By Dipo Olowookere
Saturday, September 15, 2018 has been fixed for this year’s Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Corporate Challenge primarily designed to raise awareness on the early detection and funds to support the fight against cancer in Nigeria.
The event is scheduled to take place in Lagos at 7am at the Muri Okunola Park, Adeyemo Alakija Street, Victoria Island.
On that day, there would be a 5 kilometre walk, jog and run event as well as dance, aerobics, music and entertainment.
Winners in the various race categories will be recognized as part of an awards ceremony at the end of the race.
This year’s event will bring together participants from listed and non-listed companies, dealing member firms, non-commercial organizations such as federal, state and local governments, quasi-governmental organizations, educational institutions and non-governmental organisations; as well as celebrities and other notable Nigerians to support the fight against cancer.
Interested participants have been encouraged to register online at www.nse.com/corporatechallenge with a fee of N200,000, N400,000 and N500,000 per team of up to five members for dealing member firms, listed companies and non-listed companies/non-commercial organizations respectively.
Cancer epidemic in Nigeria is huge and is set to rise if urgent actions are not taken to raise awareness about the disease and to develop practical strategies to address the increasing cancer burden.
Data from the ‘Rapid Assessment of the Prevention and Control of Cancer in Nigeria’ report by the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), show that cancer is responsible for 72,000 deaths in Nigeria every year, with an estimated 102,000 new cases annually.
Reaffirming the commitment of The Nigerian Stock Exchange to fighting cancer, Mr Bola Adeeko, Head, Shared Services Division, NSE, said, “The Exchange has been at the forefront of cancer awareness and advocacy for the provision of screening and treatment facilities.
“Our commitment is unwavering, as we will continue to use the NSE Corporate Challenge platform to create awareness and raise funds to win the race to erase cancer.
“This deliberate intervention is imperative because of the statistics of life claimed by cancer and the fact that one third of these cancers are actually treatable.”
“By leveraging our access to a vast network of employees and clients of our listed companies, dealing members and other stakeholders, we believe we can work together in scaling up access to cancer screening services for early detection of cancer and provision of treatment and palliative care services to diagnosed patients,” he added.
“From past editions of the NSE Corporate Challenge, we have been able to raise N57.4 million which is geared towards the purchase of MCCs.
“For the 2018 edition, we have received support from our list of growing sponsors, such as Dangote Group, Stanbic IBTC, FCMB and Chellarams. No one should fight cancer alone, I therefore call on other institutions and individuals to support this cause with the goal of multiplying efforts to prevent avoidable deaths. Together, we truly can make cancer a distant memory for future generations,” he said further.
The NSE Corporate Challenge which is now in its 5th year, has been highly successful, recording more than 2,035 runners from over 306 institutions, comprising c-suite level executives, top government officials and celebrities. Celebrities such as Ali Baba, MI Abaga, Burna Boy, Seyi Shay, Dolapo Oni-Sijuwade, Gideon Okeke, Debola Williams, Tina Mba, Simisola and Yung6ix amongst others have at some point thrown their weight behind the NSE Corporate Challenge. The race has also enjoyed huge publicity from both our traditional and digital media partners.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale