Today, we stand to celebrate the power of advocacy – Gloria Chinyere Okwu
The Launch of NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH AND TREATMENT. NAF Conference Center, Abuja .
In 2016, largely through the advocacy of Project PINK BLUE and other cancer NGOs, we mobilized and lead an advocacy to Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa urging the National Assembly to pass the bill for National Institute for Cancer Research, Treatment, and other connected purposes. The bill was passed and we started advocacy for the President to sign it.
In 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the bill into law. We demanded that the president should Gazette the Act. We wrote the SGF, released press statements, held press conferences, and use our awareness walks to call on the President to match his words to action. This year, the President appointed a pioneer director general; Prof Malami Aliyu and established the institute.
Today, we stand to celebrate the power of advocacy.
We hope that this institute, will listen to patient voices, promote research, clinical trials, Support cancer prevention and promote early diagnosis. It’s also our prayer that all cancer efforts in the country will be unified under it’s umbrella to achieve the common objective of reducing cancer mortalities in the country.