By Chizoba Ogbeche
As part of activities to mark this year’s World Cancer Day, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), FCT chapter, in collaboration with a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have held a one-day cancer awareness campaign.
Speaking during the programme, Wife of the Minister of Transport and Founder, Empowerment Support Initiative, Dame Judith Amaechi, said cancer which was previously perceived as an ailment of the West was fast becoming a pandemic in Nigeria and other African countries.
Dame Amaechi, who commended NAWOJ for providing a veritable platform to speak for the voiceless, however, charged the association to strive to involve more individuals and groups in the cancer awareness campaign to mitigate the menace.
Wife of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mrs. Mfawa Usani, and Founder, Links for Help Foundation, harped on the need for Nigerians, especially women, to be properly informed on the prevention, causes and management of different types of cancers.
On her part, the Founder, Helpline Foundation, Dr. Jummai Ahmadu, who stated that cancer had no age barrier and had affected most people in one way or the other, added that “proper information, hygiene and life-style changes can make a difference.”
Similarly, a former NAWOJ President and Founder, Initiative for Women’s Advancement and Development in Africa (INWOAD), Comrade Evelyn Onyilo, said the new/social media, as well as the main media, should be employed as veritable tools in cancer awareness and advocacy.
According to her, for the campaign to succeed there was need to not just employ the social media for the campaigns but to use the appropriate tools, present the message to be acceptable, use the language of the target group as well as being smart and strategic.
Earlier, in her welcome address Chairperson, NAWOJ FCT, Comrade Stella Okoh-Esene, said the awareness campaign was aimed at kicking the menace out of the Nigerian society by arming the most vulnerable group with adequate information on cancer “which is preventable in most cases.”
She said the theme for this year’s celebration, “We Can, I Can,” was a challenge to all, to individually and collectively create awareness about cancer.
