Kebbi government’s wife guns for presidency of global cancer body

Chief Executive Officer of Medicaid Cancer Foundation and wife of Kebbi State governor, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, have been nominated for the presidency of Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

The election holds virtually today at the UICC General Assembly and if elected, she will be the first African to assume the office. UICC is an international non-governmental organisation affiliated with the World Health Organisation (WHO), with members in 172 countries and is dedicated to taking the lead in capacity-building and advocacies that unite and support the cancer community.

The other nominees are Ulrika Kagstrom of Sweden and Daiming Fan of China. Members are to vote for who would lead the body in the next two years.

Shinkafi-Bagudu is a Paediatric Consultant and a leading voice in the fight against cancer, a child rights advocate and two-time member of the board of directors of UICC.

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

In those four years, the Kebbi State First Lady built on her work in cancer advocacy to make UICC widely known in Nigeria and many other African nations. She also mobilised to mainstream cancer care and enlightenment.

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

Shinkafi-Bagudu said as president of the UICC, she would focus on accessibility, affordability and availability of the tools needed for cancer treatment.

“Cancer patients in high-income countries (HICs) are exploring the benefits of 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. Patients in many LMICs are already bearing the brunt of cancer-related mortality often with little access to management, pain medication and palliative care,” she said.