Vanguard Outreach restores hope for Newspaper vendors, vulnerable Nigerians

By Chioma Obinna

For nearly two years, Mrs. Mary Agonifu’s world was dimming. She could no longer see with one eye, and the other was growing weaker by the day apparently due to aging.

Every trip to the hospital ended the same way—eye drops, vague instructions, and dashed hopes.

“I don’t know my age,” she said softly, sitting quietly on a plastic chair, for support. 

“But for almost two years now, I cannot see with one eye. The doctors would just give me drops and say, ‘Come back,’ but nothing ever changed. My body is paining me too much. My sister insisted I come here today. They examined me and said it is cataract. Vanguard has agreed to do the surgery for me. I don’t even know what to say. I am afraid of surgery. God bless them.”

Mary’s case, discovered during routine eye checks at the outreach in Oshodi, moved the organisers to tears. By the end of the day, Vanguard Media Limited pledged to pick up her surgery bill in full.

A mission born in empathy

The Technical Consultant for Vanguard Media Ltd., Mr Patrick Oduone said the outreach grew out of concern for the welfare of vendors and agents.

“When we marked Vanguard at 40, we went around visiting our agents and distributors,” Oduone recalled. 

“They told us their people were dying of different ailments. When I asked if they had ever gone for medical check-ups, they said, ‘Where’s the money?’ That was when I decided to start this outreach.”

Since then, the initiative has spread from Marina to Ikeja, Oshodi and Mile 2, reaching hundreds at each stop. 

“At Marina, we attended to 150 people; in Ikeja, about 250. Here in Oshodi, we also targeted 250. But we discovered that vulnerable Nigerians outside the trade also pleaded to partake, so we had to extend the programme. It is not just a one-off—we take their phone numbers, do follow-up calls, and where there’s a serious case, like Mary’s, we intervene directly.”

Mary’s case is not the first serious case Vanguard has intervened in recent times. As you read this article, Vanguard is currently bearing the medical costs of an Abuja female Vendor who is down with breast cancer.

Vendors react

For Mr. Oluwafemi Adeyemi, who has distributed newspapers for over 40 years, the outreach was historic.

“I was very happy about it,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion. 

“I have never seen any newspaper house do this for vendors or agents. Other papers have supported us before, yes, but not like this. For me to even go to Mecure for consultation, I know how much I must pay. I once paid N105,000 for my glasses. Here, Vanguard gave us glasses and treatment for free. I encourage all vendors, wherever you are, to attend. Our health is more important than the business we are doing.”

He also praised Vanguard’s publisher for standing behind the initiative:

“Baba is a wonderful father. Despite his position, he sits with us, eats with us, and looks after us. I remember in 2006 when he approved a brand new car for us agents. No other media house has done that. Now Vanguard is saving lives through health. I pray God blesses them.”

Another beneficiary, Mrs. Anne Adewunmi, a newspaper distributor since 1992, said she did not expect the programme to be so elaborate.

“This is very, very interesting,” she said with a smile. “We thought it was going to be a small thing. But when we came and saw everything, we said, ‘Wow!’ Kudos to Vanguard. Among all media houses, Vanguard is the best for organising this kind of outreach.”

Another distributor, Mr. Hachem Albert described it as “amazing.”

“Some people doubted it,” he said. “They thought it was one of those free checks where, after testing, you must pay N50,000 for drugs. But here, everything is free—eye tests, blood sugar, hepatitis, glasses. And Vanguard gave priority to our members. Once you show you are a vendor, you are attended to immediately. I pray other media copy this.”

Community endorsement

For Mr. Chukwuemeka Ogwefu, the Chairman, Traders at Bolade Oshodi, said, the outreach showed that Vanguard values the people who distribute its papers.

“Vanguard has remembered us. We read their publication for information, and now they are touching our health. That is very good. Everybody here wants to know their health status, and Vanguard has made that possible. I pray God bless them.”

Beyond the headlines

For Mary, Adeyemi, Anne, Albert and countless others, Vanguard’s headline was not just in print it was written in their lives.

Govt reacts 

The Executive Chairman of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area, Kehinde Almaroof-Oloyede also threw its weight behind the programme. 

Represented by the Chief of Staff, Hon. Leke Banjoko, described the outreach as a model corporate social responsibility initiative.

“It’s a laudable project,” he said. “Giving back to society is something we should all emulate. Some of our staff benefitted today and testified to the quality of service. On behalf of Oshodi/Isolo, Lagos State and indeed Nigeria, I thank Vanguard. It is not easy to organise this kind of event. I pray it continues to grow bigger.”

“Health is wealth,” Oduone said as he surveyed the crowd. “At 40, Vanguard is now living its mission—towards a better life for the people. This is only the beginning. We will keep pushing this across the nation.”

As the event wound down, dozens of beneficiaries clutched test results, free medication and, in some cases, new glasses. For many, it was their first medical check-up in years.

But for Mary Agonifu, it was life-changing. With her cataract surgery assured, she could finally look forward to a world of colour and clarity again. 

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