5 July 2009
Lagos — Minister of Environment, Mr John Odey, has said walking and jogging help people to overcome diseases, in addition to sustaining the environment.
Odey made the observation yesterday in Abuja, at the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) monthly walking and jogging exercise entitled: "Promoting Good Environment".
Represented by his Acting Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Sani Kalgo, Odey said the Nigerian environment was facing degradation and that people must strive hard to sustain it.
"If you have diabetes for example, doctors will tell you to continue to do exercise, and once you do that you will overcome the disease. When you overcome the disease, you sustain yourself. And, when you sustain yourself, you sustain the environment because you are part of the environment," the Minister added.
The Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Commission, Mr Osita Chidoka, said he made the exercise a monthly event because he wanted the Corps members to be physically fit while carrying out their statutory responsibilities.
Chidoka, who was represented by Assistant Corps Marshal, Mr Adei Abu, urged the people to exercise themselves to help the government cut expenses on healthcare.
"When you are fit, it cuts expenses on health. That will give government a lot of money to do other things that the public needs," the Corps Marshal said.
He said the exercise became necessary because "a healthy nation is a wealthy nation".
However, Mr Kukah Ejiofor, the Director of Administration, Nigerian Postal Service Headquarters, Abuja, called on all government agencies to emulate the Commission in order to ensure fitness of their staff.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise started at 6:30 a.m from the Old Parade Ground in Area 10, where the participants converged, and ended at the same venue at about 8:10 a.m.
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