News
To cut cancer by 30% in 2030, Nigeria embeds AI in control plan – Technology Times
The Federal Government has integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into Nigeria’s National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) 2026–2030, positioning emerging technologies at the centre of efforts to reduce the country’s cancer burden by 30% by 2030 through improved prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and research.
Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, announced the initiative at the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) Best of ASCO Africa 2026 conference in Abuja, where he outlined the government’s strategy to leverage AI and digital technologies to strengthen cancer care nationwide.
The integration of AI into the five-year national strategy, according to the minister, is part of a broader shift towards technology-driven healthcare, with the government seeking to improve disease surveillance, support clinical decision-making, enhance diagnostic capabilities and strengthen data-driven cancer management across the healthcare system.
“The National Cancer Control Plan 2026–2030 provides a comprehensive roadmap for strengthening prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, research, workforce development, data systems, artificial intelligence, partnerships and resource mobilisation to improve cancer outcomes nationwide,” the minister says. He says the inclusion of AI reflects the government’s commitment to harnessing emerging technologies to improve evidence-based healthcare delivery and modernise Nigeria’s cancer control ecosystem.
AI to strengthen cancer prevention and treatment
According to Salako, the National Cancer Control Plan 2026–2030 provides a comprehensive roadmap for improving every stage of cancer care, from prevention and screening to treatment, survivorship and research.
“The National Cancer Control Plan 2026–2030 provides a comprehensive roadmap for strengthening prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, research, workforce development, data systems, artificial intelligence, partnerships and resource mobilisation to improve cancer outcomes nationwide,” the minister says.
He says the inclusion of AI reflects the government’s commitment to harnessing emerging technologies to improve evidence-based healthcare delivery and modernise Nigeria’s cancer control ecosystem.
The renewed implementation of the National Cancer Control Plan also aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises stronger healthcare systems, innovation and strategic partnerships to tackle non-communicable diseases.
To support implementation of the strategy, Salako says the Federal Government has inaugurated a multi-sectoral National Technical Working Group comprising clinicians, researchers, cancer survivors, civil society organisations, development partners and private sector representatives.
The group will adopt an implementation science approach to translate the objectives of the National Cancer Control Plan into measurable outcomes, ensuring that policy interventions deliver tangible improvements in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.
According to him, locally generated scientific data will ensure that emerging innovations, including AI-powered healthcare solutions, are better adapted to the realities of African health systems.
Nigeria among Africa’s hardest-hit countries
Highlighting the urgency of the initiative, Salako says Africa recorded more than 1.18 million new cancer cases and over 721,000 cancer-related deaths in 2024.
According to him, cancer now claims more lives across the continent than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
He adds that Nigeria accounts for about 10.5% of Africa’s cancer burden, making it one of the continent’s three most affected countries alongside Egypt and South Africa.
Call for African-led cancer research
The minister urged African researchers and oncology professionals to generate and validate more research within African populations rather than relying predominantly on international evidence.
According to him, locally generated scientific data will ensure that emerging innovations, including AI-powered healthcare solutions, are better adapted to the realities of African health systems.
Salako also advocated stronger collaboration among African countries in cancer research, innovation, workforce development and access to treatment, describing the approach as a new era of Healthcare Pan-Africanism.
“The time has come for healthcare to assume a more central place in continental cooperation through what I describe as Cancer Care Pan-Africanism,” he says.
“Nigeria remains committed to advancing education, research, advocacy and strategic partnerships that will reduce cancer incidence and mortality, improve the quality of life of patients and strengthen resilient cancer care systems across Africa.”
The minister commended AORTIC, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and other partners for convening the conference, noting that it provides an important platform for adapting global oncology advances to African healthcare systems while promoting evidence-based cancer care across the continent.
Stay ahead with real-time reports, breaking news, and exclusive insights delivered directly to your phone. Don’t settle for outdated information. Join TECHNOLOGYTIMES NEWS on WhatsApp for 24/7 updates.
Join Our Whatsapp Channel
The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the arrest of a 22-year-old man, Umar Ibrahim Gandi Maradun, over a viral video allegedly showing him calling for the use of AK-47 rifles to kill Christians in Enugu and Plateau states.
