Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has donated N1bn to the National Cancer Fund to combat cervical cancer across the country.
The announcement came during a meeting with the national task force on cervical cancer elimination at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday.
During the meeting, which coincided with World Health Day 2025, Mrs Tinubu harped on early medical intervention and encouraged women to speak openly about health challenges.
“I am in support of what you are doing. We are on track, especially with the approach you have adopted: testing, screening, vaccinating and treating,” the first lady told the task force.
The donation was made through the Renewed Hope Initiative, a programme championed by the first lady.
Mrs Tinubu stressed that public health is fundamental to national prosperity, noting: “The theme for World Health Day this year, Healthy Beginnings; Hopeful Future, I believe, is so apt for what we are doing here today. I believe you said most of my work is 70% in health. A healthy nation is a wealthy nation. No matter what wealth you have as a nation, if your population or the majority of your population is sick, you are just the poorest as far as I am concerned.”
Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, who led the delegation, praised the first lady’s support for introducing the HPV vaccine into Nigeria’s routine immunisation programme.
He reported that the initiative had already enabled the vaccination of 12 million girls aged 9-13 in its first nine months, with plans to immunise an additional 6 million girls this year.
Professor Issac Adewole, Chairman of the taskforce and former Minister of Health, commended Senator Tinubu for demonstrating “uncommon political will” in supporting cervical cancer elimination efforts.
He outlined an ambitious “8 by 8 target” of vaccinating 8 million girls annually, which could lead to the elimination of cervical cancer in Nigeria by 2030.
The World Health Organisation’s Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, appealed to the first lady to lead the campaign, stressing that “every child and woman has a right to live.”
Remi Tinubu Donates N1bn To Fight Cervical Cancer In Nigeria is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
Source: The Whistler
