To mark the 2025 World Hypertension Day, a pharmaceutical firm, May &Baker Nigeria Plc., at the weekend, organised an awareness walk in Lagos, aimed at sensitising the public on the dangers of high blood pressure and encouraging early detection as a preventive health measure.
 
The event, themed: “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer,” featured a street walk and free blood pressure checks for passersby, traders, and workers in Ikeja Local Council of the state. 

 Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the firm, Patrick Ajah, stated that the company remains committed to contributing its quota toward building a healthier nation, saying: “We want a healthy country and we will contribute our own quota to make sure it happens.”
 
Ajah, who stated that many Nigerians are unaware of their blood pressure status and often discover they are hypertensive after a health crisis or hospital visit, stressed the importance of regular health checks, especially for those above 40. He, however, recommended exercise, better eating habits, and yearly medical checkups as effective prevention strategies.
 
The CEO, while acknowledging a growing number of hypertension cases, said that affordability remains a major barrier to treatment.  He said that with most antihypertensive drugs originally developed by multinational companies, many Nigerians struggle to keep up with the cost.  He, therefore, urged the public to always remember that whoever has been put on antihypertensive drugs is going to be on them for life.

Ajah, who welcomed the federal government’s pooled procurement initiative aimed at reducing drug costs, urged consistency in implementation. 
 
He said that past initiatives had left pharmaceutical companies unpaid for years, warning that failure to keep commitments could discourage future participation.