Left to right: Mr. Abiola Awe of the National Health Foundation (NHF), Captain Sunday Umoren, Head, Maritime Safety and Seafarers Standards Department of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), Mr. Chris-Lewis Allagoa, Captain Port Harcourt Golf Club, Mr. Kingsley Akinroye, Executive Director NHF, Mr. Wilson Egberibou of NIMASA during the Charity Golf Tournament organised by NHF in conjunction with NIMASA, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Director
General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
(NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside has said that the agency is committed
to supporting activities that will promote healthy living, as a way
of giving back to the society through its Corporate Social
Responsibility programmes. Dr Dakuku stated that outside of its
maritime regulatory functions, the Agency is interested in activities
that promote healthy living of Nigerians.
Speaking
on behalf of the Director General shortly after the tee-off ceremony
of the Charity Golf Tournament at the Port Harcourt Golf Club, the
Agency’s Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Isichei Osamgbi
underscored the essence of exercise to the overall well-being of the
human body.
Dr
Dakuku Peterside stated that the partnership with the NHF to host the
tournament is in line with the Agency’s corporate social
responsibility;
"For
us in NIMASA, we take every opportunity to connect with the
community, with the people of Nigeria who are our constituency. We
are partnering with the Nigeria Heart Foundation to save life, to
keep people active and live healthy because the heart is very
important to the body”.
The
DG also noted that the partnership will create awareness on the need
for regular exercise as a measure to keep the heart and the entire
organs of the body healthy. "With the support of the Port
Harcourt Golf Club as partners, the idea is to create awareness,
raise funds for further research on heart diseases and to let people
know that an active life will help in a lot of ways to keep fit",
he said.
Among
top dignitaries in attendance was the first Executive Governor of
Rivers State, King Alfred Diete-Spiff who commended the Nigerian
Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for its role in
bringing to the forefront health related issues and creating
awareness that will assist patients in the management of heart
diseases as well as the risk factors.
King
Alfred Diete-Spiff made this assertion at the opening of The Charity
Golf Tournament organised by NIMASA and the Nigerian Heart Foundation
held at the Port Harcourt Golf Club in Rivers state at the weekend.
King
Diete-Spiff who is also the paramount ruler of Twon-Brass in Bayelsa
State noted that he has been watching with keen interest the Agency’s
activities the maritime sector and is delighted that it is creating
awareness for various health related ailments, stating that the
partnership of NIMASA and the Nigerian Heart Foundation is great for
the entire nation.
“As
you know NIMASA is a maritime regulatory Agency and for such Agency
to spread its corporate social responsibility to the health sector by
partnering with the Nigerian Heart foundation simply means the
Management of the Agency love Nigeria and Nigerians” the Amanayabo
of Twon Brass said.
Also
speaking, the Executive Director of Nigeria Heart Foundation, Dr
Kingsley Akinroye said the essence of the partnership with NIMASA to
organise the golf tournament was to raise awareness about the heart
and encourage people to exercise regularly.
He
disclosed that heart-related diseases are among the major killers in
Africa, with life expectancy dropping due to lack of adequate
facilities and healthcare.
"Some
of the risk factors for heart-related diseases include diet, lack of
exercise and smoking. What to do to is to exercise and that is where
golf comes in. Golf players are policy makers who can take the
message to their various establishments and preach the message,"
he stated
In
the same vein, the Captain of the Port Harcourt golf club, Mr. Chris
Allagoa commended NIMASA for the support towards successful hosting
of the tournament. He called on all stakeholders to support NIMASA
and the Nigerian Heart Foundations in their bid to promote wellness
in the country.
It
will be recalled that in recent times NIMASA has continued to promote
wellness in the maritime sector and this was evident when the agency
recently organised breast cancer awareness as well as the hepatitis
awareness lecture to commemorate the world hepatitis day and many
more.
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