Opinion I Marking the 2017 World Cancer Day

INTENSIFYING AWARENESS ON CANCER SCOURGE AS THE WORLD CANCER DAY IS COMMEMORATED ON SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2017

          

Tomorrow, Saturday February 4, the world over is commemorating the 2017 World Cancer Day. Each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) supports Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to promote ways to ease the global burden of cancer.

          

The annual World Cancer Day was formally adopted in Geneva, Switzerland by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in the year 1933 through the remarkable efforts of the UICC and other world’s prominent cancer societies, in order to support the goals of the World Cancer Declaration. The primary aim of the Day is to significantly reduce illnesses and death caused by cancer via raising of awareness on cancer and encouraging its prevention, detection, and treatment.

         

Cancer, also known as malignant tumor or malignant neoplasm, is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the tendency of invading or spreading to other parts of the body. Possible signs and symptoms of cancer include a new lump, prolonged cough, abnormal bleeding, unexplained weight loss, and a change in bowel movements, among others. While these symptoms may indicate the occurrence of cancer, it’s equally worth noting that they may occur due to other medical issues.

         

Cancer, which can occur in over one hundred different ways in the human body, is mainly caused by either uncalled practices or dietary risks, such as tobacco smoking, incessant intake of alcoholic drinks, obesity, low fruit and vegetable consumptions, lack of physical activities, as well as certain infections like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and human papillomavirus. Some cases of cancer could also be as a result of genetic defects one inherited from his/her parents.

         

Cancer can be detected by certain signs and symptoms or by screening tests. It is typically further investigated by medical imaging and confirmed by biopsy. Early detection through screening is useful for cervical and colorectal cancer.

         

Cancer, though a preventable disease, is indeed a human frightening and deadly medical condition that can occur in any essential organ in the body including stomach, lung, breast, kidney, liver, heart, eye, nose, skin, cervical, bone, and brain, just to mention but a few. Many cancerous growths can be prevented by not indulging in smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, not drinking too much alcohol, eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, being vaccinated against certain infectious diseases, not eating too much red meat, coupled with avoidance of regular exposure to sunlight and urban air pollution.

          

Cancer is usually treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or targeted therapy; or sometimes, a combination of all. In a typical cancer treatment, pain and symptom management are an important and basic part of care. Palliative care is particularly recommended for patients suffering from advanced cancer condition.

         

The chance of survival solely depends on the type of cancer and the extent of the disease as at the time the treatment commenced. In children under the age of fifteen, at diagnosis, the ‘five-year survival rate’ in the developed world is on the average eighty percent (80%). In 2012, about 14.1 million new cases of cancer occurred globally, not including skin cancer. Statistics show that, the outbreak caused about 8.2 million deaths or 14.6% of all human deaths in the aforementioned year. This implies that, in near future if adequate care is not taken, cancer cases might be responsible to over twenty per cent (20%) of death rate in the world.

          

The most common kinds of cancer in males include lung cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and stomach cancer; whilst in females, breast, colorectal, lung, and cervical cancers are mostly common. Diagnosing a new cancer in pregnant women is difficult, because any symptom is commonly assumed to be a normal discomfort associated with pregnancy. In children, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and brain tumors are mainly common except in Africa where non-Hodgkin lymphoma occurs more often.

         

The risk of cancer increases significantly in regard to the age of the potential sufferer, and several cancers occur more often in developed countries. Unequivocally, cancer rate increases on a daily basis as more people live to an old age and as lifestyle changes are regularly witnessed in the developing world.

         

As the World Cancer Day is being observed tomorrow, there is an urgent need for every one of us to detest any form of uncalled or unhealthy lifestyle such as tobacco smoking, intake of hard drugs like cocaine, regular consumption of alcoholic drinks and what have you, that could jeopardize our precious lives. In the same vein, there’s need for us to be extremely mindful of whatever we eat or drink at all times. We should also not forget that adequate and instant treatment of any illness or infection we noticed in our body remains one of the major avenues of embracing a cancer-free society.

          

Those suffering from the disease ought to continually and strictly adhere to their treatment procedures and should endeavour to consult their physicians when necessary. They should as well ensure that they are placed on proper dietary like regular consumption of vegetables and fruits. In addition, we are expected to comprehend the fact that early detection of cancer enables adequate eradication of the disease from the body of the sufferer; thus there is need for us, irrespective of age, to go for constant cancer testing or screening.

