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BY SAB OSUJI

 

Nwankwo Kanu, the Nigeria born World/African football legend who is also the founder of Kanu Heart Foundation, in conjunction with the Office of the First Lady of Abia State

Government, will on Friday 29 September, 2023, lead other notable artistes including Nollywood Stars, market men and women, nurses, youth corpers, civil servants as well as sportsmen and women for a 6 kilometre walk tagged “Elephant Walk with Kanu Nwankwo” within the Aba metropolis, Abia State Nigeria. 

 

Nwankwo Kanu, MON, OON who is also a UNICEF Ambassador, captained Nigeria U23s to win the men's football gold medal of the 1996 Olympic Games, the first ever by any African team.

 

 'Papilo', as the former Arsenal leggy forward is fondly called, also won the UEFA Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam before calling time on his illustrious career after lifting several domestic titles with Arsene Wenger's Arsenal of England.

 

Even before retirement from active football, Papilo set up the Kanu Heart Foundation, KHF, a Charity Organisation, through which he's successfully helped over 500 Nigerians with heart-related ailments Undergo open heart surgeries.

 

As the World Health Organisation, WHO, mark this year's World Heart Day on 29th September, Papilo, in his capacity as a UNICEF Ambassador, and once a patient of Cleveland Hospital, USA, where he underwent an open heart surgery, has lined up several activities to mark this year's World Heart Day.

 

In 2022, Papilo, in conjunction with Kanu Heart Foundation, KHF, celebrated the event in Enugu, Enugu State.

 

According to program of events, a charity game will be played on September 28, a day that precedes the event proper in support of the Kanu Heart Foundation.

 

The venue for the charity game is Enyimba Stadium, Aba, Abia State. Kanu Heart Foundation, a charitable non-governmental organisation, whose aim is to put back smiles on the faces of children/adults with heart related ailments, use the global annual event to inform and educate people around the World on heart illnesses and its associated factors.

 

Meanwhile, arrangements have been concluded with various security agencies like police and the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, to ensure safety of participants and also to mobilise support and control traffic for the event that will see participants walk within Aba town.

 

Organisers also, have assured that medical personnel from Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja, and other medical partners (Narayana and Rela Hospital) will carry out free health checks on the participants. 

 

Raffles Oil LFTZ which goes by the brandname, Power Oil has thrown their weight on the event and will be live during the event with their Power Oil Health Camp Team to add flavour to the event. 

 

Attendance for this walk is free for anyone who has a heart. The walk is expected to be flagged off by 7 a.m. at Abia Polytechnic premises. 

 

World Heart Day, WHD, was founded in the year 2000 and celebrated on 29 September annually to inform and educate people around the globe on heart illnesses and their associated factors. WHD celebration serves as an opportunity for people across the globe to take part in the World's biggest intervention against cardiovascular diseases, CVD, Cardiovascular diseases.

 

CVD, which includes heart diseases and stroke, is the world's number one leading cause of death. As reported by WHO in 2016, an estimated 17 million people died from CVDs, representing all global deaths, of these deaths, 85% are due to heart attack and stroke. The prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases  CVD, is on the increase in the developing nations of the world, over three quarters of CVD deaths take place in low and middle-income countries which include Nigeria.

 

Modifiable risk factors for CVD include High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, tobacco use, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, and unhealthy diets. 

 

The theme for 2023 'World Heart Day is "Use Heart, Know Heart" The objectives of this year's WHD are: 1. To educate and create awareness on the rising trend Of CVDs, its risk factors and preventive measures that will reduce the impact of CVDs across the states of Nigeria. 2. To get the knowledge of CVD to people of different Socio-demographic characteristics, 3. To bring the knowledge of September 29th as World Hear Day to the Nigeria populace 4.

 

TO screen for high blood pressure, basal metabolic rate, body mass index, BMI, blood glucose and other CVD risk factors among civil servants 5. To inform on the need for increased physical activity and engagement.

 

"The choice of Abia State is made after due consideration of the strides the state has made in sports through the keep fit jogging exercise which we have monitored over a while", Coordinator/Trustee, Kanu Heart Foundation, KHF, Pastor Onyebuchi Abia said in a statement.