The President of the Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS), Abidemi Omonisi, has urged the federal government to fully integrate cancer prevention and care into Nigeria’s primary healthcare system, warning that current services remain overly concentrated in urban centres. In a statement released for World Cancer Day 2026, Omonisi stressed the critical need to extend oncology services to rural communities and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps nationwide.
Omonisi highlighted persistent gaps in cancer control, including late-stage diagnoses, financial hardship for families, shortages in oncology services, diagnostic capacity, and trained health workers. “Despite important strides, we still have far too many people presenting late,” he said, adding that integrating cancer care into primary health facilities is essential for equitable access.
To address these disparities, the NCS is implementing free cancer screening projects targeting rural populations, low-income Nigerians, and IDPs. The society is also mobilising resources to deploy mobile screening and treatment vans across all six geopolitical zones. Omonisi underscored that no single entity can tackle Nigeria’s cancer burden alone, calling for coordinated leadership from government, health professionals, researchers, civil society, and the private sector. He emphasised that government must lead through policy, financing, and accountability, while communities need empowerment with knowledge and access.
The NCS president reaffirmed the society’s focus on equitable prevention, early detection, public education, research, and capacity building, noting that patient rights and welfare remain central. He described investing in cancer control as “a commitment to life, productivity and national development,” and urged young people to adopt healthy lifestyles, utilise screening, and recognise that cancer is not limited to older adults.
Omonisi cited progress including expanded cancer registries, the establishment of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, an updated National Cancer Control Plan, the creation of the National Cancer Health Fund, and the upgrading of some federal hospitals as oncology centres of excellence. However, he insisted that translating awareness into action, equity, and tangible impact is paramount.
“As we mark the 2026 World Cancer Day, let us build a Nigeria where a cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence and where access to quality care does not depend on where you live or how much you earn,” he concluded.