           

On this note, I call on all health practitioners and stakeholders to, at all cost, strengthen their crusade targeted to educate the entire public on the dangers and possible causes of cancer, so that, we shall all live to celebrate a cancer-free world as it is widely anticipated by the global society. Don’t forget; prevention is no doubt, far better than cure. Think about it!

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Opinion I As Imo Launches 'Imo Air' Amid Recession

THE ‘IMO AIR’ AND OKOROCHA’S STRIDE IN AVIATION

        

The last time I checked, Imo State could proudly boast of an airline. The said aircraft tagged “Imo Air’ was launched by the state’s government ably led by Governor Rochas Okorocha penultimate week, precisely on Tuesday 24^th January 2017, after it successfully landed at the Sam Mbakwe Airport Owerri with passengers from Lagos State, at about 12:20pm.

        

It’s noteworthy that the aircraft has a capacity of one hundred and forty (140) passengers. Prior to its successful landing at the aforementioned airport, several Imolites and onlookers were of the notion that the awaited feat was likely to be a mirage. At last, their skepticism – which was natural and normal though – was proven wrong by the governor who was accompanied to the airport by various top government functionaries. It suffices to say that the above mentioned date ushered in a moment of ecstasy mixed with astonishment. The mixed feelings were obviously witnessed by anyone who could see through his/her eyes.

        

Therein, the governor made it known that the number of airlines the state had planned to kick-off with, regarding its interest in aviation business, was five. According to him, four additional aircrafts were on the way, and would soon be equally launched by the ‘Rescue Mission’ administration. The number one citizen went further to disclose that the airline business would temporarily be managed on behalf of the state by Dana Airline pending when the state would receive full license to run the business.

        

It would as well interest you to note that the governor reiterated his administration’s readiness towards ensuring that the Imo airport is fully transformed to an International Cargo Airport in no distant time. He said that the April 17, 2017, being the date the state was targeting toward meeting the lofty demand, would never be shortchanged or compromised. Based on his speech, the initiative which was supposedly a Federal Government (FG) project was at the moment duly funded by the Imo State government.

       

Stating that Governor Okorocha’s aim of investing in the aviation industry is a welcome development ought to be described as understatement. The governor has conspicuously  proven to the general public, particularly those who understand what it takes to run a venture in the said sector, that the business the FG had been afraid of going into could easily be initiated as well as managed by a state government. Actualization of such a feat has made Imo to be reckoned the first state across the federation to invest in aviation, especially at a period when every facet of the country is seemingly suffering from economic comatose.

        

This very accomplishment is strongly propelling my person to believe that one of the expensive statements made by the Imo governor during the launch of the ‘Imo Air’ was something to behold. Speaking at the event, Gov. Okorocha wholly told the members of the press, and of course the entire public, that Imo – the Eastern Heartland – wasn’t affected by the ongoing recession that is ostensibly nearing depression. That, to me, was indeed an overstatement.

        

How could the governor claim that Imo was not suffering from recession while the teeming workers in the state are being paid seventy per cent (70%) of their salaries, and there was recently a sixty per cent (60%) cut from the arrears of pension accruable to the state’s pensioners? We must be mindful of how we speak in any public domain, so that, we won’t end up generating crisis when the people are expected to rejoice. I must say unequivocally that such an utterance didn’t augur well for any civil servant or pensioner who was present at that epochal ceremony.

        

Though the government had really tried to pay the workers’ salaries till date as well as cleared the backlog of pensions owed the teeming senior citizens, it’s worth noting that these stewards and retirees, as the case may be, were not being paid as they were meant to. And the cut in the said payments was solely occasioned by the lingering economic mayhem that’s apparently ubiquitous. So, coming out to tell the public that the state was not negatively affected by the unbearable economic condition was not unlike creating a paradoxical scene.

        

Lest I digress, this critique is mainly informed by the need to let the Imo State government realize that aviation business is often characterized by several challenges and intrigues. Yes, a feat has obviously been recorded, but it’s imperative to acknowledge that sustaining it ought to be of paramount importance, both to the investor and the beneficiaries at large. It’s not anymore news that lack of maintenance culture remains one of the major factors bedevilling the contemporary Nigerian society, and Imo is no doubt not exceptional.

        

To this end, I would advise the government in question to take the day-to-day management of the venture very seriously with a view to ensuring that the basic motive of establishing it is duly actualized. Diversification is presently the only way out, and having thought it wise to include the aviation industry in the scheme of things, is arguably a laudable step; but it’s pertinent to comprehend that if we failed to do the needful in the long run, the lofty dream would definitely yield further crises rather than addressing the existing quagmire.

        

Hence, as much as I candidly commend the amiable governor for recording this rare feat, I equally advise His Excellency to ensure that the needed measure is taken as the odyssey progresses. So that at the end, we will all gather to celebrate his person. Think about it!

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Opinion I Commemmorating the 2017 Int'l Day in Memory of the Holocaust Victims

TAKING APT MEASURES TOWARD AVOIDNG SOCIETAL CRISES AS THE WORLD COMMEMORATE THE 2017 INTERNATIONAL DAY IN MEMORY OF HOLOCAUST VICTIMS, ON FRIDAY JANUARY 27

       

          

Today, Friday January 27 is International Day in memory of Holocaust victims. Owing to the damaging effect of holocaust, on 1^st November 2005, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly unanimously adopted January 27 of every year as International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. The UN Outreach Programme seeks to remind the world of the lessons to be learnt from the Holocaust in order to help prevent future acts of genocide or any form of massacre.

         

The first commemoration of the Day took place in 2006 at the UN Headquarters situated in New York, U.S.A alongside all the UN offices across the globe. The ceremony drew over two thousand two hundred (2,200) people and was viewed by countless others globally via webcast and live television broadcast. During the commemoration, the then UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan unequivocally stated that, holocaust will forever warn all people across the globe of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism, and prejudice.

          

The term ‘Holocaust’ came from the Greek word Holokauston, referring to an animal sacrifice offered to a god in which the whole animal is completely burnt. Literary, holocaust which was formed from two distinct Greek words ‘Holos’ and ‘Kaustos’ meaning whole and burnt respectively, can be defined as a situation involving a very great destruction as well as loss of lives and property.

          

Destruction of lives and property, which could result from either natural or manmade circumstance such as war, inferno, earthquake, auto-crash, plane crash, genocide, or insurgency, is obviously a phenomenon that is as old as the world. It has indeed rendered several homes and communities incapacitated.

         

Considering the possible origins of holocaust, which include ethnicity, fanaticism, carelessness, envy, greed, hatred, tyranny, mutiny, and treason, there is no part of the world that is yet to experience tragedy. It suffices to say that, the ugly incidence has brought mankind in its entirety to a state of unending torture and unthinkable anguish.

        

War, which is usually a manmade crisis, subjects humanity to an untold hardship and subsequently creates parallel lines among the groups that constitute the affected community or nation, as the case may be. In consequence to the emergence of war in any society, distrust invariably becomes the order of the day amidst the citizenry, which often results to eternal enmity or lack of unity.

         

There is no gain reiterating the fact that disasters such as earthquake or plane crash that could be natural or manmade, have ended up making the mindset of every concerned individual to be preoccupied with a psychological cankerworm known as ‘fear of the unknown’. Inferno or fire outbreak for instance, which mainly takes place as a result of man’s carelessness or lackadaisical attitude, has succeeded in rendering many families homeless and stranded thereby making them constitute severe menace to the society they belong.      

         

Taking Nigeria that is currently salvaged by insurgency as a case study, you will agree that every right thinking individual in the country has been sleeping with one-eye open since the emergence of the terror, even though the incidence is peculiar to the people residing in the Northern part of the country – particularly the North-Eastern region – because nobody knows whose turn it would be the next day.

          

The economic mayhem caused by holocaust cannot be overemphasized. For instance, after the Biafran civil war in 1970 under the reign of General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria that used to be one of the major exporters of petroleum products prior to the said era abruptly became dependent on other countries for the aforementioned resources including oil, gas and fuel thereby ushering the economic status of the nation to a state of mockery.

          

As Nigeria joins the global community to mark the 2017 annual International Day for the Victims of the Holocaust, there is need for everyone to acknowledge that the occurrence of holocaust can be avoidable regardless of the locality involved. We can actualize this by ensuring that we maintain unalloyed peace, and endeavour to stay out of trouble at all times no matter the circumstance. Among all, we are required to always stick to the extant rules and laws by being patriotic at all cost.

         

There is equally need for the bereaved/affected families to be duly compensated in order to erase any form of agony from their minds. The civil society and religious bodies, on their part, are expected to bring succour to the victims or their relatives by conducting seminars, crusades, and disseminating radio cum television jingles, and what have you, as well as soliciting for appropriate compensation on behalf of the victims.

           

Above all, there’s a compelling need for everyone to live with the consciousness of holocaust with the aim of avoiding any irrational thought or attitude that could lead to the emergence of the forsaken incident. The truth is, any form of holocaust can be avoided if we jettison selfish interests in all our doings; and it’s imperative to realize that prevention remains far better than cure. Think about it!

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