Abas Akinyemi, a 48-year-old man diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease, is appealing for financial support to the tune of N35 million to undergo a kidney transplant.
Mr. Akinyemi is currently on dialysis twice a week and needs to continue this therapy to stay alive until he can receive a kidney transplant.
According to a medical note from the Odan General Hospital, Lagos, signed by the consultant physician/nephrologist, identified simply as S Alagbe, the total monthly cost of “haemodialysis and adjuvant treatment is N500,000, while the cost of kidney transplant varies between N10 and N18 million.”
However, to secure a donor, Mr Akinyemi's family is hoping to raise at least 35 million naira, noting that the volatile exchange rate has complicated the situation.
Mr. Abass Akinyemi before the illness
Olalekan Oladapo, a lawyer and long-time friend of the patient, thanked many Nigerians who he said have continued to show their support in efforts to rescue Mr. Akinyemi, a former leader of the Federal Polytechnic students union in Offa, Kwara State.
About Mr. Akinyemi
Mr Akinyemi was a regional manager at Deekay Nigeria Limited, an Indian company that manufactures and distributes tyres, before resigning for medical reasons.
He later got a new job after regaining his health, but began to develop complications that led to his current state.
Article page with promotion of financial support
While at Kwara State Polytechnic, he was a member of the Students Representative Council and served as Financial Secretary in the Banking and Finance Department and Public Relations Officer of the Ilobu National Union of Students.
Mr. Akinyemi is appealing to individuals and organisations to save his life by donating to raise the amount needed for a kidney transplant.
Mr. Abass Akinyemi's brochure
Donations can be sent to his Zenith Bank account: 4235922047, Akinyemi Abass Adeleke.
Increase in chronic kidney disease
There is an increase in cases of kidney failure in Nigeria affecting all age groups.
Available data indicates that over 20 million Nigerians suffer from various stages of kidney-related diseases.
Medical experts explained that 100 people per million inhabitants, or at least 20,000 people each year, reach the stage where they need dialysis and/or a transplant.
They said it costs N600,000 a month to put a patient on dialysis and N10 million to perform a kidney transplant in Nigeria.
They identified hypertension, diabetes and chronic infections such as hepatitis B and C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), sickle cell anaemia and painkillers as the main causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Nigeria.