Lagos Billionaire Turns 86th Birthday Into Free Clinic

Instead of throwing a lavish party for his 86th birthday, Nigerian billionaire Chief Razaq Okoya opened the gates of his Lagos estate and welcomed 1,500 neighbors inside for something more valuable: free healthcare.

For seven days this January, the grounds of his expansive Oluwa Ni Nsola Estate in Lekki became a bustling medical hub. Residents received blood pressure checks, cancer screenings, HIV tests, eye exams, dental care, and consultations they might never have afforded otherwise.

The founder of Eleganza Group of Companies didn't choose this celebration randomly. Six years ago, Okoya received a prostate cancer diagnosis that changed how he saw wealth and responsibility.

"I presented early, and I had surgery. Today, I am happy and alive," Okoya said at the opening ceremony. "That is why what we are doing is very important."

His survival taught him that early detection shouldn't be a luxury reserved for the wealthy. In Nigeria, where many families can't afford basic medical tests, conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and cancer often progress silently until it's too late.

Okoya's outreach offered the kind of preventive care that saves lives: prostate, breast, and cervical cancer screenings alongside wellness guidance and health education. For residents who needed more specialized treatment, the program provided medical referrals.

"My own community comes first," Okoya explained. "I believe I should extend what I have been enjoying to my community, so that everyone can know their health status."

The Ripple Effect

Okoya's decision reflects a growing understanding among survivors that healing isn't complete until it's shared. By anchoring his milestone birthday on medical access rather than personal celebration, he created a model other wealthy Nigerians might follow.

The outreach addressed a critical gap in Nigeria's healthcare system, where public hospitals remain underfunded and overstretched. For many attendees, this free weeklong clinic represented their only chance at professional medical care this year.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and second leading cause of cancer death among men globally, with Black men facing significantly higher risks. Okoya's openness about his diagnosis helps break the silence that often surrounds men's health issues in Nigeria.

His message was simple but profound: knowing what's happening inside your body gives you a fighting chance. "If you can detect a health problem early, then you will not have serious trouble," he said.

One week of free medical care won't solve Nigeria's healthcare crisis, but it gave 1,500 people something priceless: knowledge about their own health and a reminder that their lives matter to someone with the power to help.