Childhood cancer remains one of the most heart-breaking yet under-discussed health challenges in Nigeria, especially in rural communities.
In these rural communities, awareness is low, healthcare facilities are inadequate, and early diagnosis is rare.
While childhood cancer is curable in many cases when detected early, countless children in rural areas continue to lose their lives unnecessarily due to ignorance, late presentation, and lack of access to proper medical care.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), childhood cancer accounts for less than five per cent of all cancers but have a far-reaching impact on families and communities.
In high-income countries, more than 80 per cent of children with cancer survive, but in developing nations like Nigeria, survival rates can be as low as 20 per cent, primarily because of late detection and poor access to treatment.
In many Nigerian villages, the symptoms of childhood cancer such as persistent fever, unexplained weight loss, swellings, fatigue, or vision problems are often mistaken for malaria, infections, or spiritual attacks.
Parents, unaware of the signs, turn to local remedies, delaying medical intervention until it is too late.
A Paediatrician at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Dr Iniobong Udo, said the triggers for cancer in children could not really be pinpointed as could be done in some adults.
Udo said that a child stood 80 per cent chance of being cured of cancer if detected early.
Dr Uche Nwokwu, the National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), said that awareness was the first line of defence in the fight against childhood cancer.
Nwokwu said that early detection saved lives.
According to him, through sensitisation and community health education, the narrative will be changed.
“Early detection is the major way childhood cancer would properly be treated.
“Once picked up on time and treatment commenced, children’s cancers are among the most curable; this is why we insist—early detection truly saves lives,” he said.
He cautioned against the culture of denial and fatalism, poor awareness and the ‘not my portion’ syndrome.
Recognising this challenge, the Akanimo Cancer Foundation, in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) Foundation, began a Rural Childhood Cancer Sensitisation and Free Eye Screening programme for children.
The National Coordinator of Akanimo Cancer Foundation, Dr Idorenyin Usoh, spoke at the flagship event at the Etim Ekpo Model Healthcare Centre in Akwa Ibom.
He said the event, which brought together participants across Etim Ekpo, Abak, Ika, Ibiono and Uyo Local Government Areas, was part of activities to commemorate the Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (CCAM).
Usoh said the event was part of determined efforts to combat childhood cancer and bridge the healthcare awareness gap in underserved communities by putting the children in the rural communities first.
According to her, every year, nearly half a million children worldwide are diagnosed with cancer but the statistics does not include children who die undiagnosed in economies like Nigeria.
She explained that among the diagnosed, the childhood cancer survival rate in Nigeria was just about 20 per cent compared to over 80 per cent in high-income countries.
“Even more sadly, many die undiagnosed; this is not because childhood cancer is more aggressive in Nigeria, but because access to timely diagnosis, effective treatment, and supportive care are a privilege and not a right.
“As a grassroots organisation working among these families daily, we boldly state that childhood cancer is a silent crisis in Nigeria.
“Akanimo Cancer Foundation, a Childhood Cancer NGO, was formed out of grief occasioned by the loss of our 12-year-old son to cancer who died on Christmas Day 2019; thereby, birthing in us a passion to fight to save Nigerian Children from the rising scorch of cancer.
“Our mission is to create awareness for childhood cancer, support children with cancer to access treatment, support families of children with cancer to navigate this challenging journey, and support the efforts for new treatment and cures.”
Usoh said that the Akanimo Cancer Foundation envisioned a future where no child in the country had to forgo life-saving care due to financial constraints, lack of awareness, or inadequate facilities.
She said that since the foundation’s inception, it had focused on three core goals of raising awareness through the media, offering financial and psychosocial assistance to children with cancer and their families.
Usoh added that the foundation also advocated for change and supporting research by partnering with stakeholders to improve the healthcare system, advocate for better policies, and ensure equitable access to pediatric cancer care.
“Having successfully implemented awareness programmes in some of Nigerian’s major cities and connected deeply with the public, we realised the need to reach farther, deeper and engage children and families in the rural communities.
“We are not only here to give them knowledge, we are here to plant in them a powerful belief that childhood cancer is not a death sentence but a battle that can be won.
“We want them to rise with courage; to stand as living proof of strength and become ambassadors of hope, not people living in fear of the word “CANCER”,” she said.
The Managing Director of NNPC Foundation, Emmanuella Arukwe, said the foundation had carried out awareness and screening for breast, cervical and prostate cancers for 3,441 individuals across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and the FCT.
Arukwe said the foundation was proud to stand with rural communities on a cause that touches at the heart of human dignity by enlightening them on cancer.
“The NNPC Foundation was established in 2023 as the social impact arm of NNPC Limited, had delivered impactful programmes in education, environment, youth empowerment and health.
“At NNPC Limited, we believe that health is a critical factor in social development. Every child, regardless of background or geography, deserves a chance at life, at health, and at hope,” she said.
She added that NNPC Foundation supported Akanimo Cancer Foundation on a symposium to drive awareness of cancer-related conditions amongst children with the hope of combating the menace.
Experts say health sensitisation campaigns play crucial role in bridging the information gap.
By engaging local communities through radio programmes, school outreach, faith-based gatherings, and primary health centers, awareness about the early signs of childhood cancer can be effectively spread.
They also believe that Primary Health Centres remained the closest point of medical contact for most rural dwellers and so equipping them with trained personnel and basic diagnostic tools can drastically improve outcomes.
However, many PHCs lack even the simplest laboratory facilities or referral systems, making early cancer detection nearly impossible.
To address this, experts have suggested partnerships between government health agencies and non-governmental organisations to strengthen community health systems and create sustainable awareness networks.
Dr Maryam Abdulrahman-Raji, Senior Registrar, Oncology Unit, National Hospital, Abuja (NHA), also recommended increased support and investment in pediatric cancer care would improve treatment outcomes and save lives of children suffering from cancer.
Combating childhood cancer in rural Nigeria requires a multi-faceted approach: Sustained awareness campaigns using local languages and trusted community platforms.
Integration of childhood cancer education into routine maternal and child health programmes, government and NGO collaboration to fund early screening initiatives and community champions like teachers, religious leaders, and market women—trained as advocates for childhood cancer awareness.
Every child, regardless of where they are born, deserves a chance to survive and thrive; sensitisation is not just an act of awareness; it is a lifeline for countless children in rural Nigeria.
By spreading the message, empowering health workers, and breaking the myths surrounding childhood cancer, communities can turn the tide against a disease that has claimed too many young lives.
Experts say the fight against childhood cancer begins not in the hospital, but in the heart of the community; through knowledge, compassion, and early action.
NANFeatures
