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By Frank Oshanugor
No fewer than 100 men benefited from free prostrate cancer screening exercise conducted on Saturday in Bariga area of Lagos by a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) known as Keenah-Kay Chekwas (KKC) & The Community Initiative.
The event which took place at the Local Government Education Authority Headquaters, Bariga Lagos came as ‘Season 7’ in the series of the organization’s annual medical outreach and distribution of food items to members of various communities in Lagos.
Worried by the increasing spate of prostrate cancer among men who are over forty years of age, KKC & The Community Initiative chose to engage medical personnel versed in cancer related cases to give lecture to participants on prostrate and subsequently screen them.
Speaking at the event prior to the screening exercise, a Nutritionist cum Project Officer with Lagos based Optimal Cancer Care Foundation; Miss Oluwajomiloju Asagidigbi took time to educate the participants on issues like “who does prostrate affect, location of prostrate in the body, the symptoms, risk factors, preventability, available screening, timing” and so on.
She dismissed the fear of those who often conclude that once one is diagnosed of cancer, imminent death becomes inevitable. The Nutritionist declared that the three commonest cancers in our clime namely Breast, Cervical and Prostrate are all preventable through early detection. She has therefore called all adult male to take serious steps in checking their prostrate status from time to time.
Convener of the event and founder of the NGO, Miss Oyinkansola Chinyere Asabe Onwuchekwa (a.k.a. KKC) who was assisted in coordinating the one- day activity by her parents; Mr. & Mrs. George Onwuchekwa, said she was fulfilled in rendering the free prostrate cancer screening, describing it as her own way of impacting positively on the lives of others.
According to the 2019 graduate of Geophysics from the University of Lagos, the idea of the NGO was conceived way back in 2015 when she was a 100 level student, to give out free food, clothing and medical care to the needy.
The multi-talented and multiple award winning artiste kick-started the project as an undergraduate by giving out packs of noodles and other items to some less privileged children. She was propelled to add medical outreach to her charity initiative as a result of her mother’s survival of Cervical Cancer through early detection and treatment.
Keenah-Kay Chekwas and the Community Initiative (KKC-CI) was incorporated as an NGO with the Corporate Affairs Commission on the 16th December, 2019 with a ten member Board of Trustees. The Trustees include Oyinkansola Onwuchekwa as the convener alongside other Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in various endeavors such as lecturing, medicine, law, accountancy, military service, corporate business and civil service.
Within its six years of existence, the project has successfully held seven major programmes in different communities in Lagos. The programmes included medical outreach like eye screening, provision of recommended eye glasses, welfare services and so on.
The Saturday event was attended by some officials of the Shomolu Local Government Area among who were the Chief Executive Officer of Education Authority, Head of Section, Human Resources/Administration, Titilayo Oriojo and Head, School Support, Mr. Tajudeen Oladeinde.
Speaking with our correspondent in a brief interview on the sideline of the screening, the event convener’s father; Mr. George Onwuchekwa said he was quite proud of Oyinkansola whose heart of gold manifested quite early in life as an undergraduate at the University of Lagos.
He was full of appreciation to God that his daughter through the community initiative has been able to impact positively on many persons in the society adding that some good hearted Nigerians have also extended generosity to others through his daughter’s NGO over the years.
The KKC Community Initiative is steadily growing and now includes students from various higher institutions as volunteers who have joined hands with many professionals with similar vision to take it to a higher level.
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