By Victor Uwagor
In
a grand display of his usual philanthropic gestures and show of concern for the
needy, former Minister of State for Works, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sir,
Engr (Dr.) Chris Ogiemwonyi, FNSE, KSA, on the occasion of his 63rd
birthday anniversary, 21st March, 2014, sponsored free breast and
cervical cancer (for women between ages 18 – 65) and prostrate cancer screening
exercises (for men above 40years), in conjunction with the Lagos-based Optimal
Cancer Care Foundation, at the Urhokpota Hall, Benin City.
The 2-day event,
which was well attended by indigenes and residents of the three senatorial
districts of the state and beyond, who wanted to know their statuses and the preventive/curative
medical steps required to checkmate the deadly ailments, in case they were
diagnosed positive, was essentially supported by the Ogiemwonyi Foundation
because according to the former minister, “we have discovered that early
detection of the presence of the diseases could save a lot of lives and help
curtail its spread in the body system.
Breast and cervical cancer in women and prostrate cancer in men have
recently become killer ailments around the world, but a quick detention of
traces of these diseases could actually reduce their severity, make the
diseases manageably impotent and save more of our peoples’ lives. This is why we have thought it necessary to
bring this screening and free drug distribution to the doorsteps of our people
so they could benefit. Those cases that
cannot be immediately attended to, during this exercise, would, where
necessary, be referred to specialists’ hospitals for further treatment and
management.”
While flagging off the exercise, Engr. (Dr.) Sir
Ogiemwonyi encouraged Edo people to take full advantage of the screening and
treatment exercise, insisting that it was ignorance on the parts of the people
that remedies to treat ailments abound, that have made some, otherwise,
combatable diseases become readily terminal and deadly.
“Many of these diseases that lead to untimely deaths,”
Ogiemwonyi noted, “could be easily treated when diagnosed on time. For me I only discovered this a few years
ago; so we have decided to make this available for our people. These days, celebrating or marking birthdays
have gone beyond the issues of sharing rice and drinks and dancing to music;
true care for the people means taking care of their health challenges in
whatever way one could; come to think of it, a healthy man or woman could
easily fend for himself or herself. It
is sickness and disease that weaken the ability of human beings to effectively
be up and doing, to be alive and active.
It is our prayers that diseases would be far away from us; but when they
do sometimes come to our doorsteps, we pray that medical attentions would be
available to help us take them out. That
is essentially why we are doing this today.”
Some of the beneficiaries of the free screening and
treatment exercise, in separate chats with The Navigator commended the initiative
of Engr. Ogiemwonyi to make the opportunity available to Edo
people, and enjoined other well-to-do indigenes of the state to emulate the
kind gesture and make such exercises available to indigent residents and
indigenes of the state.
In his remarks, shortly after participating in the
exercise, Pa Igbe, who, however, tested negative of prostrate cancer screening,
was full of praises for Engr. Ogiemwonyi for even helping to create the
awareness and enlightenment about the possibility of curtailing the killer
disease.
Said he, “First, I want to thank Engr. Ogiemwonyi for
letting people know that this disease is curable when detected early
enough. I didn’t know before that one
could come for a test as simple as this.
I have just been test. I tested negative. Now, for me, I would make it a regular
exercise according to the advice of the medical personnel handling the
exercise. It has not cost me anything. This is a very commendable development. I am very happy.”
Pa Igbe, therefore, called on Edo
indigenes, particularly those within the age brackets specified for the female
and male not to be inhibited by any thought or fears, “because it is better to
know whether one is well or not. If one
is silent about a worrisome ailment, and keeping it secret, one would die in
silence. But this is an opportunity to
come forward, free of charge as it is here, to find out one’s status and what
could be done.”
In his own chat with The Navigator, another
beneficiary of the free cancer screening exercise, Mr. Efosa Obasogie, said the
development was a wake-up call on other wealthy Edo sons and daughters, to show
concern for the well-being of humanity by investing an appreciable percentage
of their wealth on philanthropic exercises, instead of amassing stupendous wealth
selfishly for themselves and their generations yet unborn when millions were
dying of preventable and curable diseases because they did not have the
wherewithal to seek medical attention.
While commending the sponsor, Engr. Ogiemwonyi for the
free screening, and for providing lunch during the 2-day exercise, Mr. Obasogie
challenged government to appreciate the fact that there was poverty and disease
in the land, and that only a committed drive, especially on the part of
government, to provide essential services, such as education and health, free
of charge to the populace, could help reduce the ugly trend.
A 43-year-old woman, Mrs. Elizabeth Ukpebo, in her
chat with The Navigator was full of gratitude for Engr. Ogiemwonyi for the
initiative, noting that kind-hearted people were hard to find, especially at
this time when selfishness and greed had grown to frightening proportions in
the country.
Said she in pidgin English, “God go bless the man. I nor know am, but I know say God go continue to
bless am. Na me and two of my daughters come.
Dem dey inside now; na only me don finish my own. The man do well; God
go still look after im family too.”
Health personnel from the Optimal Cancer Care
Foundation, Lagos and officers of the Chris Ogiemwonyi Foundation, who
supervised the exercise and offered free drugs to participants at the exercise
advised Edo people to regularly come out for tests to ascertain their statuses,
insisting that early detection and regular screen-testing of cases of breast,
cervical or prostrate cancer remains the safest antidote to effectively
checkmating the deadliness of the ailment.
TheNavigator
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