The Institute of Directors (IoD), now chartered, has concluded its 40 years anniversary events with a ‘Work and Walk’ scheme which painted most cities white Saturday morning, June 10, 2023.
In Port Harcourt, the institute which began the 40 years anniversary events On May 24, 2023 as an ordinary institute and ended it on June 10, 2023, as chartered, created a white avenue at Bodo Street in D-Line area of the Garden City.
With a sortie of security and medical vans, the CEOs began exercises and thereafter moved in orderly fashion drawing a white line into Aba Road and round the city and back.
Explaining, a foremost investor, engineer, and business executive, Innocent Akuvue, CEO of GGI International Limited, told newsmen that the IOD is 40 years and that is important because it is a time for self-assessment.
GGI is one of the major sponsors of the event. The chairman/CEO said: “We have come a long way, and to mark that milestone, we organised this. It has the theme; ‘Healthy Living, Walk for Life’.
The IoD began with a lunch when it brought the best brains to discuss and create awareness and dissect the basics of corporate governance. “It is not about succeeding in the office, you have to also live. That is why we have ‘Walk as You Work.”
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On the significance, Akuvue (PhD) showed pain that many CEOs didn’t turn out to justify the theme, ‘walk’. He said it is a huge concern, but said there is no one to blame. “We are in a very unsafe country now. A lot of people could be afraid of being on the road. I feel most of them are in gyms and homes to carry out theirs.”
He however said he would want to believe that his fellow CEOs that walk would create some exercise. “I would love all of us to be here so others can see. It is good to show example, to your staff and the public. Going forward, I want to see more participation. This is part of the 40 years of the institute, but we as a region can make it annual or monthly.”
In the Walk for Life event, a health talk was mounted at the end of the walk by a medical doctor from Princess Medical Centre, Ebimoboere Solomon, on Blood Pressure issues.
She began by warning that these days, BP is a major health situation in Nigeria and beyond, such that there is BP in teenagers, people of mere 18 years.
Insisting that Nigerians , especially CEOs, must check their BP always, the young woman said aging has implications because it’s the time organs begin to develop problems.
She said knowing vital statistics is very important, and explained that when anyone records 139/90, treatment should begin, but that 130/89 is early warning.
She also said 160/90 is time to worry. “Males are at higher risk, maybe because they have more stress trying to win bread for the family.”
She regretted that most patients refuse to start treatment with early signs of diabetes because they say they would have to be on drugs forever. “Would it be better to have organ failure early in life due to lack of early treatment? There are patients that lived for 90 years with their sugar or BP under medical control, plus good food.”
She said solution is by finding out the cause and agreeing on a treatment plan with your doctor. “It could be due to elevated cholesterol level. You have to stop organ damage because the consequences could be either going into coma, stroke, etc. Check your BP always.”
She said low blood pressure is an issue too, that is when it is as low as 90/60. “Increase your salt intake, increase fluid intake.”
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