A few days ago, Dolapo Gafar, a former Cricketer and captain of the national Cricket team of Nigeria, died from heart attack. Until his death, everyone around thought he was a healthy person at 49, still playing and coaching cricket.
Unfortunately, like 70% of all adult Nigerians above 40 years of age, he was managing High Blood Pressure, one of the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) that have been ravaging Nigerians. The statistics are frightening and mind boggling – over 100 million Nigerians are afflicted with High Blood Pressure (HBP) disease. I am a member of that ‘legion’.
I have been a certified, full-blooded patient of HBP for over 10 years, sentenced for the rest of my life to a daily dose of two expensive medications with terrible side effects, including decreased libido and partial impotency.
HBP is a psychologically depressing disease, the single biggest killer of people in Nigeria.
I was appointed African Ambassador for NCD (Global Alliance) because I was considered a role model. It was all optics. Beyond my exterior look of impeccable good health and good living, despite modifying my lifestyle, trying to eat better, exercising more, taking life easier, spending a lot of time outdoors and laughing a lot more, I have been condemned to taking medication for the rest of my life! I still don’t know why this is the case, but it is as serious as that.
Yet, I count myself lucky to be alive and relatively healthy to tell this story, and to be an advocate for change of attitude by governments, the people and relevant agencies to Non-Communicable diseases like Diabetes, Obesity and some Cancers in our society.
In my constituency of Sport where it would ordinarily be imagined that we are generally immune from the vagaries of these diseases, havoc on our lives is still being silently wreaked.
In the past 6 months, 3 of my colleagues in the 1980 African Cup of Nations squad that won the Championship have passed on, all of them as a result of heart-related diseases. Before that, the history of Nigerian sports is littered with the stories of athletes (active and retired) that died from heart-related diseases. They include Muda Lawal, Moses Otolorin, Tunde Bamidele, Ismaila Mabo, Kunle Awesu, Stephen Keshi, Shaibu Amodu, Samuel Okwaraji, Sunday Bada, Obisia Nwankpa, Jeremiah Okorodudu, and a whole legion of others.
Unfortunately, NCDs are no respecter of persons or their status. They don’t also manifest until damage is being done. One in 4 ordinary persons walking on the street is a carrier of one of these diseases. Yet, not much is being said, or done, or even discussed in government or in public places to create adequate awareness, enough to secure the support needed to curtail the rampaging scourge.
Yet, another aspect.
Imagine the magnitude of the pharmaceutical industry behind treating a disease such as High Blood Pressure.
With the rate of consumption and population of life-time consumers of the medications, manufacturers and marketers will be smiling to the banks for life. With such an incentive, beneficiaries will not want a solution that will truncate, probably, the biggest industry in the world.
Conspiracy theorists ask if the Pharmaceutical industry are not deliberately working against the global solution to NCDs. The answer is blowing in the wind.
The situation in Nigeria defies ordinary comprehension. With the alarming figures revealed above, is it not reasonable that the Federal and State governments will invest heavily in research, public awareness, preventive measures and even in the local pharmaceutical industries? Is it not reasonable that the governments will do with NCDs what they did in the 1940s and 1950s with Malaria when they invested heavily in medical centres, training of doctors and nurses, and preventive measures that included giving free, weekly medication to children in schools?
That’s how the Malaria epidemic was tackled and managed.
15 years ago In Osun State, for example, in one General hospital alone, there were over 200 trained nurses and about 30 doctors. Today, there are less than 10 nurses and 5 full-time doctors. This is replicated everywhere in the country.
The brain drain in the medical field is a one-way street to foreign lands. It has compounded the challenges. So, the people are dying amidst deafening silence of the devastation being caused by NCDs, particularly High Blood Pressure in Nigeria.
One organisation doing some tangible things to create awareness, the Nigerian Heart Foundation, NHF, established 33 years ago, is handicapped by a lack of adequate funds, and the absence of serious support by governments, the private sector and other responsible agencies.
The NHF’s effort, commendable as it has been, remains a drop in the ocean.
Everyone knows the Siamese relationship between Sport and health, hence it is no rocket science that Sport will play a big role in the research, prevention, treatment and publicity of Non-Communicable diseases.
There is the misconception that as athletes our demography will enjoy special immunity from the vagaries of NCDs. Far from it.
Yes, as active athletes, we keep fit, live regimented lives, eat recommended meals, and are tested from time to time, yet we, also, fall occasional victims of sudden death on and off the fields and courts. The Samuel Okwaraji incident of 1992, when the young lawyer slumped and died on the field of play during a World Cup qualifying match against Angola, is a good example. Investigation into such an uncommon incident continues till now.
Since then, there have been other cases even if they have been few. The issue of retired athletes takes a slightly different direction. For some inexplicable reason, many of them have died at relatively young ages as a result of heart-related diseases.
There is a general need for the country to address the matter of NCDs more seriously. Supporting the work of the NHF is critical. Creating more awareness, addressing the issues of healthy eating and lifestyle, creating environments that will make people to be physically more active, setting up more specialist center’s for the research and treatment of NCDs, investing in the domestic manufacturing of the medications, training and recruiting more medical personnel (doctors and nurses) for the general hospitals, and devoting more attention to easing the pressures of life on the people, will help mitigate against the effect of NCDs on Nigerians.
In September 2025, the United Nations will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of World Heart Day. There shall be a high level global summit for Heads of States, health ministers, national heart federations and foundations, and so on. Nigeria will be participating in the celebrations either in Abuja or Lagos. It will be an excellent opportunity to create massive awareness for NCDs and their devastating effect on our people, and to start to change mindsets, understandings and attitudes.
Finally, the average Nigerian deserves to live well and to live long. It is a tough call to achieve both in the present climate of ignorance. Nigeria must embark on a massive campaign now.
As a sports man, however, my humble advise to everyone is to (for short intervals every day) set aside the phone or computer, get off the couch or the bed, turn off the television set, leave indoors and venture outdoors, and start ‘Moving the body, on the journey to living a longer life’