UBA Foundation Promotes Prostate Cancer Awareness; Organizes Free Screening in Lagos

UBA Foundation; the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Africa’s financial powerhouse has continued its prostate cancer awareness campaign, using the bank’s quarterly staff healthy living initiative known as “jogging to bond” to raise the awareness and consciousness of this debilitating disease that commonly affect adult black males. The Foundation last year commenced on an annual campaign program designed to encourage adult black males of over 40 years to screen regularly for signs of the disease. According to Ms Ijeoma Aso, MD of UBA Foundation, this is predicated on the fact that “prostate cancer unlike other types of cancer, is curable if detected early and treated”. Explaining further, Dr Olaseinde Eletu, CEO Marina Medical Services HMO, said prostate cancer starts in the prostate, a walnut-sized gland found below the bladder in men. “If it is not treated, prostate cancer follows a natural course, starting as a tiny group of cancer cells that can grow into a full-blown tumor” he added. Using the platform of the bank’s group-wide” jogging to bond” program, UBA Foundation organized a charity walking, jogging and cycling exercise through some streets of Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria, on Saturday March 10. Staff and other Nigerians who joined in the progranmme tagged ‘Walk, Jog and Cycle for Prostate Cancer’ handed over information leaflets to the people on the street and calling on them to take advantage of the free screening provided by the Foundation at the National Stadium on the day. Expectedly a large turnout of people thronged the synthetic pitch of the stadium to do the free screening. Out of the 96 that got screened, 6 tested positive. “The discovery was timely as test results show that the disease was still in the initial stages among those who tested positive and thus can be treated in line with the objective of the campaign exercise” said Ms. Aso. Another important highlight of the 2012 awareness campaign programme was the and soccer match played between UBA Lions FC; 3 time winners of the Nigerian Bankers Games and an All Star Team of Nigerian Ex-International soccer stars like Henry Nwosu, Yisa Shofoluwe, Friday Elaho, Mike Onyemachara and a host of others. The All Star team defeated the UBA Lions FC 2-1 in an entertaining and exciting match. The stars, even though advanced in age, entertained the capacity crowd with good display of football skills that made them household names in Nigerian and Africa, years ago. Babatunde Raji Fashola T Lagos State Governor, who was represented by Dr. Femi Olugbile, permanent secretary, Ministry of Health, commended UBA Foundation for the behind using sports to signpost the need for more awareness for prostate cancer. According to him, sports and healthcare development are central to the Babatunde Fashola administration and further encouraged other corporate institutions to emulate UBA. As the corporate social responsibility arm of the UBA Group, UBA Foundation is committed to the socio-economic development of the communities where it operates, through four focus areas; Environment, Education, Economic Empowerment and Special Projects. UBA Foundation draws its inspiration from the Group’s intrinsic values of Humility, Empathy, Resilience and Integrity and has through many initiatives and social projects, been touching the lives of peoples in Nigeria and Africa//end.