President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu on her election as President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) for the 2024-2026 term. The UICC announced her election on Tuesday, marking her as the first African and the fifth woman to hold this position.
In a statement from his Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu praised Dr. Shinkafi-Bagudu as a distinguished pediatrician with a notable career in public health. He emphasized the historic significance of her election, highlighting it as a testament to her competence and Nigeria’s growing influence in global health leadership.
President Tinubu acknowledged Dr. Shinkafi-Bagudu’s invaluable contributions to Kebbi State and Nigeria, particularly during her tenure as First Lady, where she served as Chairperson of the First Ladies Cancer Initiative and played a key role in developing the Kebbi State Strategic Plan for Cancer Control. She is also the founder of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation.
Currently serving as a Senior Advisor to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Shinkafi-Bagudu is Vice Chair of Nigeria’s National Taskforce on Cervical Cancer Elimination. Under her leadership, Nigeria has successfully vaccinated 12 million girls against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a leading cause of cervical cancer.
The Tinubu administration has allocated ₦37.4 billion to the Federal Ministry of Health’s Oncology Initiative, which aims to establish six cancer centers across the country in teaching hospitals located in Benin, Zaria, Katsina, Enugu, Jos, and Lagos within two years.
President Tinubu expressed confidence in Dr. Shinkafi-Bagudu’s ability to leverage her new role to enhance cancer control efforts and improve global health. The Geneva-based UICC, founded in 1933, comprises over 1,100 member organizations across more than 170 countries and territories.
