By Juliet Umeh

REPRESENTATIVE of Eti-Osa Federal Constituency of the National Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Obanikoro, together with other health conscious individuals, weekend urged Nigerians to take responsibility for their health by getting enough exercise, eating healthy food and getting enough sleep.

The charge came when a non-governmental organization, NGO, Waka Community International Foundation, collaborated with Q-Life Family Clinic and  Health Emergency Initiative, HEI to lead Nigerians on a walkout session in Lagos.

Participants embarked on a 9.4 kilometre walk from Lekki through Ikoyi link bridge to Falomo and back to Lekki.

Addressing the media, Obanikoro said exercise is one of the most critical and important aspects of life that the majority of Nigerians ignore.

He said: “We just experienced some kilometers of walking. It is needed to keep us fit and healthy.”

Similarly, the founder of Waka Community, Mr Lorenz Mba, said the initiative which also witnessed a health talk on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, CPR and First Aid is driven by their conviction that since health is wealth, it is worthwhile to inform, educate and persuade Nigerians to take personal responsibility for their wellness by walking and eating right as well as getting enough quality sleep.

He said: “Walking is the oldest and safest form of physical exercise and is non-discriminatory on grounds of age, gender, level of physical fitness or location. Walking also has many benefits such as helping to maintain a healthy weight, lose unwanted and undesirable fat.

Also speaking at the event, Executive Director of HEI, Mr. Paschal Achunine said: “We are here to build consciousness among Nigerians on healthy living. Walking is a very healthy exercise; it is an exercise that is accessible to the young and old, and across gender.

“But there are also shared values that necessitate our making this journey. We have heard that so many people die of heart attacks and other emergencies.

What our organisation has done in the last four years is to design a system that ensures that when an emergency happens, instead of taking pictures as a bystander, any Nigerian will know the immediate thing to do, to give the victim chances of survival. We want to change the narrative.”

Speaking on HEI, he said: “A lot of Nigerians die because of medical conditions, especially chronic conditions that require less than 30,000 and below to survive. So we have been working with public hospitals across Lagos especially for children of zero to five.”