Club sensitises Nigerians to rectal cancer, gives grants to varsity students

A cultural, non-political and non-profit-making association of Ibadan indigenes resident in Lagos, Oluyole Club, at the weekend, enlightened Nigerians on rectal cancer during its 2021 yearly lecture and bursary awards in Ikeja.

Colorectal cancer. Photo Natren

He said that the low incidence in Africa had been attributed to presumed consumption of vegetable fibres in continental dietary items, unlike Caucasians that consumed predominantly low residue and fatty diet with longer intestinal transit times.

“The bulky and fibre-rich African diet led to shorter transit times. So, the dietary toxins had little time to produce changes that led to damage to intestinal mucosa and cancer.

“The disease is inherited as an autosomal dominant gene, and it runs from parent to offspring, and it can affect a few siblings,” he stated.

On the symptoms, he observed that the disease presents in diverse ways, saying that for such patients, multivitamins and Iron tablets alone would only prolong the evil days.

Management of the sickness, the professor of medicine pointed out, should be decided after a concrete diagnosis, accompanied by far-reaching findings and recommendations.

Earlier, the club’s president, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, in his welcome address, said besides the 54-year-old club’s “socio-economic development of Ibadan, it continued to serve as a think-tank non-governmental organisation in matters relating to the long-term socio-economic and cultural interests of Ibadanland.

He added: “One major area of innovation introduce by the club is the commencement of intellectual discourse on strategies for advancing the socio-economic development of Ibadan, in particular and of Nigeria, in general. This is achieved through the yearly lecture series.”

The highlight of the occasion was the presentation of an N75,000 cheque each to 10 university first-year students to ease their financial burden for academic excellence.

The beneficiaries include Azeez Moyosoreoluwa (UNILAG); Owolabi Barakat Adebunmi (LAUTECH); Olayiwola Olaitan Hafiz (UI); Suara Oreoluwa Grace (UNILAG); Babalola Wasilat Olaronke (UNILAG); Oguntola Ayanfe Ogo-Oluwa (LAUTECH); Olalekan Kolawole Victor (UI); Olubode Sunday Samuel (LAUTECH) and Abioye Daniel Olanrewaju (UI).