Mohammed Idris: World-class cancer centres now in Nigeria, no need to travel abroad

Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is laying the groundwork for full-scale medical industrialisation in Nigeria — and doing so at a pace the country has never witnessed.

Idris said this on Thursday during the commissioning of three Clinical Oncology Cancer Centres across Katsina, Enugu, and Edo states.

“What President Tinubu is doing is not just about improving Medicare in Nigeria, but most importantly, about positioning the country for medical industrialisation,” he said.

“This is not just bringing in drugs or equipment but creating enabling environment for these drugs and equipment to be produced here in Nigeria.”

The minister noted that the cancer centres in Katsina, Enugu, and Benin are world-class facilities established by the President to reduce the burden of seeking care abroad.

“Today, if you go outside for cancer treatment, it’s because that’s your choice and not because there is not an option provided by President Tinubu,” he added.

Idris praised the Health Minister, Professor Ali Pate, and Finance Minister, Wale Edun, for their commitment and collaboration in delivering the six cancer centres, calling it a vision-driven and well-funded initiative.

At the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu, Idris described the newly commissioned centre as one of the “biggest dividends of democracy,” and a sign of equitable healthcare delivery under the current administration.

“The machine that has been installed here, we were being told, is one of the best you can find anywhere in the world. Now, what this means, and we have been told by the experts here, is that it’s only a matter of choice for you as from today to go outside Enugu to seek care for cancer,” he said.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has delivered to you the people of Enugu and to the people of Nigeria what has been a dream for more than thirty years.”

Professor Pate, Minister of Health and Social Development, highlighted Nigeria’s rising cancer burden — estimated at 127,000 cases and 80,000 deaths annually — as a key reason the administration has prioritised healthcare under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said the cancer centre project had long been stalled, but was revived and delivered under President Tinubu, nearly doubling Nigeria’s cancer treatment footprint in record time.

In his remarks, Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, said the President has shown “extra determination” in turning long-standing plans into executed projects.

“It is across the board that the type of transformation that we are seeing and we are witnessing in the health sector ably led by the Minister of Health,” Edun said.

He noted that as economic coordinator, he is constantly being invited to commission projects across various sectors that are designed to create jobs, grow the economy, and lift millions out of poverty — a goal that he said remains central to Tinubu’s mission.

At the University of Benin Oncology Centre, Idris reiterated the administration’s resolve to deliver on its promises through the Renewed Hope Agenda.

According to the Minister of Health, the six Cancer Centres are a product of a public-private collaboration involving the federal government, subnational governments, and private investors.

As cancer continues to claim thousands of Nigerian lives each year, these new centres signal a shift in national health strategy — from importing care to building capacity.