Isuokoma Believers’ Association Takes Campaign on Preventive Health To Abuja Residents

The Isuokoma Believers’ Association (IBA), Abuja Branch, has taken its campaign on preventive healthcare to residents of the Federal Capital Territory, with a call on Nigerians to rethink their approach to health and place prevention above cure.

The campaign headlined a health seminar organised by the Association on Sunday, October 25, 2026, in Abuja, where a prominent Consultant Nephrologist, Dr. Ernest Francis Aniede, delivered a lecture on the theme: “Your Health Is Your Wealth.”

Dr. Aniede, who is Chairman of the Kidney Transplant Project Steering Committee at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abuja, and led the team that performed FMC’s first-ever living-donor kidney transplant on a 69-year-old patient on May 6, 2025, said the theme captures a fundamental truth often ignored by many.

“What is the relationship between wealth and health? No matter how you look at it, if your health is lacking, you are not truly wealthy. Whatever you acquire in terms of money and wealth, you cannot enjoy it if you are not healthy,” he told the gathering.

According to him, health is even more important than wealth, noting that many wealthy people have fallen ill and despite all their resources, could not buy back their health.

“Your health is your wealth, and health is even more important than wealth. We have seen wealthy people who fell ill and despite all their money, could not buy back their health. What can money do when health fails?” he asked.

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Dr. Aniede, who studied at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi Campus, and has worked at the National Hospital, Abuja, explained that health has three aspects that Nigerians must understand – preventive health, curative health and management.

He said some conditions cannot be cured but can only be managed for life, a reality that makes prevention the most sensible option.

He lamented that many Nigerians neglect preventive health, which is very cheap, and focus only on curative health, which is very expensive.

“Living healthy is not expensive, but living unhealthy is very expensive,” he said, adding that preventive health remains the cheapest and most effective way to stay alive and productive.

Speaking on healthy living and balanced diet, Dr. Aniede said healthy living involves eating natural foods, as was the practice in rural communities.

“In our villages, people go to their farms for vegetables, to the river for fish, and eat natural foods. These are healthy,” he said.

He expressed concern that many people now buy and consume things simply because others are doing so, copying lifestyles that are expensive and unhealthy.

“Because someone drinks soft drinks, you must drink it. Because someone eats butter, you must eat butter. Copying such lifestyles makes unhealthy living more expensive than healthy living,” he noted.

He explained that a balanced diet contains the basic nutrients – proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals – all of which are present in natural foods.

“We do not need to go far to eat healthy. It is when we start living extravagantly that we live unhealthily and spend more,” he said.

On exercise, the nephrologist said regular physical activity is essential and does not require elaborate facilities.

“You do not need to join a football competition. Simple exercises like walking around your environment for 2 to 4 hours a week are healthy,” he said.

He warned against sedentary habits, particularly among traders and office workers who sit from morning till evening.

“Do not sit in your shop from morning till evening without moving. No matter how many customers you have, get up, walk around and stretch. Prolonged sitting blocks circulation,” he said.

Dr. Aniede also stressed the importance of regular health screening, urging Nigerians to own basic monitoring devices.

“Check your blood pressure and pulse regularly. Buy a BP monitor and keep it at home. Go for regular medical check-ups,” he advised.

On marriage and family health, he said intending couples must know their health status, genotype and infectious disease profile before marriage.

“Before going into marriage, know your health status and that of your partner. Check your genotype. If you are AS and your partner is AS, medically you should not proceed, because of the high risk of having children with sickle cell disease. You will spend your life in the hospital,” he said.

He added that the same principle applies to HIV and Hepatitis B, saying couples need medical counselling on what they are getting into and how to protect themselves.

“Every person has a suitable partner; there is no need to risk a lifetime of complications,” he said.

On vaccination and immunisation, Dr. Aniede described it as a key pillar of preventive health, especially for Hepatitis B which damages the liver and has no cure.

“If one partner has Hepatitis B and the other does not, the negative partner should be vaccinated to prevent infection,” he said, urging parents to ensure children are vaccinated against all infectious diseases.

