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Transforming Lives, One Village at a Time: Tumsah sponsors free medical outreach for 600 residents in Damaturu (Pictures)

August 5, 2025

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Transforming Lives, One Village at a Time: Tumsah sponsors free medical outreach for 600 residents in Damaturu (Pictures)

Story by Shalom Kasim

In a major healthcare intervention under the Light Up Yobe Initiative, hundreds of residents in Dikumari Ward of Damaturu, capital of Yobe State benefited from a free medical outreach sponsored by popular philanthropist, Kashim Musa Tumsah MFR, on Saturday, August 2, 2025.

Organised by the Yobe State Medical Students Association (YOMSA), the outreach was conducted under the banner of the Light Up Yobe Initiative. It was officially titled the Kashim Musa Tumsah Medical Outreach.

The programme was funded through the support of Tumsah and was organised and executed by members of YOMSA, with assistance from professional doctors and pharmacists with ties to the state.

The event was initially designed to serve around 400 people. Still, by the end of the day, the team had attended to over 600 individuals, making it one of the largest single-day community medical outreaches in the area in recent years.

The outreach featured free consultations, screenings for malaria, hypertension, and diabetes, and the provision of free medications for identified conditions. In cases requiring more specialised care, patients were issued referrals to appropriate facilities.

One of the beneficiaries, who spoke to Neptune Prime, expressed heartfelt appreciation for the initiative. “We are very grateful for the assistance he has given to us. Some of the drugs we need, we could not get them, because they are very expensive. But now, we have gotten this intervention, we are very happy.”

Another beneficiary remarked, “I even thought it was the government that sponsored it, but it turned out to be from just one individual who has us in mind.”

The medical team was composed of 30 personnel, including 15 members of the Yobe State Medical Students Association (YOMSA), 10 medical doctors, most of whom are graduates of the University of Maiduguri, and 5 pharmacists who managed the distribution of drugs and dosage information.

Drugs administered included antimalarials, antihypertensives, antibiotics, and anti-parasitic medications for deworming. These drugs were selected to meet the common public health concerns in the area.

Organisers of the outreach say there are plans to replicate similar medical interventions in other parts of the state, especially in more remote communities where access to basic healthcare remains out of reach.

While details of future dates are yet to be confirmed, the success of the Dikumari Ward event has provided a blueprint for scalable, citizen-led healthcare delivery that combines local volunteerism with philanthropic sponsorship.

Philanthropic Endeavours of Kashim Musa Tumsah

This medical outreach is part of a broader track record of philanthropic and developmental efforts associated with Kashim Musa Tumsah, MFR, a lawyer, former diplomat, oil and gas executive, and public-spirited citizen of Yobe State.

Tumsah’s contributions to development in Yobe have spanned various sectors. In recent years, he has initiated and funded the Operation Light Up Yobe project, which has led to the installation of solar-powered streetlights across more than 30 towns and villages, including Dapchi, Turbangida, Matti, Umarari, Goniri, Mangari, Bayamari, and others.

These installations have aimed to boost security and ease movement at night, especially in areas previously plagued by total darkness.

In addition to streetlights, Tumsah has sponsored the drilling and installation of solar-powered boreholes with large overhead tanks in water-scarce communities such as Jurguya, Maji Kakuri, Malumti, Mashayan Gawo, and Malam Wuriya, significantly easing the burden of water access for residents.

Tumsah’s interventions have also touched on education and social welfare. As part of his commitment to youth development, he has facilitated the purchase of JAMB forms for at least 10 indigent students in each of the 17 local government areas of Yobe State. This initiative aims to reduce the financial barriers that often prevent promising students from advancing their education.

Upon conclusion of the examinations, he presented ₦2.9 million to 29 exceptional students from Yobe State who excelled and scored above 300 points, making it the first time an individual philanthropist will award ₦2.9 million, providing ₦100,000 per student, as remarked by Alhaji Ajiya Maina Kachallah, member of the Yobe State House of Assembly representing Machina Constituency.

During Ramadan, his team has organised food distribution efforts in designated mosques across the state, supplying rice and beverages to low-income families to enable them to break their fast with ease.

Additionally, in September 2024, he coordinated support for victims of insurgency attacks in Tarmuwa Local Government Area, mobilising personal resources and contributions from his network to supplement government efforts.

Just recently, in June 2025, Tumsah supported victims of a destructive windstorm in the Fika local government area of Yobe State. The disaster damaged over 351 houses and injured six residents.

He donated ₦2 million as a relief package to affected families of the disaster.

In the same month, Tumsah extended his hand of kindness to residents of Rugar Fulani, a community in Potiskum, Yobe State, where he single-handedly constructed and commissioned a bridge to ease movement for villagers. Before his intervention, members of the affected communities struggled to access neighbouring villages due to seasonal flooding.

Residents, including schoolchildren, were forced to cross a makeshift wooden bridge daily to reach their destinations, facing life-threatening risks in the process.

While appreciating Tumsah for turning their struggles into strength, the residents recalled how some primary school pupils and a driver had died while crossing a makeshift bridge jointly constructed by the communities.

To enhance visibility and ensure the safety of benefiting communities, especially during nighttime, Tumsah also installed solar lights on the bridge constructed at the Rugar Fulani community, as well as the Nahuta community in Potiskum.

See pictures below: