The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside and other Members of the agency’s Executive Management, leading other members of staff of the agency in a breast cancer awareness campaign in Lagos recently.

 

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has urged Nigerians especially women to ensure frequent breast cancer screening with a view to detecting it early, as part of measures to eliminate the scourge of the disease in Nigeria.

The DG made this known recently when he led a 2.5- Kilometre walk through streets of Lagos, tagged “Taking Action Together Against Breast Cancer”, with the aim of creating awareness for the early detection of the menace.

The NIMASA breast awareness campaign, which is also in line with its Corporate Social Responsibility CSR policy, is also in line with the global awareness campaign which is tagged “pink month of October, dedicated to create awareness about breast cancer and how the scourge can be contained.

Speaking shortly before the walk commenced, Peterside noted that as an agency of government alive to its corporate social responsibilities, this walk aimed at taking action together against breast cancer has become desirable considering the rate at which ignorance has led to avoidable deaths.

“It is a known fact that prevention is better than cure, never again should any of our relatives or loved ones die because of ignorance. Our goal is to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of breast cancer through education on symptoms and treatment.  We hope knowledge will lead to earlier detection of breast cancer which is associated with higher long term survival rates” Dr Dakuku said.

While noting that the Agency’s health advocacy is part of NIMASA corporate social responsibility actions, Dr Dakuku announced free preliminary examination for breast related diseases at the Agency’s search and rescue base clinic.

He also said: “Our mission is to ensure that members of staff of NIMASA and Nigerians in general are aware that with adequate education and early detection, this generation can conquer breast cancer. NIMASA will provide support services such as mammograms test for early detection”.

It was gathered that the agency has since commenced free mammogram test for all staff and interested stakeholders as part of effort to encourage early detection.

Recall that the World Health Organisation WHO has insisted that awareness and understanding of breast cancer in Africa is generally low, especially in recent years.

It was in the light of this that the Organisation floated several initiatives to increase breast cancer awareness among African women, which NIMASA has keyed into as part of measures to enhance early detection which is crucial to the total elimination of the scourge of cancer not only in Nigeria but also within the African continent.