By Hassan Zaggi
“One can boldly say that within the past two years, the NICRAT under Prof. Malami has done well. There is no argument here. The Institute, therefore, deserves the support of all stakeholders and in deed, all Nigerians to enable it deliver on its mandate of ensuring a cancer-free Nigeria.”
Prior to the formal establishment of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) and the subsequent appointment of its pioneer Director General (DG), Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, in early 2023, the fight against cancer in Nigeria was coordinated by a department at the Federal Ministry of Health.
The department could not do a good job as there was no proper and effective coordination of the collective efforts of all stakeholders including the government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and development partners in the fight against cancer. Because of this inadequacy, all the joint efforts of stakeholders to reduce the burden of cancer in Nigeria could not yield the desired result and therefore, no commensurate progress in the fight against the disease over the years.
This, therefore, birth the consistent clamor and advocacy by stakeholders for the federal government to establish a dedicated agency that will focus on the fight against cancer in Nigeria.
The NICRAT was therefore, established to centralize cancer control efforts, mobilize funding from different sources for cancer research, and coordinate treatment activities across the country.
Also, the NICRAT was establish in order to promote the fight against cancer, provide a centralized focus for cancer research and treatment efforts, and trigger collaboration and partnerships between researchers, healthcare providers, and patients, as well as offer guidance for the formulation of cancer policies and implementation for decision-making.
In a nut shell, the Institute is the focal point for the implementation of the National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP), and also in charge of coordinating the National System of Cancer Registries and the Cancer Health Fund (CHF).
Therefore, the NICRAT is Nigeria’s leading institute that focuses on eliminating Cancer, through regulations and policies that ensure high-quality research, evidence-based treatment, prevention and control strategies driven by highly competent manpower and world-class professionals.
The strategic objectives for the establishment of the NICRAT include: To provide governance and build capacity to deliver on NICRAT mandate; to support scientific findings best-in-class research and development in cancer prevention and control; support advocacy and public awareness for cancer prevention and control and mobilize and prioritize fundings allocation for cancer prevention, treatment and control activities in Nigeria.
On the other hand, the main objectives for establishing the Institute according to the establishment Act, are policy advisory in cancer prevention, treatment and control; Research and Development (R&D) in Cancer prevention and control; regulate and enhance access to cancer care in Nigeria; resource mobilization for cancer prevention and control; establish and maintain a cancer regulation; and capacity development in cancer prevention and control.
Immediately after his appointment, Prof. Malami hit the ground running by assembling a competent team of few professionals in different fields to assist ensure that the Institute commences activities and operates based on global best practices.
Most stakeholders in the cancer space in Nigeria were excited when Prof. Malami was appointed as the pioneer Director General of the Institute. This is because, Prof. Malami has been a major player in the cancer space both in Nigeria and globally over the years. He is a core and well-trained professional, very vast, knowlegible and conversant with the challenges bedeviling both experts and cancer patients in Nigeria.
As he was assembling his team of core experts in various specialties of cancer care, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare graciously released some of its key staff on secondment to support the Institute. He immediately engaged and consulted widely with critical stakeholders in the health sector seeking for their input on how best to set up an institute that can be of global standard to compete favorably with other sister cancer institutes across Africa and the world at large.
Also, with the understanding that the fight against cancer needs a coordinated and collaborative approach, Prof Malami visited and sought the partnership of sister agencies in the country, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and international partners working directly or indirectly in the area of cancer.
Among the many agencies Prof. Malami visited in his early days of assumption of office include the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA). At the NPHCDA, he solicited the support of the Executive Secretary to collaboratively fashion out modalities on how to tackle cancer at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level.
The climax of the collaboration was the launch of the well-celebrated Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination campaign aimed at preventing cervical cancer in young girls across the country. Over 12 million young girls in all parts of the country have been vaccinated. Another phase of the campaign will soon be launched
The Institute has also entered into partnership with foreign partners like St. Jude hospital in the area of childhood cancers. It is also currently partnering with International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the African Cancer Registry Network (AFCRN) in the area of capacity strengthening on best practices for data collection, quality assurance and role of population-based cancer registries in forming cancer control policies and many other foreign partners.
On July 4, 2023, the federal government formally unveiled the Institute to Nigerians and the international community. All stakeholders and the gladiators in the cancer space including the former Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, attended the ceremony.
The unveiling ceremony was significant because all stakeholders including NGOs, cancer survivors, members of the academia and other leaders that contributed in the establishment of the Institute were in attendance. The hall was electrified with joy by cancer experts and ordinary Nigerians, because according to them, the Institute signified the Federal Government’s readiness and commitment to tackle all cancer related challenges in the country.
In order to give the fight against cancer a definite national direction, the Prof. Malami-led team with the support of other critical stakeholders drafted three policy documents.
The three documents include: National Strategic Cancer Control Plan 2023- 2027; National Strategic Plan for Prevention and Control of Cancer of the Cervix in Nigeria 2023- 2027 and National Cancer Research Agenda 2024- 2028.
The formal launch of the documents attracted many stakeholders who applauded the development describing it as timely in the renewed vigour to fight all forms of cancers in Nigeria. It also triggered optimism among Nigerians who believe that the documents will add value and fast-track the achievement of the NICRAT’s mandates.
