Former First Lady Urges Increased Synergies Against Cancer

• Deaconess Omolewa Ahmed urged collaboration between government and stakeholders to combat cancer, emphasizing awareness and early treatment for women
• Ahmed’s LEAH Foundation has been active in raising cancer awareness since 2016 and built a hospital for screening and treatment

Deaconess Omolewa Ahmed, the immediate past First Lady of Kwara State, has called for greater collaboration between the government and key stakeholders to combat cancer in Nigeria.

She made this appeal during an endurance walk held in Ilorin on Saturday, alongside women and other organizations.

Ahmed highlighted the importance of increasing awareness and promoting early testing and treatment, particularly for women, to prevent cancer from reaching fatal stages.

She pointed out that breast and cervical cancers remain the leading causes of death in Nigeria. Still, she emphasized that a diagnosis is not a death sentence with proper information and timely intervention.

“We must bring the cancer campaign to the grassroots to give our mothers and girls hope,” Ahmed said. She shared that her foundation, the LEAH Foundation, has been actively raising awareness since 2016 and even built a hospital dedicated to cancer screening and treatment.

She also stressed the importance of partnerships, including the involvement of Nollywood, to spread the message more effectively. Ahmed mentioned her foundation’s sponsorship of the film Diamond in the Sky, which was inspired by her and directed by notable filmmakers Femi Adebayo and Kunle Afolayan.

“This work is a calling and a ministry for me, and it has survived beyond my tenure as the First Lady because it is what God has laid on my heart for over 13 years,” she added.

She further praised the federal government for its distribution of HPV vaccines, which she said is a timely measure to prevent cervical cancer.

Ahmed also noted the efforts of the Forum of First Ladies Against Cancer, which includes current and former governors’ wives, to advocate for stronger action against cancer.

In her remarks, Nollywood actress Omowunmi Dada, who starred in Diamond in the Sky, emphasized the need for more support systems for cancer victims.

She encouraged parents to vaccinate their daughters against cervical cancer and urged women to get tested early to prevent the disease.

Dada concluded by highlighting the movie’s positive impact. In just a week, it garnered over 100,000 views and helped raise awareness about cancer prevention and survival.