JEDDAH: A high-level seminar led by the first lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on promoting cancer awareness and advocacy programs in the OIC African member states, commenced on 15th May 2024 in Abuja, the OIC statement said on Thursday.
The two-day event sponsored by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in cooperation with the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria, relevant OIC institutions, and global partners, focused on finding innovative approaches to prevent, early detection, and treatment of cancer in OIC African Member countries.
The participating First Ladies, under the leadership of the First Lady of Nigeria, called for greater funding and massive efforts to cut down the infection claiming hundreds of thousands of lives, especially in the region of Africa.
The First Lady of Nigeria in her welcome remarks, lauded the OIC for organizing this important Seminar and for choosing Nigeria as a host. She further called for closer cooperation among all the stakeholders to fight the scourge of cancer.
The representative of the OIC Secretary-General, Dr. Ahmad Kawesa Sengendo, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs/ Science & Technology in his speech, underscored the fact that the OIC General Secretariat remains committed to providing all support to pursue this fight against cancer till the end.
He further stressed the need to identify, preserve, and document all the available indigenous knowledge and plant species that are used in the treatment of cancer in African countries.
The First Lady of Türkiye Mrs Emine Erdoğan who participated in the seminar as a special guest regretted the abandonment of the basic life lessons that have been transmitted across generations as a result of the consumption culture that this age has introduced to people.
She noted in the past, medicinal practices were individualized according to an individual’s temperament at healing homes located in Anatolia along trade routes traversed by caravans which transported not only cultures but also epidemic diseases.
First Ladies of Sierra Leone, Gambia; the Director General of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA), the Federal Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, and the Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives addressed the seminar.
The First Ladies adopted the Abuja Declaration on cancer control, which was read out by the First Lady of Nigeria and signed by all the participants.
