The Wife of Kebbi Governor, Dr Zainab Bagudu has vowed to sustain the fight against the menace of cancer even after leaving office in the next few weeks.
Bagudu, who is also the Chairperson of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation disclosed this in Abuja at an interactive session with Journalists on her stewardship from 2015 to date.
According to her, ”the cancer epidemic will keep on recurring. It will keep on increasing and more needs to be done to tame it.
”There is also an imbalance in the required interventions and adequate funding. Cancer should be seen as an emergency.
”I will sustain my ongoing grassroots mobilisation to create the needed awareness in the above direction.”
Bagudu further said an immediate action was desired by the government and all the stakeholders to stem the tide of the disease, saying, ” a stitch in time, they say, saves nine.”
She promised to work with government, CSOs and all the critical stakeholders to increase funding to the cancer fight, as well as shore up preventive measures.
Bagudu added: ‘It is a very big problem in Nigeria as the country is not doing enough considering the population of the country.
”Strong partnerships are very important in this direction just as grassroots mobilisation is also very crucial.
”Kebbi state has done a lot. We have a cancer control plan and the indigent cancer fund.
”There is also the health insurance scheme especially at the PHC level and we must do more to [provide more actions.”
She also expressed gratitude to her husband and all the stakeholders for the passage of the child and women rights laws in the state.
She listed them as : VAPP law, Child Rights and GBV Acts, saying that the action of the state government led by her husband, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu was commendable.
Bagudu also stressed the need for the people especially the victims and parents of victims of rape to always speak out and report such cases.
”The people should take the right action and get the right evidence. Sensitisation should also be sustained,” she urged.
