Nigerian First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, has cautioned Nigerians, particularly women, against taking risks but instead reporting medical conditions, stating that it is not shameful to prioritize health concerns.
She made the announcement while receiving a delegation from the National Taskforce on Cervical Cancer Elimination, led by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako. The visit was part of the commemoration of the 2025 World Health Day, whose theme was “Healthy Beginnings; Hopeful Future.”.
In a release by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, Senator Tinubu guaranteed that she was very much in line with the taskforce’s “test, screen, vaccinate, and treat” strategy, which she described as timely and effective. She emphasized the critical intersection between public health and national wealth.
“A healthy nation is a wealthy nation. No matter what a nation possesses, if the largest portion of its population is sick, the nation remains poor,” she insisted.
In a grand act, the First Lady, in the name of the Renewed Hope Initiative, launched a N1 billion contribution to the National Cancer Fund to pool efforts towards the fight against cervical cancer in Nigeria.
Dr Salako has hailed the First Lady’s leadership in the introduction of the HPV vaccine into national routine immunisation program and said that more than 12 million girls between the ages of 9 to 13 years were vaccinated within the first nine months of its introduction. He further said that the Ministry of Health aims to give a further six million girls in 2025.
Former Minister of Health and Chairman, Taskforce, Prof. Isaac Adewole praised Senator Tinubu for her leadership and encouraged her to keep adding her voice to the campaign. He reiterated the taskforce’s resolve to meet the “eight-by-eight” target of vaccinating 8 million girls annually in a bid to eradicate cervical cancer by 2030.
Dr Walter Mulombo, WHO Country Representative, also asked the First Lady to lead the campaign, stressing that all women and children must have the right to live without preventable disease.
Senator Tinubu was also given WHO souvenirs in appreciation of her efforts and contribution to women’s health in Nigeria.
