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As part of the campaign to acquire the 37 Mobile Cancer Centres that will take the BIG WAR against cancer to the doorstep of every Nigerian, there shall be a fund-raising banquet titled ‘Banquet of Stars against Cancer’ (BOSAC) at the Eko Convention Centre of Eko Hotel and Suites Victoria Island, Lagos on Sunday 8th of June, 2014 at 3.00 pm prompt.
This event was unveiled at an Interactive Session between elders of the corporate world and media professionals which held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday 27th of March, 2014.
The BOSAC shall be the grand finale of the National Cancer Week which will hold from June 1 to June 8, 2014.
Six Corporate elders spoke at the event, including Mrs. Margaret Rose Adetutu Adeleke, the Women Leader of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) who is also the First Female Managing Director of a Publicly Quoted Company in Nigeria; Dr. Michael Olawole Omolayole, the first African Chairman/MD of Unilever Nig Plc and former Chairman of National Bank of Nigeria; Dr. Christopher Olusola Kolade, Pro-Chancellor & Chairman of Governing Council, Pan-Atlantic University (formerly Pan-African University) & Former Executive Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc; Mr. Felix Omoikhoje Aizobeoje Ohiwerei, Chairman of Fidson Healthcare Plc and of Asset & Resource Management (ARM) Company Limited; Sir Remi Festus Omotoso, the Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited and of DN Meyer Plc.
In her welcome address Mrs. Adeleke who is also the Convener of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy stated that CECP-Nigeria is co-promoted by six of the core bodies of the Organized Private Sector (OPS-Nigeria). These are: the Institute of Directors (IoD), the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and industry (LCCI), the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (NACCIMA), the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) & the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). CECP-Nigeria provides a platform for private-sector led united action for the common good of society.
The current focal cause of the CECP is the BIG WAR against cancer, aimed at raising funds to acquire 37 Mobile Cancer Centres (MCC). The MCC will facilitate the ongoing nation-wide cancer screening/treatment campaign of the National Cancer Prevention Programme (NCPP), a non-governmental initiative. She lamented the sad reality that Nigeria is a bleeding nation, with a lot preventable causes of untimely and premature death stalking the land, resulting in Nigerians having the eleventh lowest life expectancy in the world, and the second lowest life expectancy in West Africa.
Dr. Omolayole who also chaired the event stated that at a cost of 95 million naira for each, a total of 3.6 billion naira was required for all the 37 Mobile Cancer Centres. He called on corporate philanthropists in Nigeria to take a cue from the Tata group, India’s largest conglomerate, which accounts for 3.2% of Indian GDP, and devotes two-thirds of its profit every year to charity! He added that the first Indian Comprehensive Cancer Centre was funded by Tata. Speaking further, Dr. Omolayole called on more Nigerians to embrace the noble example of Bill & Melinda Gates whose Foundation devotes as much funds to global health as does the World Health Organization! He gave the example of Warren Buffet who said, ‘More than 99% of my wealth will go to philanthropy during my lifetime or at death,’ and also convinced more than fifty of USA’s billionaires to take his “Giving Pledge,” committing at least 50% of their total wealth to charity.
In a brief presentation, Dr. Kolade who is also the anchor person for the national cancer week, listed the activities for the National Cancer Week. He stated that the week would begin on Sunday June 1, 2014 (International Cancer Survivors’ Day) with prayers and special collections by churches across the nation, a campaign known as Stars in the Church Against Cancer. It would be followed by similar campaigns focused on schools (Rising Stars Against Cancer on Monday June 2nd, 2014), offices (Corporate Dress Down Day Against Cancer on Thursday, June 5th, 2014) and the Muslim community (Stars in the Mosques Against Cancer on Friday June 6th, 2014). The week would also include a World Press Conference on Tuesday June 3rd 2014 and a Novelty match on Wednesday June 4th, 2014.
Sir Remi Omotoso who is also a Lead Advocate of the CECP listed the levels of sponsorship which range from one-star sponsor (5 million naira) to five-star sponsors (100 million naira). He explained that the word ‘star’ is used in the military sense of a general in the BIG WAR against cancer. For each level of sponsorship, he enumerated mouth-watering benefits that would accrue to the sponsor, including branding rights and the availability of the mobile units to screen the staff of the organization. Apart from Corporate sponsors, there is also a provision for Corporate Associates of the BIG WAR; these are individuals or organizations who book corporate seats for N250,000 per seat or corporate tables for ten guests at two million naira per table.
In her presentation, Dr. Abia Nzelu who is the Executive Secretary of CECP-Nigeria explained that a Mobile Cancer Centre (MCC) is a not the same as a mobile mammogram, but is rather a cancer clinic on wheels, in which screening, follow-up and some treatment (including surgeries), can take place. It includes facilities for colonoscopy, sonology, mammography, colposcopy and cryotherapy, as well as laboratory equipment for the screening for prostate cancer and other common cancers. The mobile units will also deliver preventive care against other related diseases which are known to increase the risk of cancer. These related diseases include malaria, diabetes, hepatitis, kidney disease, hypertension and HIV/AIDS. Dr. Nzelu said that Nigeria has among the worst cancer statistics in the world, with only one out of every five Nigerian cancer patients surviving, leading to about 80,000 deaths annually, or about ten cancer deaths every hour.
The keynote address titled the Role of the Media in the Big War Against Cancer in Nigeria was delivered by Lady Maiden Ibru, the publisher of the Guardian. She said that there were three major reasons why the media should be involved including the fact that awareness is best driven by the media, fund-raising is best championed by the media and because of enlightened self-interest, since the media practitioners themselves would benefit from the services of the mobile units. She alluded to the difficult media business environment, but said that the BIG WAR against cancer needed full-scale pro bono support from all the media houses, including donation of advert space to publicize the campaign, especially the National Cancer Week and the Banquet of Stars against Cancer (BOSAC); editorial support, daily ear piece insertions (print media) OR Public Service Announcements /Jingles (electronic media); online support through the relevant websites and social media platforms; creating dedicated periodic (weekly, fortnightly or monthly) programmes/columns to facilitate the BIG WAR, buying corporate tables at the Banquet of Stars against Cancer (BOSAC); and helping with the sale of tables by mobilizing high net-worth friends and associates to buy tables at the BOSAC. She said that her husband Mr. Alex Ibru could have been saved if he had access to the kind of preventive services that the mobile units will provide.
There was a massive turn out for the event, including representatives from the Guardian Newspapers, Vanguard Newspaper, City People Magazine, Ultima Media Limited (Who Wants to be a Millionaire), Channels TV, Cool FM Group, Silverbird television, FRCN, Superscreen TV, Businessday Newspaper, Inspiration FM, TV Continental, Encomium Magazine, Rainbow 94.1 fm, and Ebony life TV, MITV and Lagos State TV. The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA) and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) were also represented at the event. Speaking after the keynote address by Mrs. Ibru, the MD/CEO of Inspiration Radio, Mr. Soni Irabor on behalf of Inspiration FM and Genevieve Magazine and Mrs. Adesuwa Onyenokwe publisher of TW magazine pledged the total support of their media organization to the BIG WAR. The representative of Silverbird Television also pledged their support for the BIG WAR
Chief Tony Okoroji, a doyen of the entertainment industry who also spoke at the event emphasized the need to mobilize all Nigerians to donate one hundred naira as often as possible by sending sms ‘SAVE’ to 44777. He emphasized that those who cannot be generals in the BIG WAR should at least be foot soldiers, in order to mobilize enough Nigerians to yield one million sms messages.
© 2014 Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP- Nigeria)
