ABUJA, July 25, 2025 – Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has disclosed that an estimated 80,000 Nigerians die annually from various forms of cancer, highlighting the urgent need for improved prevention, early detection, and treatment infrastructure across the country.
The minister made the revelation on Wednesday during a national stakeholders’ forum on cancer control held in Abuja, where he emphasized the government’s renewed commitment to tackling the growing burden of cancer-related deaths in Nigeria.
According to Prof. Pate, the country records over 120,000 new cancer cases each year, with breast, cervical, prostate, and liver cancers among the most common. He stressed that many of the fatalities could be prevented with earlier diagnosis, better access to care, and more awareness at the grassroots level.
He noted that the Federal Government, through the National Cancer Control Plan, has scaled up efforts to improve access to oncology services and has initiated the equipping of tertiary hospitals with modern radiotherapy machines and chemotherapy facilities.
“The statistics are grim, but they are also a call to action,” Pate stated. “Our goal is to build a robust cancer care network that spans prevention, early detection, timely treatment, and palliative support.”
He further called on private sector partners, civil society, and international development agencies to support the national response, particularly in areas of awareness creation, capacity building for health professionals, and decentralization of treatment centres.
The forum also discussed the need for stronger data collection systems and national screening programs to reduce the late presentation of cases, which currently accounts for a significant percentage of cancer-related deaths in Nigeria.