Kaduna — More than 1000 children below the age of five in Hayin Banki and other areas around Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State, were freely de-wormed at the weekend by men of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), in addition to having the community's drainages, motor garages and streets cleaned.

Also, part of the reason for the community service, according to the Command's Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Wing Commander Edward Gabkwet, is for the recruits, who are currently under-going training at the 325 Ground Training Group of the Nigerian Air Force Base, Kaduna, to learn to subordinate themselves to civilian authority by learning to peacefully co-exit with their civilian neighbours.

Gabkwet also said that free drugs were offered to about 500 grown-ups, after undergoing complete body examinations by the medical staff of the air force, which included dental checks, urine and blood test, eye test and blood pressure.

Air Commander Abubakar Njida, who heads the 345 Aeromedical Hospitals at the NAF Base, also explained that, "this is the first time that the Nigerian Air Force is embarking on this kind of project. It is to disabuse the minds of people that it is not only during war situations that the Nigerian Army comes to the help of people around it. We want to show them that we can also extend humanitarian services in times of peace which we have been enjoying in Kaduna State.

"In the area of environmental sanitation, we decided to empty all their refuse dumps and also open up drainages that are blocked, pick dirt on their streets and clean their motor packs and markets, while in the area of health, we have broken it into eight units. The first, is free medical consultation where we have a doctor that will listen to their complain and examine them," he said.

"We also have a nursing section where they will take their blood samples and pulse. We have a place for the examination of their eyes, teeth, family planning, voluntary counseling on HIV/AIDS, a laboratory urine testing service, a pharmacy where we immediately give out free drugs to all those found with something wrong in them," he said.

Gabkwet, who led the second group of the Nigerian Air Force personnel to clean up the Kawo Motor Pack and all streets around the area said: "We have grown up with these people and have decided to be good neighbours to them by deploying our medical services to help them and also deploy our recruits to come out and help with cleaning the community's motor packs, streets and drainages."

According to him, plans were also on the way to making the exercise a quarterly one which will also keep expanding to capture more communities in the state.