OCI Foundation Seals Partnership with the NCPC, as both groups hold first joint program (Abuja, Nigeria; November 18th, 2020)

It was another landmark outing for the OCI Foundation, as they delivered anti-breast and anti-cervical cancer teachings to the staff of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), at the their headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. The NCPC is under the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This outing, held on Wednesday, November the 18th, 2020, marks the first engagement between the two organisations, since the Executive Secretary of the NCPC, Rev Yakubu Pam (JP), formally approved a partnership towards the actualisation of the OCI Foundation’s Arm our Youths (ArOY) Health Campaign.

At the event, the OCI Foundation was led by its National Champion, Rev Dr Austin Epunam (who is also a Christian Pilgrim Presidential Award Winner and the President/Founder of the Sweet Home Africa Humanitarian Foundation, SHAHF), while a medical practitioner, Dr Theophilus NWOKEOCHA, delivered the lecture. Other members of the OCI Foundation in attendance were Prince Steve MUOKWUGWO,  Ms Felicia Dagu, Mr Luter Ikyobo and Mr Ifeanyi ANUEYIAGU

For the records, the ArOY Campaign is a novel, Harvard-endorsed, WHO-supported, and evidence-based health promotion initiative of the OCI Foundation, which is being introduced across all senior secondary schools in Nigeria as a way of tackling breast and cervical cancers. In September 2019, it was rolled out across all the 261 senior secondary schools in Anambra State of Nigeria, and a similar event, scheduled for Benue State in May 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  All of Nigeria’s 36 states (and the FCT) are expected to benefit from the ArOY campaign on or before the end of 2025, and the ongoing consultations are part of this whole process.

The ArOY Health Campaign has the support of the, NextGenU.org (the World’s first online University), the United States Centers for Disease Control (U.S. CDC) and the University of British Columbia, Canada (ranked 45^th in the world, according to the 2021 QS World University Ranking). Experts from these institutions, along with others from the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) and the Griffith University (Australia), will work with the OCI Foundation and the Nigerian Government on the roll-out, implementation and monitoring of the ArOY project. In addition, the prestigious Harvard Medical School, USA, of which Dr Chris Ifediora (the Founder of the OCI Foundation) is an Alumnus of, had earlier endorsed the Campaign, and made significant contributions to the Campaign’s design ahead of its roll out in Anambra State last year.

A number of other reputable Nigerian institutions partnering the OCI Foundation on this initiative include the Innoson Group, the NYSC (National Office), the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (Nigeria), Nollywood Nigeria, the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Silk Road Restaurant (Abuja), and the Post Primary Schools Service Commission, PPSSC (Anambra state), among others.