‘My Foundation Will Tackle The Deadly Disease That Killed My Sister’

 Asiwaju  Bisi Adegbuyi, notable politician  and  entrepreneur,  is on  a patriotic mission   to curb the spread of  Helicobacter pylori, a bacterial infection in  the lining of the stomach or the upper part of the  small intestine which causes ulcers and sometimes leads to stomach cancer. More known as H.pylori, this relatively unknown  silent killer disease affects 50 per cent of the Nigerian populace . Through his Foundation, Adegbuyi  has made himself a  mascot of some sort for H. pylori in his desire to create the right  awareness on ways of tackling the disease.
He spoke at length on this topical issue in this chat  with Segun Fatuase, Team Lead of NewsTurf Consult.

In what way or direction do you think the average Nigerian should address the health situation in the country?

I am Bisi Adegbuyi, a politician of a different hue and orientation. I am also   an entrepreneur, a lawyer . I am into real estate and hospitality. I hope someday I will be seen and referred to as a statesman because  I am concerned about the future of my dear country.
Nigerians are currently holding the wrong end of the stick. Health, they say , is wealth and you can only be a productive human being if you have a sound mind in a sound body. We take so many things for granted in Nigeria even with the many  opportunities that we have . There are many  areas that remain largely untapped as they relate to  our traditional herbs and spices. Many countries of this world don’t abandon whatever resources they have, both in human and material resources, particularly in the areas of plants, herbs  and what have you. So, I believe that I should give back to the society what I have benefited from Nigeria as a country and what God has endowed me with . That is why I founded the Grantview Initiatives Foundation.  

We have several initiatives that we are pushing. One of such is the Digital Addressing system that we believe can be of immense value, particularly to  the youths, the Digital Natives who are in the majority. But one other important initiative that my foundation wants to push is in the direction of health and this has to do with a bacterium pathogen called  H. pylori.  It  is an ulcer-inducing bacteria pathogen that has a debilitating effect , affecting 50 per cent of Nigerians, both young and old. The real fact is that governments at all levels are not even paying attention to it due to the fact that they are not aware because it is not a disease that is as  common as COVID-19, Polio, Malaria, High Blood Pressure or Diabetes.

It is affecting 50 per cent of Nigerians and it is capable of turning  into  stomach ulcer  and in rare cases, stomach cancer. I think it is worth the while for us to be talking about it.

How did you get involved in this mission?
I am a medical freak and I do tests from time to time . I have been tested positive for this disease  and a cocktail of antibiotics and some other drugs have been used. I did another test six months after, still positive but I have read books on it and I thank God  for letting my paths cross with people like Dr. Ademola Dada, MD, of Federal Medical Centre who introduced me to Professor Stella Smith of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research.   I also  met Professor Jesse Otegbayo, the Chief Medical Director of UCH  who is a world class Gastro-entologist .  So. It’s work in progress  and I believe that all well-meaning people , government organisations should pay attention because this is a silent killer.
That’s pretty much like it. If you are tested positive for it, there are ways to go about it  and you would fine, depending on how well you do your test. The latest is the Breath Test. Unfortunately politicians are not in the good books of Nigerians and there’s that tendency to want to put all politicians under one umbrella. That’s the collateral damage all politicians pay.  
I take  interest in it again because my sister, Mrs Caroline Adetutu Phillips died about two and a half years ago from complications arising from H. pylori . Her death was one of the low moments of my life. She was the one taking care of my mother. I had to then contend with taking  care of a 94-year old mum  with my other siblings and nephews. My mother died peacefully at 94 in December last year .  I am convinced beyond any doubt that my sister died of complications arising from H. pylori.  I too have tested positive twice and I have gone to the root of why I tested positive the second time which was through the negligence of some domestic staff. I am determined to defeat this health problem because I am a fighter. So I believe that giving back to the society, using myself as a mascot of some sort for H. pylori,   to create the awareness,  and wake people up from their slumber. We have experts in Nigeria who are capable of assisting in this drive, in collaboration with their counterparts across Africa.


Any encouragement from any government ?

Government is not even aware of it. Even in the western world, two Italians, Professor Marshall and Dr Warren discovered the  bacteria . They  came up with the hypothesis that whatever is responsible for stomach ulcer needs to be investigated.  They were  lampooned by fellow doctors and accused of coming up with a jejune Hypothesis.   Eventually in 2005, both doctors were awarded the Nobel prize for their efforts . It is not a question of the government being apathetic . We are all government . There is need to draw attention to the problem .  I am into it because I lost a dear sister  and because I am positive to it. I am determined to defeat it. As an ordinary citizen, I believe I can use the special purpose vehicle of my foundation to create a positive awareness. What I am trying to do is to have a yearly memory lecture in honour of my late sister who I believed died for me to live and save the lives of many Nigerians.

How far can you go in defeating the disease ?
At 61 going to 62, I am interested in legacy projects. I am interested in what will outlive me. I am interested in giving back to the society. I want to be an agent of change. I want to serve the public in another form. I am grateful  to President Muhamadu Buhari and Senator Ibikunle Amosun who made my appointment possible  as Postmaster-General of Nigeria. The experience I acquired and contacts are still useful . For as long as God gives me life , it will be a marathon. That’s my own way of giving back to the society. I am also interested in ensuring that the youths of Nigeria, the Digital Natives, the technologically skilled people  are involved in this advocacy. The foundation will  be driving several initiatives that will impact on the lives of the people. I am not contesting any elective office.

 How do you want to involve the Digital Natives who may be looking in another direction?
I want to use private sector initiativesto assist government in driving digital economy. That is the ecosystem where the Digital Natives can thrive.  That is the way to use technology to solve myriads of problems affecting the Nigerian state. That is what is happening all over the world. There is technology for medicine, security, logistics  etc. We made a mess of the power system in Nigeria because former President Olusegun Obasanjo embarked on the privatisation of the power sector without involving the big players in the market, like the Siemens of Germany, Manitoba of Canada , Marubeni of Japan, the GEC of America.   It is because of our one-size-fits-all attitude. That government should have regionalised power and have grids, power transmitters and distribution  in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. Unfortunately, because of political considerations , they forgot to consider all the zones  and engender healthy competition. It should have been a cocktail of power production. In a nutshell, the way you devolve political power should be the way you devolve electric power.