Akanimo Cancer Foundation, a non governmental organisation has held a public enlightenment advocacy campaign in Abuja to commemorate International Childhood Cancer Day 2025 (ICCD 2025).
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National Coordinator, National Cancer Control Programme, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Uchechukwu Nwokwu, speaking at the event said 7.2 per cent out of 127,000 cancer cases recorded annually in Nigeria are children.
“Data is being collated; however, the current one we have shows that we have 127,000 cancers annually in Nigeria, out of which, 7.2 per cent are children,”
He said that the survival rates for childhood cancer was 80 per cent if patients were diagnosed early, access treatment and their body systems have the capacity to respond to the medication.
“The cancers that are common among children are the leukaemias…Coincidentally, children have more tendency to survive than the adults because their systems are still very functional.”
“They have the capacity to resist some of the side effects of the drugs used to treat them and they recover quite fast. Also, if they have opportunity to do stem cell transplant, they can survive it,” he said.
Addressing the issue of government response to childhood cancer, Nwokwu said that efforts were in place to include it in the Cancer Health Fund.
“… before now, there was this omission of attention toward childhood cancers.”But that has changed, and I am sure that in 2025, childhood cancer would be captured in the cancer health fund. So, going forward children can now access their care from that fund,” he added.
Dr Idorenyin Usoh, Abuja Coordinator, Akanimo Cancer Foundation, stressed the need for more advocacies policy inclusion and response from the government and other stakeholders towards childhood cancer.
“We want more awareness on childhood cancer because the truth is, childhood cancer is a silent crisis with so many children dying from it.
“Most medical practitioners, even parents do not think that children can have cancer so, they treat them for other things and before they realise that it is cancer, ot becomes too late.
“What we then start doing is diagnose early, start treatment early as most childhood cancers are curable if diagnosed early,” she said.
Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation, Mrs Idara Ekanem, whose son, Akanimo, passed away from cancer, restated the Foundation’s commitment to assisting children with cancer, especially indigent patients.
She added that the foundation was also supporting research for better treatments, therapies and cures, as well as creating more public enlightenment on childhood cancer nationwide.
“Right now, we have about 10 children in five Nigerian hospitals that we are taking care of under the patient treatment programme of Akanimo Childhood Cancer Foundation,” she said.
On burden of cost of treatment, the Founder decried the high cost of that cancer treatment.
“Most of the children that we take on are absolutely indigent Nigerian children. Sometimes they can not afford treatment to clinic, cannot afford food or investigations to even confirm the cancer.
“So we pay for everything, depending on what the child needs, from chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy and other medications that the child needs to just be able to make it through,” she said.
Meanwhile, some FCT residents commended the initiative of the foundation in creating awareness on childhood cancer, which has not been given more prominence like other forms of cancer.
Dozie Chukwu, a resident of Kado, appealed to the government and other stakeholders to implement policies that would enable children, especially indigent ones suffering from cancer, to have better treatment and survival opportunities.
He said that amongst other factors, the high cost of cancer treatment affects access to treatment and drives many to seek alternative means which decreases chances of survival .
ICCD is commemorated globally every Feb. 15 to raise more awareness on childhood cancer and to galvanise support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families.
The Akanimo Cancer Foundation public Enlightenment awareness Campaign was held simultaneously in Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Uyo, Kano and Port Hacourt to raise awareness and support for Childhood Cancer.
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