The Kebbi State First Lady and founder of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, MCF, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu has been re-elected into the board of the Union for International Cancer Control, UICC.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the UICC is a membership-based non-governmental organization that exists to help the global health community accelerate the fight against cancer.
Mrs Bagudu was re-elected for the second two-year tenure on Tuesday during the organisation’s online General Assembly meeting.
The Kebbi First Lady is the only African and Nigerian to be elected into the UICC Board of Directors.
During her first tenure, she worked with relevant advocates in Nigeria to promote the insertion of cancer care services on the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, and a national budget line to fund cancer treatment.
Speaking on her re-election, Mrs Bagudu said securing a second term at the UICC was an accomplishment of her desire to use all chances available in sub-Saharan Africa to facilitate the reduction of the cancer burden in the region.
She added that she would continue to work with formidable teams from the African government and other global partners in closing the gap in global funding for cancer control in all low-income countries.
While congratulating her, the Kebbi State Government through the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Babale Umar-Yauri, extolled the First Lady on her well-deserved re-election, saying that the MCF founder had achieved significant and historic strides in her first tenure.
He said Mrs Bagudu, in her first tenure, had championed the cause of cancer control in Nigeria and other African countries.
According to him, her re-election into the board is expected to give traction, harness global opportunities, and build local capacities to combat cancer with her commitment to reducing premature deaths from Non-communicable diseases, NCD, by 25 per cent by the year 2025.
Mr Umar-Yauri said that the state government was confident that with her coming into the board for the second time, she would continue with the excellent work she has been doing.
