Kebbi first lady nominated for president of UICC

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

The wife of the Kebbi State governor, Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, has been nominated for the presidency of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

Other nominees for the position are Ulrika Kagstrom of Sweden and Daiming Fan of China.

UICC is an international non-governmental organisation affiliated with the World Health Organisation (WHO) with members in 172 countries, and it’s dedicated to taking the lead in capacity-building and advocacy initiatives that unite and support the cancer community.

Expectedly, member organisations of the union will on October 11, 2022, vote for their desired candidate who will lead the body for two years.

In 2018, Bagudu was elected to a two-year term as a Director of the UICC. In 2020, she was re-elected as a Director for another term of two years.

In four years she served as a Director, the Kebbi State first lady built on her work in cancer advocacy to make UICC widely known in Nigeria and many other African countries. She also mobilised to mainstream cancer care and advocacy.

She chairs the First Ladies Against Cancer Initiative and has lobbied National and State lawmakers for better policies and funding to support cancer care.

She promised to use her position to promote accessibility, affordability, and availability of the tools needed for cancer treatment if she’s voted as UICC President.

She said: “Cancer patients in High-Income Countries (HICs) are exploring the benefits of cancer innovations like genomic science, cutting-edge clinical trials, and the increasing use of artificial intelligence.

“I want this for all countries along with the research skills to adapt their use to support patients’ needs locally. Cancer Patients in many low and medium-income countries are already bearing the brunt of cancer-related mortality often with little access to cancer management, pain medication and palliative care.”