Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu: The First Lady of Nigeria donates $700k to elimiate cervical cancer on World Health Day
Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, Chief Executive Officer at Medicaid Cancer Foundation, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Today, on World Health Day, Nigeria took a monumental leap forward in the fight against cervical cancer!
The First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu demonstrated extraordinary leadership by donating ₦1 billion (approx. $700,000) to the National Taskforce on Cervical Cancer Elimination which is chaired by Prof. Isaac Adewole with my humble self as co-chair. Alongside the Dr. Iziaq Kunle Salako Minister of State for Health, we went to advocate for the continued support of Her Excellency, and her response was beyond our expectations.
In a deeply moving moment, the First Lady shared the story someone close to her who battled cervical cancer—with a story that highlighted the harsh realities of late detection, stigma, lack of awareness, poor access to care, and ultimately, death from a preventable disease. Her words reminded us that cancer knows no geographical boundaries and does not respect social status.
We are immensely grateful to the leadership shown by the mother of the nation. Not only did she reaffirm her advocacy, having previously flagged off the HPV vaccine rollout, but she also made this historic donation to support the 8by8 initiative—a strategic plan to eliminate cervical cancer in Nigeria. Nigeria has already set a laudable standard for the Global South by successfully vaccinating 13 million girls in just over a year. Given the current economic instability in global health, we must turn to local resource mobilization, using strong political will and leadership, to combat female cancers head-on.
A special thanks to Walter Kazadi Mulombo, World Health Organization Country Representative Nigeria, for his relentless efforts in Nigeria’s health sector. In line with Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) objectives, together, with partners and other stakeholders, we are turning hope into action.
Today, we celebrate a major victory in our journey to ensure that no woman should die from a preventable disease.”
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