Stakeholders make case for national campaign towards the big war against cancer

Stakeholders on Tuesday made case for a national campaign to motivate the giving of talent, treasure and time towards the big war against cancer.

At the observation of #GivingTuesday for the first time in Nigeria, yesterday, Pat Utomi, Toyin Sanni, and Abiola Andu noted that it is important to respond to the cancer scourge especially when it could be prevented if there was early detection.

At the press conference heralding the observation of #GivingTuesday in Nigeria, Utomi said, “Whenever I speak on nation building, I always say that if government was to do only two things, those two things should be education and healthcare because people who are properly educated and are well will build a nation without which we cannot go very far.

“We have a situation where cancer has become an epidemic devastating our true economic capital. We are allowing our nation to be short-changed in the process of nation-building and we have to respond perto this scourge especially because most of the people who died of cancer died of what could be prevented if there was early detection.”

Continuing, he said, “In bringing the giving culture alive in Nigeria, it is important that we take advantage of opportunities like this where the global community has identified #GivingTuesday that starts a giving tide—the season of giving to encourage philanthropy in resolving problems that face us as humans. The very first being marked in Nigeria, I am honoured we are able to, under the CECP, invite the support of all Nigerians for a goal of early detection so that we may not lose as many as we are losing today to the scourge.”

Toyin Sanni noted that “it is important that we reach out to villagers and communities on awareness of cancer but this will be most efficient when the mobile centres are available and we would be letting them know the value of the centres but those we really need to reach out to now are those who can help make the mobile centres a reality.”

Sanni agreed that the committee that was inaugurated at the event should be focusing on corporate entities and high end individuals who can give, adding, “Though religious bodies should participate, I am not sure that the alternatives have been presented with the entire details towards getting the information out which is why a committee like this has been put in place. We have Nigerians that are giving back; we only need to find those people who will focus on a laudable project like this.”

According to Abiola Andu, “A project like this is long overdue. From the statistics given, we see that a lot of people are dying. We are doing this as part of humanity and maybe one day we might have a family who needs this. You can never go wrong in being a blessing to humanity. We must cultivate the habit of giving back and doing it generously, in this instance, to help eradicate the cancer scourge.”

In 2012, the United Nations Foundation designated the first Tuesday in December (Tuesday after Thanksgiving) as #GivingTuesday with a view to encouraging, inspiring and celebrating generosity on a global scale.