First Lady Remi Tinubu Donates N1 Billion to Fight Cervical Cancer in Nigeria
April 8, 2025, 4:42 AM PDT — Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has injected a major boost into the nation’s battle against cervical cancer, donating N1 billion (approximately $700,000 USD) to the National Cancer Fund through her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI). The announcement came Monday, April 7, during a meeting with the National Taskforce on Cervical Cancer Elimination at the State House in Abuja, aligning with World Health Day 2025 celebrations themed “Healthy Beginnings: Hopeful Future.”
Tinubu, addressing the delegation led by Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Dr. Iziaq Salako, emphasized early intervention as key to defeating the disease, which claims over 7,900 Nigerian women annually, per WHO estimates. “No one chooses an ailment for themselves—there’s no need to be ashamed to seek help,” she said, endorsing the taskforce’s strategy of testing, screening, vaccinating, and treating. “A healthy nation is a wealthy nation. If the majority of your population is sick, you are the poorest, no matter your wealth.” The N1 billion pledge aims to turbocharge these efforts, particularly the HPV vaccination drive targeting 8 million girls yearly—an “8 by 8” goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030.
The donation builds on Tinubu’s health advocacy, which she claims constitutes 70% of her work. Salako praised her “uncommon political will,” noting that her support has already helped immunize 12 million girls aged 9-13 in the HPV program’s first nine months since its 2023 rollout. “With this N1 billion, we can reach another 6 million this year,” he said, projecting coverage across 12 states in 2025 and 12 more in 2026. Taskforce Chairman Isaac Adewole hailed her leadership as pivotal, while WHO Country Representative Dr. Walter Mulombo urged her to champion the campaign nationally, stressing, “Every child and woman has a right to live.”
The timing resonates amid global economic strain from Trump’s tariffs—a $5 trillion S&P 500 hit—but Tinubu’s move underscores domestic priorities. Her RHI, funded partly by donors, has made similar N1 billion pledges, like last year’s tuberculosis fight, showing a pattern of leveraging her platform for public health. Posts on X lauded the gesture, with one user calling it “a bold step toward women’s health,” though skeptics questioned its source, referencing her 2023 campaign claim of limited personal funds—a tension left unaddressed in official statements.
For Nigeria, where cervical cancer ranks as the second-deadliest cancer for women after breast cancer, this infusion could accelerate screening and treatment access, critical in a nation with patchy healthcare infrastructure. As the taskforce received WHO souvenirs marking the day, Tinubu’s donation signals hope—though its impact hinges on execution in a country still wrestling with systemic challenges.
