By Olatunde Ajayi/Fabian Ekeruche
The Health Emergency Initiative (HEI), Waka Community International, Q-life Family Clinic and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF),
on Saturday organised health awareness programme to promote healthy living among Nigerians.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 5km Charity Walk started at Admiralty Way, Lekki and terminated at Ikoyi part of Lagos State.
The Executive Director, HEI, Mr Paschal Achunine, said that the aim of the programme was to inform, educate, and sensitise Nigerians to take personal responsibility for their wellness and safety by walking and eating right.
Achunine said that HEI had been equipping Nigerians with critical life saving skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), First Aid and capacity to handle heart attack, cardiac arrest, burns and other prehospital emergencies.
“HEI provides free medical interventions that ensure that the poorest member of society particularly children age 0 to five have access to basic healthcare in public hospitals at a cost usually not more than N30,000.
“We ensure timely emergency response for road crash victims via initial payment to commence treatment and resuscitation aided by MOU we signed with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and hospitals,” he said.
Also speaking, Mr Lorenz Mba, Founder, Waka Community International, said that Waka Community is all about changing lives by sharing the benefits of walking everyday, eating right and good quality sleep.
“Today, we make good on that announcement by holding a road walk titled: “Let’s WAKA with Q-life and HEI.”
“We made a promise and we are delivering on that promise. “We gave our word and we are keeping our word,” he said.
Mba said that the organisation encourages members in over 30 countries to walk a minimum of 30 minutes daily and to eat healthy in controlled portions.
“We got sick and tired of hearing gone too soon and gone to sleep with the Lord at young age.
“Walking helps us maintain healthy weight and also helps us keep away a couple of cardiovascular diseases, among others, ” he said.
Mr Adelowo Adesola who spoke on behalf of the Chairman, Q-life Family Clinic, Dr Adetokunbo Alakija, noted that a healthy society would make a productive and happy society.
He advised that people should be making about 9,000 steps of walk everyday and also consider any exercise that can be done within 30 minutes.
For the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), a partner of the Waka project said that the work is about promoting promoting healthy living.
Mr Uchenna Achunine, NCF’s Director, Business Development and Communications, said that there was a very strong connection between nature conservation and exercising for healthy living.
Achunine said that the NCF was excited to be among the partners.
He urged Nigerians to eat right, be close to nature and visit natural sites.
NAN reports that the high point of the event was free 90 minutes First Responders training session for all participants at the end the walk. (NAN)
