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Source: Agency Report
Radiotherapy machine Used to illustrate the story
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, has disclosed that the country records approximately 127,000 new cancer cases each year, leading to an estimated 80,000 deaths annually. He described cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as one of the fastest-growing threats to public health in the country.
Mr Pate made the revelation on Thursday during the commissioning of a new Oncology Centre at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Katsina.
“Nigeria accounts for 127,000 cancer cases annually, with about 80,000 deaths. That is the burden,” the minister said.
He emphasized that non-communicable diseases like cancer not only cause intense suffering but also exert significant financial pressure on households, driving many families into poverty.
The minister reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to improving cancer care under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. As part of these efforts, he announced that comprehensive cancer centres will be established in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to enhance early diagnosis and treatment access.
“If cancers are detected late, even when treatment is available, it may be too late to benefit from it,” Mr Pate warned.
He added that the 2026 federal budget would include dedicated funding for cancer treatment across federal teaching hospitals, helping to minimize catastrophic health expenditures among Nigerian families.
Mr Pate expressed concern about the ongoing challenge of brain drain among highly trained health specialists. He revealed that the Katsina oncology centre currently has a nuclear medicine physician trained in South Africa, but warned that such talent could be lost to the global health market if Nigeria fails to provide proper working infrastructure.
“Like Oliver Twist, the management of FTH Katsina is pleading for the minister’s intervention to complete the nuclear medicine aspect of this centre,” he added.
In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of FTH Katsina, Dr. Suleiman Bello-Muhammed, said the newly constructed oncology centre was equipped to international standards. He highlighted key features such as:
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