Prof. Kingsley Ekwueme has a blunt message for every Nigerian man: stop wasting time on herbs and bedroom activity — and go get tested.
Lagos: Prof. Kingsley Ekwueme did not come to The Prostate Clinic’s first-anniversary celebration out of politeness. He came to save lives.
And sometimes saving lives requires saying the uncomfortable thing out loud.
“No amount of sex, unfortunately, can stop you from prostate cancer. Yes, even male gigolos will develop prostate cancer.”
The robotic urological surgeon and CEO of The Prostate Clinic delivered that line — and several others just as unsparing — to an audience in Lagos on Sunday, as he systematically dismantled the myths, misconceptions, and social media misinformation that he says are driving Nigerian men to their graves.
The Three Things That Actually Matter
Ekwueme was clear: there is no known cause of prostate cancer. What medicine has firmly established are three risk factors — and only three.
Age is the first and most significant. Prostate cancer does not appear in young men, but by age 30, autopsy studies confirm the enlargement process has already begun. The peak danger window is between 60 and 65.
Being Black is the second. African men are not only more likely to develop prostate cancer, but they are also more likely to develop the aggressive form. “You are more likely to die of prostate cancer as a black man compared to other ethnicities,” Ekwueme said plainly.
Family history is the third. A father, brother, or uncle with prostate cancer puts you at significantly elevated risk — and moves your danger window seven years earlier than the general population. If your family has this history, Ekwueme’s instruction is clear: begin PSA testing at age 45. Not 50. Not 60. Forty-five.
The Myths He Buried
On sex: finished.
“No amount of sex, unfortunately, can stop you from prostate cancer. I think Nigerians need to know this because of the misinformation on social media.”
On diet: equally finished.
“Nothing that you will eat can prevent you from prostate cancer. I’ve had people come to the clinic taking sour salt, drinking pots and pots of tomatoes. No dietary relationship has been confirmed. Millions of pounds have been spent on research to find preventive diets. All failed. Don’t waste your time.”
He was careful to add one nuance: diet remains important for overall health.
“Diet is good for your body, for your normal cardiovascular health. You can diet for that. But don’t say you’re doing it because you’re preventing prostate cancer. That is false information.”
Nigeria’s Shameful Statistic
Behind the myth-busting lies a harder truth.
In the United Kingdom, only 12.5 per cent of men present with incurable prostate cancer. In Nigeria, the figure is reversed — over 80 per cent of patients arrive when treatment options are severely limited.
“When prostate cancer is incurable, it doesn’t matter how much money you have,” Ekwueme warned. “The statistics are completely against us in this country.”
Fear, silence, and misinformation are the drivers. And each of them is preventable.
The Prostate Clinic marked its first anniversary, having treated 100 patients — men from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Brazil, the United States, the UK, and Canada.
His closing message was equally direct: “Prostate cancer is curable if you catch it early. You can live your normal life expectancy. We have started the journey. Now we must expand it so more lives can be saved.”
