Nigeria: Group Demands Buhari Call 'Council on Cancer'

The Princess Nikky Breast Cancer Foundation has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to call a presidential council on cancer to address an emergency in growing incidence of cancers among Nigerians and its expensive impacts.

A presidential council is an emergency policy making body and could approval fresh policies to guide a nationwide cancer programme.

Speaking at a networking cocktail in Abuja,
founder of the Princess Nikky Breast Cancer Foundation, Nikky Onyeri, said, "Cancer is highly capital intensive. There is dearth of medical personnel. We do not in a country of 170 million have a working cancer centre to treat patients. We don't have centre for diagnosis."

She added, "The government of Nigeria has to step up and do something because many people are dying."

The foundation itself plans to establish a diagnostic centre as early as next year to screen for breast, cervical and prostate cancer.

The foundation is considered a forerunner in opening the country to cancer awareness before other health groups took up cancer fight. Since then at least three new first ladies have opened cancer programmes for testing and civil society groups offer time limited testing for cancers.

Said Onyeri: "We are very excited and glad. The more cancer foundations we have the better for this country. Princess Nikky cannot be everywhere. But these are pockets of screening, and they screen most of them during the month (October for cancer awareness). We are talking on a daily basis that this foundation will be running a diagnostic screening centre."

Regular international meetings with ambassadors and speakers of parliaments that have included Egypt, Finland and Jamaica saw Kenya purchase billions of dollars worth of diagnostic equipment early this year for cancer screening, said Onyeri, adding, "We are also hoping that will happen in Nigeria."

Kwara State government has also set up diagnostic centres capable of screening for breast cancer in women.

"The number of women getting afflicted with breast is on the increase, therefore there is need for action against cancer afflicting our women," said Abdul Rafiu Ayinla, permanent secretary of Kwara State Ministry of Health, who represented the state governor.

"If the home is not settled, there cannot be progress. Fighting breast cancer is desirable for government, whether at federal, state or local government," she said.