By Destiny Obinna
A US-based Nigerian pastor, David Ojo, has stressed the need for faith-based organisations to complement government efforts in addressing the welfare needs of vulnerable Nigerians, as his ministry provided free medical screening, food supplies and other forms of assistance during its 2026 Festival of Praise Miracle and Community Outreach in Lagos.
Ojo said the annual initiative was driven by the conviction that the gospel should translate into practical interventions that improve people’s lives, particularly those struggling with economic hardship and limited access to healthcare.
Speaking during the outreach which featured giveaways, raffles, foods, medical checkups, he said the programme was targeting 7,000 beneficiaries, following an estimated 6,000 people reached during the previous edition.
“I believe that gospel is about impact, not just about preaching. Yes, of course, we’re going to minister to people, they’re going to give their life to Christ, but I think the most important thing is also to meet the needs of people,” he said.
The outreach featured the distribution of food items, including rice and other raw foodstuffs, free medical screening and the distribution of thousands of toys imported from the United States for children.
Ojo said the programme was designed to provide immediate relief to families while identifying people who might need further medical attention.
He recalled that some beneficiaries had told him that the food distributed during previous editions helped sustain their households for about a week.
“Some of them will say, ‘Pastor, thank you for meeting our needs, meeting our challenges.’ Some of them will say, the food that you gave us is what myself and my family live on for the next one week. So, it’s the impact,” he said.
According to him, the medical intervention had also helped identify people who were previously unaware of their health conditions and connect them with facilities where they could receive further assistance.
On the country’s economic challenges, Ojo said both government and citizens had responsibilities in improving living conditions, urging Nigerians to contribute to addressing societal problems rather than relying entirely on government assistance.
“One of the things is that we’ve seen so many entitlement mentality, that when people supposed to try to strive for themselves, they don’t do that. They expect government to do for them,” he said.
“What we need to do, we need to do our part. Of course, our government also need to do their part to make sure that they take care of the country,” he added.
Ojo said the ministry, which began its activities decades ago, had combined music, preaching and humanitarian assistance as part of its efforts to touch lives.
He disclosed that plans were underway to extend the outreach to other countries, including Tanzania, South Africa, Canada and parts of Europe.
“This is going global. We already planning to go to Tanzania, go to South Africa, go to Europe, go to Canada. This is just the beginning,” he said.
He expressed appreciation to the medical professionals, volunteers, supporters and media organisations that contributed to the programme, saying their participation would help sustain the initiative and extend its reach to more communities.
He added that the ministry sometimes assisted beneficiaries with medical bills after referrals.
The head of the medical team, Dr Rotimi Adesanya, a family and public health physician, said more than 200 people were screened during the exercise.
He said hypertension and elevated blood sugar readings were among the major health concerns identified, with close to 100 people recording either high blood pressure or elevated blood sugar.
“Out of the 200 people that we have seen, it should be close to 100 of them; they are having either their blood pressure high or the sugar high,” Adesanya said.
He disclosed that some beneficiaries had dangerously high blood pressure and were referred to health facilities for further assessment and continued care.
The physician attributed the health concerns partly to poor health-seeking behaviour, financial difficulties and inadequate health insurance coverage, which he said prevented some people from accessing routine medical checks.
“Many of them don’t go to hospital to get themselves checked,” he said.
Adesanya urged Nigerians to adopt healthier lifestyles, improve their diets, engage in regular physical exercise and undergo routine health checks to promote early detection and management of chronic conditions.
He also called on government, private organisations and multinational companies to support community-based medical outreaches, arguing that collective efforts were necessary to expand access to healthcare.
“Government cannot do it alone. When you compare with the population, it cannot really sustain the population,” he said.
