiola stressed that some sudden deaths can be linked to undiagnosed or poorly managed health conditions, making regular medical checks and early detection important.
He urged people not to wait until they become seriously ill before seeking medical attention.
“Preventive medicine is about being proactive rather than waiting for disease to announce itself,” Dr Abiola said, explaining that routine checks can help identify health risks early and create an opportunity for appropriate intervention. He encouraged individuals to know basic indicators of their health, including their blood pressure, blood sugar and other relevant health parameters, depending on their age and risk factors.
He also highlighted the importance of health insurance in improving access to healthcare. According to him, health insurance can help reduce the financial burden of medical treatment and encourage people to seek care when they need it rather than delaying treatment because of cost.
For the Assistant Provincial Pastor, RCCG Ogun Province 27, Region 44, Pastor Adetokunbo Akinsola, the outreach produced both spiritual and physical benefits.
“On beneficiaries, the impact is the touch of God that made them answer the altar call. For those who didn’t come out for altar call, the medical check-up helped them to know their health status and work on maintaining or improving it,” he said.
He added that the food donation would provide immediate relief to households. “The raw food collected will help for a few days to fill gaps created in respect of food at home.”
Pastor Akinsola also noted that the intervention had an impact on the church itself, saying, “On the church, the impact is church growth as additional members started to join the church today.”
Assessing ANU’s contribution, he described the organisation as a valuable partner to Christian communities across the continent. “ANU organisation is very good in helping Christian bodies all over Africa by facilitating financial contributions to meet various needs in different aspects of life,” he said.
The Onihale outreach, with over 600 participants across males, females, adults, and children therefore combined spiritual support with food relief, medical screening and health education, reinforcing the message that caring for communities involves not only responding to immediate needs but also empowering people to protect their health and wellbeing.
The event was coordinated by his wife, Pastor (Mrs) Folasade Akinsola, who supervised the giving of bags of rice, garri, noodles, and food packs to participants.