FG Launches Nationwide Free Cancer Screening To Tackle Nigeria’s Growing Mortality Crisis
In a country where late diagnosis continues to claim thousands of lives, early detection is now being placed at the heart of Nigeria’s cancer response.
The Federal Government has launched a nationwide free cancer screening programme to curb the rising burden of the disease and reduce preventable deaths.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, flagged off the initiative at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State, warning that Nigeria currently bears the highest cancer burden in Africa in terms of incidence and mortality.
He revealed that cancer-related deaths in the country now exceed fatalities from tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS combined, largely due to late diagnosis and delayed treatment.
The free screening exercise will cover 6,000 asymptomatic Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones throughout February, focusing on breast, cervical and prostate cancers, the three most common cancers in the country.
Dr Salako noted that Nigeria’s breast cancer mortality rate is far above the global average, while cervical cancer, responsible for about 21 per cent of cancer deaths globally and locally, is largely preventable and curable.
Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer among men in Africa, with childhood cancer survival rates still significantly lower in low- and middle-income countries.
He said the programme aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s prevention-focused health strategy, with ongoing efforts to tackle cancer risk factors such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption and environmental pollution.
The minister also disclosed that by late 2025, nearly 15 million girls aged nine to 14 had received the HPV vaccine nationwide to prevent future cervical cancer cases, alongside sustained hepatitis B vaccination to curb liver cancer.
Dr Salako further revealed plans to establish a national cancer screening programme, with pilot preventive oncology clinics already operational in six centres, and basic screening services set to be integrated into primary healthcare facilities before May 2027.
He assured participants of quality care, noting that FMC Abeokuta is being supported by specialists from the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Commending the Ogun State Government and the management of FMC Abeokuta for their support and leadership, the minister urged Nigerians to take advantage of the free screening and adopt healthier lifestyles, stressing that early detection remains key to reducing cancer-related deaths nationwide.
The press release was issued by Ado Bako, Assistant Director, for the Director of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
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