He explained that if a mother has Hepatitis B, the newborn must be given specific injections at birth to prevent infection, warning that children infected at birth often develop chronic liver disease in adulthood.

He urged women to go for regular cervical screening (Pap smear) and practice breast self-examination, stressing that any lump, no matter how small, must be reported immediately to a qualified medical professional.

“Early detection can save your life. If detected early, it can be treated, but if it spreads, it becomes incurable,” he warned.

For men, he advised that from 40 years they should pay attention to urine flow, as reduced flow or difficulty urinating could signal prostate enlargement, which can block urine flow and lead to kidney failure.

“Every man from 48 years should do a PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen). The normal value is between 0 and 4. If it is as high as 10, you may need a biopsy to check if it is cancerous. If detected early and still localised, it can be removed. That is the benefit of screening,” he said.

Dr. Aniede also spoke on rest and mental health, describing health as a state of physical, mental and social well-being.

“Rest is very important. Many of us move from pillar to post without rest. No matter how busy you are, create time to rest and sleep well,” he said.

He urged parents and guardians to talk to their children, warning that neglect and lack of communication push young people into depression, smoking and hard drugs.

“Many young people are burdened and have no one to talk to. As parents and guardians, talk to your children. If you don’t talk to them, someone else will, and may give them wrong advice,” he said.

“A young person who is depressed and feels left behind can be misled into smoking cigarettes and eventually hard drugs. Talk to them, encourage them. Even when they fail, do not worsen their problems. Give them hope,” he added.

On common diseases, Dr. Aniede said kidney disease is very common and often caused by lifestyles Nigerians consider harmless.

He warned that energy drinks taken to combat tiredness, untested supplements and herbal concoctions mixed with alcohol are major causes of kidney, liver and heart damage.

“Many supplements in the market have not been tested for efficacy or safety. Some contain unknown ingredients that can damage the heart, liver and kidneys. Our parents in the village ate natural foods and did well without these supplements,” he said.

He cautioned that every drug is a poison until proven otherwise, including common drugs like paracetamol which have side effects and should only be taken when benefits outweigh risks.

“Do not take drugs when you do not need them. Herbal medications are a major cause of kidney and liver problems in our environment,” he said.

Citing global data, he said one in ten people worldwide has kidney disease, while in Africa the rate is even higher at two in ten.

He explained that uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension for 5 to 10 years will lead to major complications including kidney failure, heart disease and brain damage.

According to him, foamy urine indicating protein leakage, and swelling of legs, abdomen and face are warning signs, but many victims patronise traditional healers instead of hospitals, worsening the damage.

“Each kidney contains about 1.2 million nephrons at birth. You keep damaging them through poor diet, uncontrolled diseases and harmful medications. Once damaged, they cannot be replaced. When they are exhausted, kidney failure occurs,” he said.

He therefore urged Nigerians to check their blood sugar and blood pressure regularly and keep them within normal limits.

Members of the IBA Abuja Branch who attended the seminar described the lecture as eye-opening, saying it reinforced the Association’s commitment not only to spiritual growth but also to the physical well-being of members and the larger Abuja community.

In his response, the Chairman of Isuokoma Believers’ Association, Abuja branch, Mr Reuben Onyekachi Okike, expressed profound gratitude to Dr Aniede for the incisive lecture he delivered to the Christian group, urging members to take advantage of the knowledge gained from the programme to improve their health.

Okike described Dr Aniede, who also hails from the Isuokoma Autonomous Community in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, as a rare gem in the medical field; a gift from God to the people of Isuokoma in particular, and to Nigeria and the world in general. He noted that despite his great exploits in medical knowledge and practice, the medical expert has remained humble, philanthropic and God-fearing.

To further demonstrate appreciation to Doctor Aniede for his highly educative lecture and general contributions to humanity in his years of medical practice, the group honoured him with a plaque presentation, with the inscription: “Presented by Isuokoma Believers’ Association, Abuja, in Recognition of your Excellent Performance in Health Matters”.