Photo caption : From left: Dr. Ukoma Theophilus,Dr. Tessy Ahmadu, Secretary General, NCS, the Managing Director of UNA, Mazi Osita Okonkwo,President, NCS,Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, Mr. Columbus Okaro, UNA staff and Chairman, Lagos NCS, Ajagun Olusegun Peter at a joint media briefing on the partnership to create awareness for the fight against cancer in Lagos today.
As airline to raise funds from passengers
United Nigeria Airlines (UNA), one of the leading airlines in the country, and the Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS) have signed a strategic partnership to create awareness and raise funds for the fight against the scourge of cancer
The Managing Director of UNA, Mazi Osita Okonkwo, signed for the airline, while the President of NCS, Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, signed for the society.
Speaking shortly after signing the MoU, Okonkwo said the essence of the MoU is to create awareness through the airline’s passengers, adding that up till this moment, some people don’t know that cancer is real.
He stated that there was an instance where somebody who had cancer concluded that it was a boil.
The airline Managing Director said it decided to partner with NCS to create more awareness and also educate people about cancer.
He also explained that part of the campaign is for the airline to help raise funds to fight cancer in Nigeria, be it in the villages or cities.
To further demonstrate how serious the airline has taken the project, Okonkwo narrated that the airline decided to join the campaign with the NCS, having lost two family members to the disease.
The losses the family suffered further propelled the airline to join in enlightening Nigerians about the scourge and to encourage them to go for screening for early detection.
He advised Nigerians diagnosed with cancer not to conclude that they have been sentenced to death, adding that with early detection, there are chances of the victim surviving.
Okonkwo said there is a need to carry out cancer research because Nigerians must also tell their stories.
He informed that the management and treatment of cancer does not benefit Nigerians because the research was done with white people.
He further hinted that the primary danger lies in keeping silent, delay, and refusal to carry out simple, cost-effective regular medical checks.
The Managing Director frowned at a situation where people attribute cancer to a spell cast on them or an arrow fired at them spiritually, adding that at the moment, there is no traditional concoction or remedy for cancer.
The airline, he noted, is supporting NCS’s initiatives by integrating a voluntary donation drive directly into its flight booking portal.
Okonkwo explained that passengers who buy UNA tickets have the option of contributing amounts ranging from N1,000 to N100,000 or more, with all funds going straight to a dedicated account created and managed by the NCS.
According to him, “Our passengers would have the opportunity to contribute to the fight against cancer in a very simple but unique, innovative way. You book a ticket and have the option to make a voluntary contribution on our platform. You can give as little as N1,000, N2,000, N5,000, N100,000, and so on. That is the first stage of the campaign. All the money and donations raised will go directly to the Society, into an account designated by the Society for this purpose.”
He further explained that the campaign will leverage the airline’s teeming passenger traffic to channel micro-donations toward early detection programmes, public enlightenment and treatment of affected cancer patients.
The campaign, the airline MD said, will go beyond digital platforms into the air, utilising in-flight announcements led by the Cabin Crew Services team and placing informational materials inside seat back pockets.
The airline, he informed, has looked at the progress and activities of NCS and decided to collaborate with the society on the initiative.
According to him, “Passengers who book through third parties will be provided opportunities to contribute via direct transfers or spare change during their flights.”
Okonkwo said he is confident that the generous flying public will support the project, adding that no amount is too small.
On his part, the President of NCS, Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, expressed gratitude to UNA for agreeing to collaborate with the society on the initiative.
He said the fight against cancer is a serious project that requires collective effort, calling on well-meaning Nigerians to emulate UNA to fight the disease head-on.
Omonisi informed that the detection, treatment and management of cancer patients is very expensive, as it involves a lot of money to carry out cost-effective screening.
He added that creating awareness is very necessary to ensure that Nigerians carry out early screening and commence treatment on time when detected, to make the management of cancer much easier.
Some Nigerians, he said, run away from screening in order not to know their status, as according to him, they believe that what they don’t know doesn’t bother them.
Omonisi warned that it is dangerous not to go for screening despite the expensive nature of the tests.
Early detection through cancer screening at the various centres across Nigeria, he insisted, helps to reduce the cost of treatment and save the life of the victim.
According to him, “We need the support of the government, organisations, individuals to create awareness, screen vulnerable persons, victims of cancer because the treatment is very expensive.”
“We thank United Nigeria Airlines for supporting the initiative,” he added.
He hinted that Nigeria does not have a well-organised screening process, adding that presently there is no cure for the deadly disease.
“The treatment of cancer is extremely expensive. If you are a rich man, you will feel it. Standard treatment in Nigeria will cost millions of naira. The Federal Government is trying, but what the government is providing is not enough.”
He lamented that all the cancer screening centres are located in the cities and not in the villages, adding that those who are in the villages have to travel to the cities to carry out screening.
This, he said, further makes it impossible for early detection, stressing that even where they are available in the cities, those coming from the village don’t have access because of its expensive nature.
He said NCS has been carrying out cancer awareness for almost 60 years, calling for collaborative efforts to tackle the cancer issue.
He warned that it is dangerous to abandon treatment mid-way, adding that, “Taking treatment, if you start, you must complete the treatment because if you stop, it is most dangerous.”
The cancer awareness campaign, he said, is not restricted to Abuja and Lagos but is a nationwide project.
On the causes of cancer, the President of NCS said there are environmental, genetic and multi-factorial causes.
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