Concerned about the rising cases of breast and cervical cancers in the country, the Management of NICRAT partnered with the leadership of various hospitals that were already offering cancer related services, secured and remodeled preventive oncology service centers. The remodeling work covered mammography suites, ultrasound cubicles and laboratories. This step which many experts in the cancer space applauded, was aimed at strengthening preventive oncology strategies of the Institute.
The hospitals that benefited from the remodeling process include; Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto; Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano; Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Gombe; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu; University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin; Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Meta and University College Hospital (UCH), Ile Ife.
On manpower recruitment and development, apart from the support staff seconded to the Institute, NICRAT has so far, with the approval of the federal government through the 2023 Authorized Establishment recruited 103 permanent staff. They were given rigorous orientation trainings for them to have a good foundation and be acquainted with the rules of engagement of civil service to enable them perform optimally. The recruited staff had since been captured in the Integrated Personnel & Payroll Information System Department (IPPIS).
In order to streamline operations in line with the strategies and goals set by the Federal Government, the Divisions of Human Resource and Planning in NICRAT organized series of training programs in partnership with the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Planning Department of the Federal Ministry of Finance. The trainings which were in phases included Grant Management, Research Ethics, Financial Management and many others. These trainings have started yielding positive results.
Two weeks ago, the Institute formally launch its first grant christened- Cancer Surveillance Strengthening and Capacity Building Initiative. The grant was awarded by Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health (D4H) Initiative’s Global Grants Program with the aim of strengthening and developing cancer registries in Nigeria.
The Director, National Cancer Registry in NICRAT, Prof. Sani Malami, during the formal launch explained that the Institute was declared winner of the grant on May 13, 2025. It commenced fully on June 8.
While noting that the project will be dedicated to strengthening and developing cancer registries, he revealed that 8 cancer registries will benefit in different parts of the country.
In order to equip the staff with the needed knowledge and skills in scientific data gathering for policy decisions, the grant will be deployed to training and retraining.
This, indeed, is a litmus test for the Institute to prove its capacity and capability to manage grants to achieve the mandate of the Institute no matter the magnitude of the funds involved.
The Director General of the Institute, Prof. Malami, however, assured that NICRAT will deliver at the right time and the funds will be used judiciously.
In its determination to resolve the challege of dearth of cancer workforce in the country, the Prof. Malami-led management has facilitated the training of over 1300 health experts in different aspects of cancer care in the country. More trainings will take place in 2025.
With the support of the President Tinubu-led federal government, NICRAT in the past two years has donated cancer equipment to different flagship cancer centres in the country. This is to aid cancer diagnosis and treatment.
The Nigeria Cancer Health Fund (CHF) which was initially domiciled at the Federal Ministry of Health, has been relocated to NICRAT for efficient management. The fund is currently undergoing systematic reforms to make it more effective to cater for the needs of cancer patients in the country.
The CHF is an initiative of the federal government aimed at enhancing access to cancer treatment for underprivileged Nigerians. It is targeted at reducing the suffering of cancer patients in the country.
In the area of awareness creation, the Institute has invested huge resources in creating awareness on all forms of cancers through organizing outreaches, townhall meetings and placing bill boards in strategic locations in different parts of the country.
There is no doubt, the past two years have been very eventful and fruitful for the Prof. Malami-led NICRAT. It has demonstrated that Nigeria has the capacity to defeat all forms of cancers within the shortest possible time.
During his recent visit to the Institute, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Isiaq Salako, applauded the manner and way the NICRAT management were putting the needed structures to ensure the fight against cancer succeeds in Nigeria, and therefore, urged the management to prioritise research, services provision and advocacy around prevention as a key element of its agenda.
Also, early this year, the Chairman, House Committee on Health Institutions, Hon. Amos Gwamna Magaji, and his committee members paid an oversight visit to the NICRAT and expressed satisfaction over the level of work and research going on at the Institute. He expressed optimism that with the quality and calibre of staff at the Institute, NICRAT has the capacity to tackle all the issues around cancer in the country.
After seeing the tremendous effort of the NICRAT to fight cancer in the country, Hon. Magaji applauded the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government for giving cancer care the needed attention, stressing that: “This is the first time the country is going to purchase Pepscan and Syclothrone and so on. This shows that the country is making progress even though we are not where we are supposed to be, but we are not where we used to be.
“We are committed to supporting the Institute make progress for the good of all Nigerians. Let us know where you have challenges or hinderances to your work for us to intervene so that together, we can deliver quality services to Nigerians.”
One can boldly say that within the past two years, the NICRAT under Prof. Malami has done well. There is no argument here. The Institute, therefore, deserves the support of all stakeholders and in deed, all Nigerians to enable it deliver on its mandate of ensuring a cancer-free Nigeria.
The support is necessary because the recent formal launch of the Partnership to Eliminate Cervical Cancer in Nigeria (PECCiN), an initiative of the National Task Force on Cervical Cancer Elimination (NTF-CCE), which projects to spend approximately ₦2.20 trillion (equivalent to $1.38b) on various levels of cervical cancer intervention in the country is cheering and commendable. Recall that the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, earlier donated a whooping one billion naira on behalf of the Renewed Hope Initiative to support the fight against the disease.
This shows that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government is determined to make impact in the fight against cancer in Nigeria.
Zaggi is a Health Sector Analyst and a Public Relations Practitioner
