By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
A Nigerian medical doctor and health educator, Aproko Doctor, has warned that some cancers can develop silently and present symptoms commonly mistaken for ulcers, urging Nigerians with recurring stomach pain to seek proper medical investigation rather than self-medicate.
The warning came on Monday, 24 August, 2026 in a series of posts on X, where Aproko Doctor was responding to public questions about how veteran Yoruba actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, could have been diagnosed with stage-four cancer despite appearing healthy weeks before his death.
Ogogo died at 3pm on Sunday, 23 August, 2026, at the age of 66, a day before the doctor’s posts, following a battle with the disease. His death was announced by fellow actor Jide Kosoko.
Aproko Doctor said looking healthy does not mean that everything is fine internally.
“The uncomfortable truth is that looking healthy does not always mean that everything is fine inside your body,” he said.
“Some serious illnesses can develop quietly, with symptoms that may look like ordinary problems at first.”
He explained that stomach cancer, in particular, could cause symptoms people commonly associate with ulcers, while stressing that an ulcer itself does not simply turn into cancer. “An ulcer does not simply turn into cancer. But some cancers, particularly cancers of the stomach, can cause symptoms that people commonly describe as ulcer,” he said.
He warned against the habit of repeatedly taking ulcer medication without investigating the root cause of persistent symptoms.
“This is why that stomach pain that keeps coming back deserves more attention than simply taking the ulcer drug you used last time. If the symptoms keep returning despite treatment, don’t just keep changing the drug. Go back and investigate what is actually causing them,” he said.
Taiwo Hassan
Aproko Doctor listed symptoms that warrant proper medical evaluation — persistent stomach pain, unexplained weight loss, repeated vomiting, loss of appetite, difficulty swallowing and feeling unusually full quickly.
He was careful, however, to caution against panic. “They do not automatically mean cancer either. But they are reasons to speak to a healthcare professional and get properly evaluated,” he said.
He urged Nigerians not to spend months or years treating a diagnosis that was never properly confirmed. “Most stomach pain is not cancer. The point is don’t spend months or years treating a diagnosis that was never properly confirmed. If something keeps coming back, find out why,” he said.
The doctor’s comments followed the disclosure by Ogogo’s daughters, Kaira and Lima Taiwo, that doctors had informed the family that chemotherapy could no longer be administered because of their father’s condition, prompting the family to seek alternative treatment options.
Ogogo, who was prominent inYoruba-language cinema with a career spanning more than four decades and hundreds of films, had been one of the most recognisable figures in Nigerian entertainment before his passing.
Aproko Doctor closed with condolences to the family.
“To the family of Alhaji Taiwo Hassan, Ogogo: Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, loved ones and everyone mourning him. May his soul rest in peace,” he wrote.
