Over 200 lawyers to undergo free prostate cancer screening
2026-02-23 - 13:17
... as Abuja lawyers league hits the pitch to honour legal luminary Afe Babalola By Ikechukwu Nnochiri ABUJA– No fewer than 200 legal practitioners will undergo free prostate cancer screening as part of activities to mark the 2026 edition of the Abuja Lawyers Soccer League, which will be staged in honour of a legal luminary, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN. This comes as organisers of the programme disclosed the debut of a Lawyers Champions League that will feature 24 clubs comprising 20 male teams and four female football teams from across the federation. According to the coordinator of the competition, Mr. Olujimi Olujide, the league, which will run for a period of 11 weeks, will commence in March and end in June. Olujide said the primary target was to use the football competition to raise awareness among lawyers about prostate cancer and the need for early detection. He said the league would leverage the power of sports to drive awareness, encourage screening, and combat the stigma associated with prostate health among men. “We had always used the competition to raise awareness and put together free medical checkups for lawyers who attended the competition. “In recent times, we have raised awareness about kidney disease. Our last edition focused on prostate cancer, and we conducted free screenings for 150 lawyers. “It is because we realised how low the awareness level is that we decided to use this forthcoming 10th edition of the league as Prostate Cancer Awareness II (PROCA II). “This year, the league is bigger and better. We believe no one deserves the honor of hosting our 10th edition more than the great legend, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN. “At every competition, we have health specialists who speak to us about taking care of ourselves and checking for prostate cancer. “We are also providing free screening tests for many people—and to make it even more interesting, it is the first of its kind in Nigeria,” Olujide added. He explained that legal practitioners currently have four football leagues across the country — the Abuja Lawyers League, which started in 2017; the Ibadan Lawyers League, which started in 2018; the Kano Lawyers League, which started in 2025; and the Nigerian Bar Association Premier League. “We also have a female category of the League, which is also growing very well. So this year, we’re looking forward to having about 24 teams: 20 male teams and four female teams.” Olujide said the Lawyers Champions League would bring together all champions across the country to participate in a one-day football competition, where the overall winner would emerge. On his part, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, expressed gratitude to the organizers for choosing to honor him and voiced his support for the competition’s aim. Speaking on behalf of the Chambers, Mrs. Olamide Adekunle, Partner at Afe Babalola & Co., said her principal believes in excellence.”He believes that one should have a wholesome and active mind to excel, not just professionally, but also healthwise,” Mrs. Adekunle added.