The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Dr. Isiaq Salako

  • FG building six cancer centres for early detection, treatment – Minister

    FG building six cancer centres for early detection, treatment – Minister

    The Federal Government on Friday revealed that it is currently building six Cancer Excellence Centres across the six geopolitical zones for early detection, treatment, and management of all cancer cases.

    Minister of State for Health, Dr. Isiaq Salako, disclosed this in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while launching the OncoSeek Cancer Screening test, an early Cancer screening diagnosis test which formed part of a workshop on the Development of National Nuclear Medicine Guidelines and Policy.

    He noted that the increasing burden of cancer in the country demanded the deployment of all solutions and all management possibilities to tackle the challenge.

    Salako also noted that three of the six centres are already nearing completion, stressing that the 2025 budget includes funds for establishing more Cancer Excellence Centres, with the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba Abeokuta, designated as one of them.

    According to him, Nigeria now has an agency solely dedicated to cancer research –  the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment.

    Salako reiterated that the Technical Working Group on Nuclear Medicine Guidelines and Policy was inaugurated in February as part of the government’s efforts to harness the potential of nuclear medicine in cancer treatment, assuring the team that their recommendations would be implemented in their entirety.

    He said: “We are implementing programmes cutting across prevention, treatment and control, including the ongoing construction of 6 cancer centres of excellence across the 6 geopolitical zones. The second phase in the agenda to provide state-of-the-art cancer treatment infrastructure is set to commence under the 2025 budget, and I am happy to announce that in this second phase, FMC, Abeokuta, has been selected to be a recipient of a cancer center of excellence under the 2025 budget.

    READ ALSO: Again, the Fubara-Wike rapprochement

    “As we know, a key challenge of cancer care in our country is late detection and presentation.  A lot of cancers often present with signs and symptoms that mimic other diseases and may go undetected.

    “Screening services that can detect cancers early or even at the precancerous stage are therefore an important mechanism in the prevention and control of cancer. Oncoseek, a blood-based test that can be used for early detection of high-mortality cancers, including nine high-mortality cancer types – breast, colon, esophageal, liver, lung, lymphoma, ovarian, pancreatic, and stomach cancers- being introduced today is a welcome development. It is useful for screening and identifying patients who may require definitive diagnostic tests. “

    Earlier, Dr. Kehinde Ololade, Chairman of the National Nuclear Medicine Technical Working Group,  highlighted the committee’s mandate to develop guidelines and policies for the application of Nuclear Medicine in Nigeria.

    Commissioner for Health in Ogun State, Dr. Tomi Coker, in a remark, emphasized the importance of exploring nuclear medicine to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality rates, stating that cancer can no longer be ignored.

    In a goodwill message, Professor Abidemi Omonisi, President of the Nigeria Cancer Society, appreciated the Federal Ministry of Health’s efforts, particularly the Minister of State for Health, for bringing health workers together to focus on cancer prevention.

  • Climate change: FG advocating biogas as alternative to charcoal for domestic cooking

    Climate change: FG advocating biogas as alternative to charcoal for domestic cooking

    The Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Isiaq Salako, has said that Federal Government is advocating the use of biogas as a  source of energy for domestic cooking, especially in rural areas, as alternative to charcoal in order to preserve the ecosystem, promote human health and end the scourge of forest/trees exploitation for charcoal production.

    Salako said biogas is able to provide quick heat for cooking upon ignition and is environmentally friendly even in a close setting unlike charcoal. 

    He urged Nigerians to key into biogas as a source of energy to save the environment.

     The Minister spoke to The NATION yesterday,  shortly after inaugurating the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Diamond Green Park and symbolic planting of 60 economic trees in Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, in commemoration of Diamond Jubilee of the NIPR.

    The theme of NIPR’s event is “Green Nigeria.”

    READ ALSO; Kanu’s freedom will bring peace to Southeast, says IPOB

    Salako, who spoke exclusively through the Director General and  Chief Executive Officer, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Dr Zacharia Buba Yaduma, expressed concern over the level of exploitation of forest trees in parts of the country for charcoal production and usage in cooking, describing the practice as harmful.

     He urged Nigerians to make a habit of planting trees to regenerate the environment, resource the ecosystem and enhance the climate quality.

     He said, “Tree planting is very important to the environment because the tree will release oxygen that we take while the carbondioxide that we release is what plants live on. So, planting tree is very important for our own health, it is because of tree that we are living, what the tree vomits, we take in as air.

    “There are things we look at as beneficial but it is a great harm. When you go deep into the forest of Ogun State and other places, you will see the level of exploitation of plants because of charcoal production. We are thinking of an alternative source to charcoal, this is what we are advocating, that is waste product, compound, bind and use it as biogas.”

     He commended the NIPR for Green Nigeria initiative and urged the body to undertake more climate actions at collective and personal levels, stressing that the theme was a call to action – to embrace practices that promote environmental stewardship to reduce man’s carbon footprint and invest in the health of the nation’s ecosystem for sustainable development.