Ministers urge Nigerians to embrace early cancer screening

The Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmed, and the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Maria Mahmoud, have urged Nigerians to embrace regular cancer screening and early detection.

They warned that the disease does not discriminate based on age or social status.

A statement on Sunday by the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Abuja, said the ministers spoke during a 5.4-kilometre cancer awareness walk organised by the foundation in Abuja, with the theme, “One Walk, One Fight – Walk Away Cancer.”

Ahmed said early detection remained crucial to combating cancer, stressing the need for collective efforts to support patients and survivors.

The minister said, “No one fights cancer alone. This is why we must encourage early screening because this killer disease does not care about your age or influence in society.

“To all cancer patients and survivors, we see your fight and honour your courage, and we shall continue to stand with you in solidarity.”

Also speaking, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Mahmoud, said early detection could significantly improve the fight against cancer, urging Nigerians, particularly girls and women, to take advantage of available screening services.

She said, “We really appreciate and commend this sensitisation initiative for the Nigerian people. With this kind of massive turnout, the high prevalence of cancer of the cervix will go down.”

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, disclosed that the Federal Government had spent over N1tn on cancer control within the past year.

He said N350bn had been invested in establishing cancer centres across the country, while over N300bn had gone into the procurement of cancer detection equipment, alongside additional allocations to the health sector.

Bagudu said additional revenue had also been made available to state and local governments to support cancer prevention, early detection and treatment.

He, however, called for accountability in the utilisation of the funds, urging Nigerians to demand that state and local governments deploy the resources for their intended purposes.

He said, “I want to commend the Union for International Cancer Control under the leadership of its president, Dr Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu, for its relentless and longstanding cancer awareness and sensitisation campaigns.

“Cancer control is one of the priority areas of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the health sector.”

The minister added that citizens must hold subnational governments accountable for the effective use of funds allocated to cancer control.

In her remarks, the President of the Union for International Cancer Control, Dr Zainab Bagudu, said the organisation, alongside other stakeholders, had sustained the fight against cancer in Nigeria for over 12 years.

She called for increased budgetary allocations to cancer prevention and treatment, noting that more financial commitment was needed to strengthen the country’s response to the disease.

“We want to see a lot more financial appropriation for the fight against cancer. A lot has been done this year, and we want to thank President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative for investing heavily in the health sector for national development,” she said.

Also speaking, the President of the Cancer Society of Nigeria, Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, called on the Federal Government, civil society organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to support cancer patients and survivors.

He commended Bagudu for her advocacy and financial contributions towards supporting patients, noting that the cost of cancer treatment remained a major challenge.

Omonisi said, “I want to thank the president of the UICC, Dr Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu, as a leading cancer control advocate in the country. She is not just an advocate but also contributes financially to cancer patients’ support and survival because the treatment is very expensive.”

A cancer survivor, Mr Farooq Oreagba, who said he had lived with a cancer diagnosis for over 12 years, attributed his survival to early screening and detection.

He urged Nigerians not to regard cancer as a death sentence, emphasising the importance of regular medical checks.

“To everyone here, being diagnosed with cancer is not a death sentence. All I need from everyone here is regular screening, as early detection saves lives. Mine was detected even when I was not ill. I have a few more years to go, and I am still not ready to quit,” he said.