A health advocate, Lorenz Mba, has urged Nigerians to adopt preventive healthcare measures to combat rising non-communicable diseases. He made the appeal on Wednesday in Lagos during a road walk marking the sixth edition of 'Let's Waka with Q-Life and HEI'. The event, organised by the Waka Community International Foundation with Q-Life Family Clinic and Health Emergency Initiative, honoured medical expert Ade Alakija. Mba stressed that conditions like prostate cancer, testicular cancer and glaucoma often show no early symptoms, making routine checks vital. Late detection, he said, drives up treatment costs and mortality rates, often plunging families into financial distress. He advocated daily walking, balanced nutrition, hydration and sufficient sleep as affordable ways to maintain good health. Mba pointed to low awareness around men's health, worsened by stigma and silence, noting that reproductive health issues in men can trigger emotional and psychological strain in families. He cited evidence linking prostate cancer in men to higher breast cancer risk among female relatives. The event included free health screenings to promote early diagnosis. Walking, Mba said, is safe and effective, especially for those with mobility limits or chronic conditions, while high-impact exercises like running could harm overweight individuals or those with arthritis. The Waka initiative has over 58,000 members in 48 countries and aims to make health a shared responsibility. Wakathon 2026, he said, reflects a growing push for healthier lifestyles. "A healthy population is essential for national productivity and economic growth. Nigerians must prioritise their health before illness forces them to," Mba said.
Lorenz Mba is walking, literally and figuratively, around the core problem: Nigerians still treat health as an emergency, not a routine. His call for preventive care hits hard when one in three adults in Nigeria faces hypertension or diabetes, often undiagnosed until it's too late. When free screenings are part of a road walk and not a standard clinic offering, it shows how far behind the system is. No amount of waka will fix a healthcare structure that waits for people to collapse before it acts.
