In less than 24 hours, Arise walk for life 2020 will commence and it will be one of the most iconic event of 2020 due to the set up of the health walk.
The 2020 edition of a yearly walk tagged; “#StayingAlive,” which holds on Saturday 17th October, 2020 is an opportunity to reduce the dreaded Coronavirus in the country.
This was disclosed at a press conference in Lagos put together by the organisers of the event, Dr Siju Iluyomade held on Sunday October 11, 2020 at Four Point By Sheraton Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
She revealed that the event, which started over 10 years ago, will commence at 7:00am in over 50 clusters across Nigeria, London, United States of America, Canada and various isolation centres.
While encouraging everyone to embrace walk, Iluyomade said; “you can just walk in a cluster of 25, but you must maintain social distance in the process. “Walk For Life means get up, keep yourself alive and walk.Africa recorded few COVID-19 cases because African people walk and this strengthens their hearts and they burn calories in the process. “Walking eliminates joint aches and boost immune system, which is why COVID-19 is limited in Africa.”
She also stated that influencers and celebrities have always been part of Arise and that some of them would be around for the walk this year.
As part of the activities lined up for this event, which are rules of engagement, each cluster is meant to arrive at 7:00am,each cluster head should ensure that every member of their cluster can walk, choose starting point, check temperatures and sanitize.
While each cluster walks in their location, the event will be beamed live for those who could not participate.
According to her, this year’s edition is expected to be streamed online LIVE from the starting point to the finishing line to further encourage many Nigerians who could not join the Walk.
Ilutomade further said: “Arise is interested to walk; we have called the women to come together and remove the things that bind us down, but we are saying today that when we walk, it is not for only our mental health but for our capacity. Arise has been recognized globally.We have built secondary schools; we have built acquisition academies, we have built borehole in many communities and people have recognized us”.
“Arise has as part of her members representative of our President; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire. Arise has been recognized; we are in partnership with people; we want our development; and we want our girl child. Please, celebrate with me, the international girl child, we want our women to be educated, we need them as President of Nigeria”.
She also said Arise has featured in all the SDGs, pointing out that: “On hunger, we have Arise Farmers Association. Everybody should go to the farm. The ‘Walk for life’ should be taking place all over Lagos and all over Nigeria”.
“Walk For Life is to get up keep yourself alive and work. African Women or men walk from 10 kilometers to 15 Kilometers, per day. The day l saw them on the bridge, I was amazed. They were walking to reduce cholesterol in their life, walking to eliminate joint pains, burning cholesterol and to boost their immune system to fight COVID 19. If all these things are necessary, we should have to walk for 2020, and walk to stay alive “,
“Arise is in the front of preventing heart care; we are everywhere around Nigeria, from Abuja to Sokoto, Owerri, Akure everywhere around Nigeria.We have distributed the Arise soap which is part of skills acquisition programmes.
“Arise does not go anywhere without the soap the sanitize and our bucket, before the COVID 19, Arise was there; we taught the people how to wash their hands and we provided boreholes and we are still providing a boreholes at Abule Egba in Lagos to ensure everybody is clean and people can prevent disease”.
According to her, personalities expected at the walk are the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Sports and Super Eagles legend, Daniel Amokachi; Olympic Gold medalist and sports administrator, Mary Onyali; former deputy governor of Lagos State and Special Adviser to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Her Excellency Adejoke Orelope Adefulire; popular Disc Jockeys, Humility and Xclusive, Kaffy, DJ Cuppy,Nathaniel Bassey, Peter Rufai, and others.
TAYO OYEDIJI
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