Kebbi First Lady, Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu’s Love for Humanity

It seems that Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, wife of the Kebbi State Governor, has entered a covenant of sorts with her Creator to dedicate the rest of her life to the service of humanity. If you are in doubt, you will have a rethink when you consider her passion for her foundation, a philosophy  buoyed by  Anatole France’s words: “Without genuine love towards humanity, there is no love for the motherland.”

The woman of substance has won the hearts of many for her brilliance, intelligence, humility and rare sense of fellow feeling.

Besides, the Kebbi State First Lady has shown evidence of a privileged woman blessed with a heart of gold.  It was gathered that her foundation, Medicaid Cancer Foundation, last week, donated a whopping sum of N50 million in support of a cancer health fund for indigent cancer patients and cancer research.

 As disclosed, this fund will help to increase access to clinical cancer care services, following diagnosis in Nigeria and advance the quality of cancer care through indigenous scientific research.

It was also hinted that the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, as part of ongoing activities to ‘Close the Cancer Care Gap’, is committing funds to ease the catastrophic effect of cancer on patients and their loved ones in partnership with the Nigerian Cancer Society.

The funds will support the treatment of indigent patients across the country through partner comprehensive cancer treatment facilities. The funds will also support scientific research led by Nigerian scientists to advance the quality of cancer care management in Nigeria and on the African continent.

She disclosed that the growing number of cancer cases across Nigeria and barriers to treatment services gave birth to this partnership. The treatment of cancer, which includes surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, is vital to the curative management of most cancers.

However, cancer therapies are grossly inaccessible, limited, or non-existent to most cancer patients in Nigeria due to their high cost. MCF and NCS are committed to collaboratively changing this narrative, prioritising Nigerians with no means of affording the care they desperately need, while also supporting scientific research that will optimize cancer management for sub-Saharan Africans.

Shinkafi-Bagudu, who is also a medical doctor, has called for concerted action from all actors in the health service delivery, public and private, to increase cancer risk awareness across Nigeria.

“This is only a seed fund. We call on the private sector and well-meaning Nigerians to partner with the Nigerian Cancer Society to grow the cancer health fund and help provide quality cancer care to Nigerians.

“The partnership will benefit from technical partnerships with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the London Cancer Network.

“We are deeply honoured to be working with the Nigerian Cancer Society to change the cancer narrative in Nigeria while complementing the laudable efforts of the Federal Ministry of Health.’’