Obasanjo urges regular health screening to tackle cancer

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday reiterated the need for Nigerians to undergo regular medical check-ups and screening to ensure the early detection and management of ailments such as cancer, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases that pose a threat to healthy living.

Obasanjo made the call in Abeokuta while flagging off the “Lagos to the World Expedition”, an initiative aimed at creating awareness about prostate cancer.

The “Lagos to the World Expedition” is an initiative of Nigerian entrepreneur and BMW enthusiast, Erik Nwagwu, who lost both his mother and sister to cancer and has dedicated the expedition to their memory and the fight against the disease.

Performing the flag-off with a ride in a BMW car at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Obasanjo commended the organiser of the expedition for choosing an initiative that would benefit humanity in honouring the memory of his mother and sister.

Narrating his experience, Obasanjo said, “Most diseases that are not curable are manageable. I have a disease that is not curable, and that is diabetes. I was diagnosed with diabetes more than 40 years ago, and I still manage it.

“The walk from here to the front of the building, I was still able to do it. But what do I do? I play squash three times a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday — if I am around. I also watch what I eat. Diet can be exciting and pleasurable, but if you eat badly, then the consequence can also be bad.

“One other important thing is rest. When I must rest, I will rest. Diet, rest and exercise are very, very important. And then, that’s what I call DREMS, meaning Diet, Rest, Exercise, Medical and Social interactions.

“Regular medical checks must be prioritised. If tests show early symptoms, they can be treated and dealt with. But, of course, again, the cost of carrying out the tests means some people don’t even take medical examinations seriously.

“But once you are becoming what I call a senior citizen, not an old man or an old woman, a senior citizen — and that starts from about the age of 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, and then 85 — you have to take medical tests seriously.”

Speaking with journalists, the driver and founder of the initiative, Nwagwu, said the mission is dedicated to his late mother, Prof. Helen Nwagwu, and his late sister, Mrs Onyema Eseka, both of whom died of cancer.

He said, “Lagos to the World is a circumnavigation of the globe in three legs. The first leg, now, I’m going to Accra. I’ll come back. The second leg, I’ll go to Senegal, and I’ll come back.

“Then next year, I’ll circumnavigate the globe through West Africa up to North Africa, through Europe and Asia, from Asia to North America, then Central America and South America. Then we’ll ship the car to Australia, and from Australia to South Africa. Then I will drive back to Lagos.

“Now, the message I’m carrying along is, first, in memory of my late mother and sister. Number two is prostate cancer, especially among Black men, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

“It is the leading cause of cancer deaths among men. And you find that many people don’t do testing. So, with my partner, Zuri Health, we’re conducting free prostate cancer screenings.

“And I really commend them because not only are they doing screenings, but they’re also checking blood sugar levels, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure.

“We’ve done one in Lagos. We’re going to do an even larger one. We’re also doing one in Accra on June 6. Then I’ll come back, and we’ll do some more during my second leg to Senegal.

“The initiative is to raise awareness about prostate cancer. People have to go for tests because once it is detected early, it is a very easy cancer to treat. I was talking to a friend of mine, and he just lifted his shirt and showed me that he had his prostate removed two weeks ago. He did a test, had no symptoms, and they found that he had prostate cancer.

“Sometimes you don’t even have any symptoms, but the best thing is to make those tests part of your annual routine. That’s one of the messages I’m carrying to the world from Nigeria.”