Owerri: The Federal Government, on Wednesday, launched the Cervical Cancer Screening Programme in Owerri as part of its deliberate efforts to curb rising cancer cases in the country.
During the event, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, emphasised the Federal Government’s strong commitment to the initiative, thereby underscoring the importance of the occasion.
Salako said the programme reflects President Bola Tinubu’s vision to prioritise Nigerian women’s health.
He said that the establishment of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment in 2023 was a landmark decision to ensure cancer care had a permanent institutional home.
“This shows the Federal Government views cancer, including cervical cancer, as a national health priority,” Salako said.
He also disclosed that FG launched the National Strategic Cervical Cancer Control Plan (2026–2030), a comprehensive framework that sets specific targets and resource requirements for nationwide cancer control.
He explained Imo was chosen as the South-East flagship because of Gov. Hope Uzodimma and his wife’s strong commitment to maternal and child health.
In his address, the Director-General of NICRAT, Prof. Usman Aliyu, disclosed that the Owerri rollout was not merely symbolic but a strategic operation with a clear, immediate goal to screen at least 10,000 women across the state.
Aliyu said the programme aims to advance Nigeria toward the WHO 90-70-90 strategy, a global effort to eliminate cervical cancer through high vaccination, screening, and treatment rates.
“Late presentation is still too common due to gaps in access and awareness.
“This initiative aims to build a sustainable system where early detection is standard,” Aliyu said.
He further explained that the programme, driven by the Partnership for Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria, focuses on four key pillars: strategic leadership, capacity building, health equity, and sustainability.
He praised Prof. Isaac Adewole and the Federal Ministry of Health for policy leadership moving from ambition to action.
In a speech to formally launch the exercise, Gov. Hope Uzodimma underscored the urgent need for increased awareness at the grassroots.
He called on all women in the state to come forward for screening and vaccination. He reassured the public that the vaccine is free and safe.
“Cancer now has a solution,” the governor said. He urged traditional and community leaders to lead awareness efforts in their areas.
He thanked the President for creating an environment conducive to health reforms. He also praised the President’s Wife, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, for funding the initiative through her humanitarian gesture.
“A healthy population makes us stronger,” he said.
The governor pledged full state support for the programme, aiming for total elimination.
The Governor’s Wife, Chioma, called the launch a “new era of hope and action” for South-East women.
She stressed urgency, citing approximately 13,676 new cervical cancer cases in Nigeria in 2023.
She commended the president’s wife for her N1 billion donation to the task force, which, she said, had made the expansion of the services possible.
According to her, the programme is designed to expand access to quality screening, promote early detection and awareness, strengthen referral pathways for diagnosis and treatment, and build local capacity within the health system.
“Cervic“Cervical cancer is one of the main threats to Nigerian women’s health,” she said. Raged women to visit designated screening facilities without hesitation.
Imo is the flagship South-East hub, along with Niger, Bauchi, Rivers, Ogun, and Sokoto States. Further reports that NICRAT, an agency of government, constituted the National Task Force on Cervical Cancer Elimination, primarily to operationalise a national policy document on the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in Nigeria.
The target is to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030, aligning with the WHO agenda.