Prof. Pat Utomi, a political economist, has disclosed that he is battling prostate cancer, which has kept him out of the spotlight.
On Friday, Utomi announced on his Twitter account that he had been struck down by the fatal illness, which he said was discovered last year.
“I agreed with the Gambian Real Estate Entrepreneur Taf Njie while I battled the disease that we should do more to create awareness. Nearly 30 years ago I went to Ibadan to speak and lend a hand to present Ondo First Lady Betty Akeredolu as she raised the breast cancer banner,†he said.
Utomi claims that when a biopsy revealed he had cancer last year, he started receiving treatment at a cancer center with locations in Ikeja and Victoria Island.
“I sometimes came from election campaigns to the Ikeja Centre near the Airport. The Doctors would try to smuggle me out from the back. The well known shielded?â€
“Once elections were over, my young nephews and cousins, Doctors in Europe and the US, joined forces with the Lakeshore people and decided they wanted me in their direct care. That’s how come it seemed I went quiet because they controlled my phones to reduce stress,†he said.
Utomi continued by saying he didn't see why it was improper to acknowledge having cancer.
“The more I talked about it, the more I found many of my age in similar circumstances. It almost seems like an epidemic for Nigerian men over 60. Not talking makes them lose the benefit of early detection,†he stated.