By OLA AJAYI, Ibadan

The situation is one that will leave any concerned Nigerian truly worried given its far-reaching implication. Indeed, it came as a rude shock to young optician, Mr. Olamide Oladayo, when he learned of the alarming influx of Nigerians with eye defects into the neighbouring Benin Republic and other African countries due to the outrageous fees charged for eye surgery in their country, Nigeria.

*The uncompleted eye clinic at Saki. INSET: Olamide Oladayo attending to patients

But Olamide soon got over the shock and decided to do something about the unfortunate development He has started the construction of a maternity hospital and eye clinic in the Saki area of Oyo State in memory of Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing who died several years ago.

Nightingale was a celebrated English social reformer and statistician. She came to prominence while serving as a nurse during the Crimean War where she treated wounded soldiers.

Treated wounded soldiers

Oladayo, who is the founder of Florence Nightingale   Maternity Hospital and Eye Clinic, said he was moved to take steps to alleviate the rigour and sufferings that Nigerians, especially those in Saki, go through to get medical eye services in neighbouring African countries where they pay about N20,000 or less for eye surgery. Some opticians in Nigeria are said to charge as much as N50,000 for eye surgery.

The optician explained that the revelation is not an attempt to vilify his counterparts in the profession. He noted that when the high cost of equipment and other logistics are considered, nobody should point any accusing fingers at them. He appealed to wealthy Nigerians to assist these indigent people to procure eye treatment in view of the importance of the eye to the whole body.

As part of his widow’s mite, Oladayo has conducted free eye test for hundreds of residents of Oyo State, staff of higher institutions like the Polytechnic, Ibadan; Federal College of Education, Oyo; civil servants, staff and teachers under the State Universal Basic Education Board, and many others.

He told Vanguard Metro, VM, that he tried to put his meager resources together to build the hospital which is nearing completion.

Overwhelmed by the capital intensive nature of the project, he has called on President Goodluck Jonathan, governors, senators, business men and women, traditional rulers, international donor agencies, sports men and women, private and public companies and non-governmental organisations to buy into the vision of bringing comfort to others by contributing to the project.

Oladayo said the project would gulp at least N150 million. He said the project which he started about seven years ago was borne out of the passion he has for people in the area. He is optimistic that it would be completed with the support of people who have the same vision of making life worth living for others.

The vision, he informed, was a product of his trip overseas where he read several selfless services of Florence Nightingale, adding that he intended to keep the memory of the kind-hearted woman alive by building a hospital where people would be catered for just like Nightingale did years past.

To him, money is not everything and one should try as much as possible to help mankind in a way that would put smiles on them.