Federal government is seeking recognition from the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the United Nations, UN, for a ‘Go Pink Day’ to raise breast cancer awareness.

National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Programme, Dr Uchechukwu Nwokwu made this announcement at the “National Go Pink Day 2024” event yesterday in Abuja.

The Go Pink Day campaign, organised by the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, aims to promote early detection of breast cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths in Nigeria.

During the road walk, Nwokwu said the entire month of October was dedicated to cancer awareness, with the goal of improving diagnosis and prompt treatment.

According to him, the essence is for people to see pink, and when they do, it will trigger their mind on the need to screen for cancer.

“We started this project in 2015, and this is the ninth edition.

“We hope to make it bigger and the essence is to use this to encourage WHO and UN to dedicate a `Go Pink Day’, with the aim to sensitise the world to it.

“We are hoping that the UN will designate a particular date in the month on October as a Go Pink Day,’’ he said.

According to him, breast cancer has continued to be the most common cancer in Nigeria, and the incidence has continued to rise.

He added that for 2024, Global Cancer Observatory, GLOBACON, recently released the figures for Nigeria, and over 127,000 cancer incidents have been diagnosed.

“Over 40 percent of the 127,000 cancer diagnosis in Nigeria is breast cancer, so breast cancer is dominating practically maxed other cancers,’’ he said.

Consultant Pathologist at FMC, Dr Izu Achusi, emphasised the importance of early detection, stating that “the earlier you diagnose cancer, the easier it is to cure.”

“The earlier you diagnose cancer, the easier it is to cure and early detected cancers are curable.

“Smoking is the modifiable risk factor for breast cancer. Young girls that smoke shisha, have a tendency to develop cancers.

“The kind of drugs that we take, estrogen and progesterone pills, women who use some of those drugs for pregnancy prevention, also have a tendency to develop cancer,” he said.

He also highlighted lifestyle modifications, healthy diets and regular exercise as crucial in reducing cancer risks.

Head of Department, Oncology, Dr Tessy Ahmadu, stressed the need for women to learn self-breast examination, which is “the cheapest and commonest way to check for lumps.”

She also encouraged men to support their wives in detecting breast lumps, as early detection can prevent the need for mastectomy.

“If they are used to the consistency of their wives’ breasts, when there is something not right, they will find out and they can also lend their voices.”(NAN)

United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, High Level Women Advocates, HILWA, and Niger State Universal Basic Education Board, NSUBEB, have pledged to promote girl-child education for family and societal impact.

They made the pledge during a programme organised by the groups to commemorate the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child in Minna yesterday.

The Chairman of NSUBEB, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim noted that educating a girl-child amounts to laying the foundation for a brighter future, improved family dynamics and better society.

He said UNICEF’s records indicate that the state has about half a million out-of-school children, adding that this calls for urgency in addressing the menace.

UNICEF’s Focal Person in NSUBEB, Hajiya Aishatu Yusuf, commended the collaboration between SUBEB, UNICEF, AGILE and HILWA in promoting girls education.

She urged them to use their resources to boost girl-child education through innovative enrollment, retention, transition and completion strategies, ensuring that the girls return to school.

Chairman of HILWA in Niger, Hajiya Hassan Adamu said the theme of the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child shows the significance of girls in the society.

She said the initiative is aimed at promoting girls’ empowerment and education, as well as ensuring that their voices are heard and their potentials fulfilled.

“HILWA inspires girls to reach their full potentials through dedication and handiwork, and equips them with essential skills for personal growth.

“Therefore, we mentor them to make informed decisions, take responsibility and strive for excellence,” Adamu said.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the United Nations General Assembly had set aside October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges they face around the world. (NAN)

By Paul Effiong, Abuja

House of Representatives has expressed worry over the lack of enforcement and political will to implement the Disability Act.

Majority Leader of the House, Julius Ihonvbere made the assertion yesterday in his welcome remarks during the opening ceremony of a public hearing on the compliance of MDAs to the Discrimination Against Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Act 2018 at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.

The majority leader disclosed that the probe was sequel to the resolution of the House earlier this year.
According to the lawmaker, the discrimination and stigmatisation faced by Persons With Disabilities in

Nigeria has continued unabated, yet the compliance level of MDAs to the Disability Act has overtime left the challenges unattended tom

He lamented that Nigeria has all that is required to implement the Act, even as he blamed lack of enforcement on lack of political will by government at all levels.

“The World Health Organisation, WHO, reports that Nigeria accounts for about 20 million out of the total 195 million persons with disabilities around the world, which implies that we account for about 3.9 percent of the figure. This is a major challenge to the government and people of Nigeria. | believe that this engagement is necessary and long overdue. We must act now in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past,” he stated.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman, House Committee on Disability Matters, Bashiru Dauda explained that the flag-off was intended to get inputs from the disability community, as well as assess compliance with the Act.

Dauda stated that issues of special importance to them include accessibility to public buildings and the use of sign language interpreters in the media and all public communications among other topical matters.

According to him, Section 1 (i) of the Act provides that “a person with disability shall not be discriminated against on the grounds of his disability by any person or institution in any manner or circumstance.”

In his reaction, the National President, Jont National Association of People With Disabilities, JONAPWD, Abdullahi Usman thanked the committee for the public hearing, urging for immediate implementation of the Act across the country.

Also speaking, President of Association of Persons Living With Disabilities, APLWDs, Mr Akorede Adebowale said the House should ensure that persons with disabilities have access to rest rooms and other facilities in public buildings and similar institutions.

In his remarks, the Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Dr Abubakar Audi said all ministries, departments and agencies must ensure that they establish a disability desk in their headquarters and state offices.

The NSCDC boss, who was represented by Commandant Uchechukwu Nwankpa, informed that as an agency, they ensure that every citizen lives with dignity and equal opportunity, adding that a special desk had since been operational in the agency to address the needs of PWDs.