Oduduwa of Oregon excites Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE - Song and dance filled the room as the Oduduwa of Oregon Nigerian musical troupe entertained guests of "A Night to Remember" Saturday.

The gourmet dinner and auction was hosted by the Moses Lake Medical Team and held at the Grant County Fairgrounds.

The team is a group of medical professionals who travel each year to a developing country to help give care to patients who cannot afford it.

The group's president, Lateef Olaniyan, of Moses Lake, brought the group together in 2008 and their first mission was in Kwara State, Nigeria. During the first mission, the team was able to reopen a hospital in Nigeria that had been closed for 23 years.

Each mission lasts two weeks and the team tries to treat as many patients as possible in that time span.

The first team was made up of primarily Moses Lake physicians, but since then the team has grown to include doctors from other parts of the United States, Canada and Nicaragua.

Dr. James Irwin, of Moses Lake, said it was easy for him to join the Moses Lake Medical Team because he spent time treating patients in Africa beforehand and has been doing this type of work his whole life.

Last year, the team was able to treat more than 5,000 patients and prescribe more than 8,000 people medicine.

"A lot of people don't have access to health care," Olaniyan said. "They are too poor to have access and it's just to contribute a little bit just to help them."

The group's next mission will be returning to Nigeria in the fall to continue to provide the much-needed medical care in the country.

Olaniyan takes great pride in the work the team does in Africa and loves helping those who are unable to help themselves.

"When you help them with surgery it's very rewarding," Olaniyan said. "It makes you feel good to see the results."

The medical team was grateful for Moses Lake residents and organizations that came out to support the work they are trying to do.

"I appreciate the people of this city so much," Olaniyan said. "They've always been wonderful to our team."

Those who came to the event were able to bid during silent and live auctions as well as take in a fashion show of traditional and contemporary Nigerian clothing.

After the fashion show, Oduduwa of Oregon performed a song and dance routine.

Olaniyan was unsure how much money the benefit raised. But he was confident enough money was donated to purchase the necessary drugs and equipment the team would need for the trip.

The cost was estimated to be between $30,000 to $50,000.