Esther Oyewole, a top dietitian at the Federal Medical Center in Abeokuta, says people in Nigeria should eat more fruits and vegetables. If they don’t, they might get sick and get a type of sickness called colon cancer.
She shared some numbers: out of every 100,000 people in Nigeria, 66 have colon cancer. In a place called Ogun State, 15 out of every 100,000 people have this sickness.
Esther talked about this on a Wednesday at a big meeting for people who plan towns, which happened in Abeokuta. The meeting was about how to eat better.
The dietitian explained that eating lots of fruits and vegetables helps your tummy work nicely. It makes it easier for food to move through your body without getting stuck.
She said, “Everyone needs to eat healthy food, especially if you are 40 years old or older. Colon cancer is a sickness that affects a part of your tummy called the colon, which is part of your digestive system.”
“In Nigeria, the numbers show that 66 people in every 100,000 have colon cancer. In Ogun State, it’s 15 in every 100,000. So, to keep this sickness away, eat lots of fruits and vegetables. These help your tummy stay healthy. Drinking a lot of water also helps keep your body safe and healthy.”
Esther also urged the town planners to visit the doctor often, even if it’s hard with money right now. She said that signs of cancer could be things like bleeding, not feeling hungry, and losing weight.
Waheed Kadiri, who used to be the National President, thanked Esther for her helpful talk. He said it was important because town planners eat badly due to their busy jobs.
Adefela Shogbesan, the chairman of the state’s town planners, also said that they work very hard but don’t take time to check how healthy they are. This is why they set up a talk about health and checking eyes for their group members.
Shogbesan also pointed out that there aren’t enough town planners working with the government, which makes it hard to keep things organized in the area.
“We don’t have as many town planners as we need working with the government. The job is too big for the number of people. The government can’t hire all the people we need, but they are trying to get more planners. Even with that, it won’t be enough,” he said.
“In Lagos, they found out they can’t hire enough planners, so they’re working with outside experts. Ogun State’s government could try this approach too. That might work well,” he added.