The Kwara State government on Tuesday commenced screening for breast, prostate, and liver cancers for residents.

The Cancer Awareness and Screening programme is part of the activities organised to commemorate the 2025 Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The free breast, liver, and prostate cancer screenings would be conducted at designated health facilities, including the Kwara University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH), General Hospital Offa, and Primary Health Centre, Bode Saadu.

Speaking at the event in Ilorin, Olufolake AbdulRazaq, wife of the state governor, expressed concerns over the rising cancer cases in Nigeria.

Quoting the National Cancer Institute (NCI) statistics for 2022, she said, “About 20 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2022, and 9.7 million people died from cancer in the same year.

“These statistics, no doubt, call for decisive actions to reduce mortality from these preventable diseases.”

Mrs Abdulrazaq reiterated the state government’s commitment to saving lives through sensitisation, early detection, and timely intervention.

The governor’s wife added that the screening programme targets residents of the state and aims to reduce the burden and save lives.

Earlier, Amina El-Imam, the Commissioner for Health in the state, pointed out that cancer is a global health challenge that does not discriminate.

“It impacts individuals across all age groups and communities, and we are not immune to its effects in Kwara,” she said.

She, however, said that most cancer cases were preventable, adding that the majority were treatable if detected early.

The commissioner underscored the importance of awareness and screening, insisting that early detection saves lives.

She commended the state government for approving the construction of a multibillion-naira Abdul Samad Rabiu Cancer Treatment Centre in the state.

Ms El-Imam maintained that the initiative would strengthen cancer management in the state.

She, however, appealed to residents of the state to take advantage of the opportunity and encourage their loved ones to avail themselves of the screening.

In a brief remark, Seun Ogunniyi, the chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Health and Nutrition, said the government was making concerted efforts towards tackling the scourge of cancer.

(NAN)