“I am super elated… I cannot even close my mouth,” the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, said with a broad smile as she watched residents of Bunkure Local Government Area queue for free dental treatment at the town’s Primary Health Care Centre.
What began as a large-scale empowerment programme across Kano State has now taken on a deeply human face in Bunkure the Minister’s hometown where over 1500 residents have so far benefited from a free dental outreach facilitated in partnership with the Global Smile Initiative (GSI).
For many beneficiaries, the intervention was more than medical care; it was the restoration of dignity.
One 40-year-old woman, Zulai Adamu fighting back tears, said she had not smiled in public for over a decade because of damaged teeth.
“For 10 years I couldn’t smile or laugh because I was afraid people would laugh at me,” she said. “I used to go to the hospital, but I couldn’t afford the treatment. Today, the Minister has restored my smile. Now I can laugh when and where necessary.”
Dr. Mahmoud, visibly moved by such testimonies, said the outreach was part of a broader package following an empowerment programme that covered all 44 local government areas and 484 wards in Kano State, where over 464 persons received various forms of support.
“As you can see, so many people gathered here today,” she said. “Some had dentures fixed, some had extractions, others did scaling and polishing. Many of them didn’t even know they needed to clean their teeth twice a year. Some cannot afford artificial dentures. That is why we brought this initiative here.”
According to the Programme Coordinator of GSI, Dr. Olusegun Alalade, a Consultant Restorative Dentist, the cases handled ranged from routine scaling and polishing to fillings, extractions, and denture replacements.
“As at the time you met us, we have attended to close to 200 beneficiaries,” he said, noting that over 500 people turned up for the exercise. “Scaling and polishing alone costs between N2,500 and N5,000 in government hospitals. If you multiply that by over 150 people, you can imagine the financial relief this programme has provided.”
Dr. Mahmoud explained that beyond treatment, beneficiaries also received dental kits toothbrushes and toothpaste alongside health education on oral hygiene.
“If you cannot brush three times a day, at least do it in the morning and before bed especially at night,” she advised. “And if you have any problem that needs medical attention, rush to the hospital. We have active primary healthcare services here in Bunkure.”
While describing the outreach as repeatable rather than strictly sustainable, she hinted at plans to expand similar interventions into other areas of need.
“It could be ophthalmic next time, for those with eye problems. It could be for children addressing malnutrition. It could be free antenatal care for pregnant women,” she said. “We can go one by one. It is very doable if we have the opportunity.”
The Minister said the initiative aligns with what she described as the “dividend of democracy” under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
For the residents of Bunkure, however, the dividends were measured not in policy language but in renewed confidence in the laughter of a woman who had hidden her smile for 10 years, and in the quiet relief of men and women who walked into the clinic in pain and left with hope.
As Dr. Mahmoud put it, “I thank Almighty Allah for giving me this opportunity for my people to benefit. Alhamdulillah.”
