The House of Representatives on Wednesday, June 22, heard that Nigerians spend about $100m on cancer treatment overseas annually.
This was revealed during a debate on four bills that seek to establish a cancer control centre in Nigeria. The sponsor of one of the bills, Sunday Karimi (PDP, Kogi), said over the years, cancer had become one of the major diseases afflicting Nigerians, which should be tackled forthwith.
The lawmaker said it was for this reason that his bill sought the establishment of a National Cancer Institute for the prevention, treatment and control of cancer in the country.
“The problem is lack of awareness on the control of cancer. On daily basis, one Nigerian man losses his life to prostate cancer. Cancer kills more than HIV and Malaria. The purpose of this bill is to minimize the rate at which people lose their lives to cancer,”he said.
Another sponsor, Muhammed Usman (APC, Kaduna), said cancer had taken the lives of many Nigerians without being detected.
