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Federal Government flags off free cancer screening across six geopolitical zones
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Programme targets breast, cervical and prostate cancers among asymptomatic Nigerians
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FG plans cancer centres, routine screening in PHCs before 2027
The Federal Government has launched a nationwide free cancer screening programme aimed at reaching 6,000 asymptomatic Nigerians across the country, as part of renewed efforts to reduce cancer-related deaths.
The initiative was officially flagged off on Saturday at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State, by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako.
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Salako said the exercise would focus on early detection of breast, cervical and prostate cancers, which he identified as the three most prevalent cancers in Nigeria.
According to the minister, 1,000 people will be screened in each of the six geopolitical zones, with Ogun State serving as the South-West coordination centre for the programme.
“For this exercise, we are screening 1,000 people in Ogun State and 6,000 Nigerians nationwide. It is strictly for people without symptoms, not those previously diagnosed,” Salako said.
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He added that individuals who test positive during the screening would also receive free treatment.
Salako described cancer as the leading cause of death among non-communicable diseases in Nigeria, noting that it claims more lives than tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS combined, largely due to late diagnosis and delayed medical intervention.
He explained that breast cancer accounts for the highest number of cancer-related deaths among Nigerian women, while cervical cancer, despite being preventable and curable, continues to claim lives due to poor screening coverage.
The minister noted that prostate cancer remains the most common cancer among men, while childhood cancers record survival rates of about 20 per cent in low- and middle-income countries, compared to nearly 80 per cent in high-income nations.
Salako said the screening programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places emphasis on disease prevention as a cost-effective public health strategy.
He disclosed that by late 2025, nearly 15 million girls aged between nine and 14 had received the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine nationwide to prevent cervical cancer, while efforts were ongoing to scale up hepatitis B vaccination to curb liver cancer.
The minister also revealed that the Federal Government had begun piloting preventive oncology clinics in six centres across the country, with plans to integrate routine cancer screening into primary healthcare centres before May 2027.
“Our goal is to institutionalise a national cancer screening programme that routinely offers these services to Nigerians,” he said.
Salako further announced plans to establish a cancer centre of excellence at FMC Abeokuta, assuring that the facility would be completed before the end of President Tinubu’s first term.
He urged Nigerians to adopt healthier lifestyles by avoiding tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary habits and unsafe sexual practices, stressing that many cancers are preventable through lifestyle changes and early detection.
Dismissing claims that cancer has spiritual origins, the minister said scientific evidence had clearly established the medical causes of many cancers.
“For example, cervical cancer is linked to a virus, smoking increases the risk of lung cancer, and hepatitis infections are associated with liver cancer. These are proven medical facts,” he said.
The nationwide free cancer screening exercise will run throughout February in commemoration of World Cancer Day, observed annually on February 4.
