Ministers urge Nigerians to embrace early cancer screening

The Ministers of State for Education and the Federal Capital Territory, Suwaiba Ahmed and Maria Mahmoud, have urged Nigerians to embrace regular cancer screening and early detection. They emphasized that cancer does not discriminate based on age or social status. At the Abuja cancer awareness walk, Ahmed stated that early detection is crucial in combating cancer, stressing the need for collective efforts to support patients and survivors.

Mahmoud also highlighted the importance of early detection in improving the fight against cancer, especially for women and girls. The Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning disclosed that the federal government spent over N1tn on cancer control in the past year, with investments in cancer centres and detection equipment. However, they called for accountability in the use of these funds.

The President of the Union for International Cancer Control emphasized the need for increased budgetary allocations to cancer prevention and treatment. A cancer survivor urged Nigerians to regard cancer as a surmountable challenge rather than a death sentence, stressing the importance of regular screening for early detection.