Politics Nigeria reports that the suspect, a native of Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, was arrested for investigation after the video circulated on social media and sparked concerns over religiously motivated violence.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the Force Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Ani Iniedu, said the Zamfara State Police Command had activated its intelligence resources to identify those involved in the incident.
The police also confirmed that the command had engaged the leadership of Jama’atu Izalatil Bidi’a Wa’ikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) at the national and state levels following the emergence of the video.
According to the police, the organisation disassociated itself from the alleged conduct and handed the suspect over to the authorities for investigation.
The video reportedly showed the suspect wearing JIBWIS uniform and appearing alongside pupils from two Islamic schools in Maradun: Nurul Islam Islamiya and Akidatul Sahiha Islamiya.
Preliminary findings by the Zamfara State Police Command indicated that the video was recorded on Friday, October 23, 2026, while the suspect was reportedly on his way to Aliyu Ibn Abi Thalib Mosque, where he and others allegedly provided security during Friday prayers and preaching.
The suspect was born on September 15, 2004. He reportedly attended Mualledi Model Primary School and Government Day Secondary School, both in Maradun.
He also reportedly joined JIBWIS in 2025 and recently gained admission to study Mass Communication at Zamfara State University, Talata Mafara.
The police said a comprehensive investigation had commenced and that the suspect would be charged before a competent court if sufficient evidence established an offence under applicable law.
Earlier, the Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Bello, said the investigation would consider allegations of incitement to violence, disturbance of public peace and criminal intimidation under Sections 77, 78 and 380(b) of the Penal Code Law applicable in the state, subject to the evidence gathered and applicable law.
The police also condemned statements capable of promoting religious hatred, threatening community safety or undermining peaceful coexistence.
“The Zamfara State Police Command remains resolute in its duty to uphold the law, protect lives and property, defend the rights of all citizens without discrimination, and work with relevant stakeholders to sustain peace and security throughout Zamfara State,” the commissioner said.
The development comes as JIBWIS has publicly distanced itself from the video and condemned calls for violence against non-Muslims.
The group’s National Publicity Secretary, Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Ashiru, stated this in a statement issued at its headquarters in Jos on Tuesday.
Ashiru said the organisation had yet to establish the authenticity of the video but maintained that its position against violence was clear.
“We are yet to confirm whether the video is authentic, but our position against violence remains clear,” he said.
He added that JIBWIS, under the leadership of Ash-Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahaya Jingir, would not support calls to attack or kill anyone because of their religious affiliation.
Ashiru said banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and Boko Haram attacks were already affecting communities across the country, warning that statements promoting violence could heighten tensions and threaten peaceful coexistence.
“We would not support any call capable of disturbing the peace of Nigeria, as such comments are capable of inciting violence and creating unnecessary tension among Nigerians,” he said.
The JIBWIS spokesperson stressed that anyone making such statements in the organisation’s name did not represent its position.
He urged security agencies to investigate the video, establish its authenticity and identify those responsible, adding that anyone found culpable should face the law after a proper investigation.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has urged members of the public to remain calm, avoid circulating unverified information and refrain from sharing the video in ways that could escalate religious tensions.
The Force reiterated its commitment to protecting Nigerians irrespective of religious affiliation and taking lawful action against conduct capable of inciting hatred or threatening public peace.
Senator Victor Umeh has accused Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo of acting out of envy and hatred towards presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr Peter Obi.
Umeh claimed that Soludo was trying to surpass Obi's political record, insisting that the former Anambra governor remained more popular than his successor in the state and across Nigeria.
The senator made the remarks on Tuesday while fielding questions on Channels Television's Politics Today programme.
Umeh, who said he attended the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, alongside Obi and Soludo between 1980 and 1984, suggested that their shared academic background might have contributed to what he described as peer envy.
He said, “He (Peter Obi) cannot be drawn to what is called the peer envy and hate. You know, all of us were in the university together. Myself, Soludo, Peter Obi. We were at the University of Nigeria from 1980 to 1984, all of us graduated the same day.
“So sometimes when you see people talk, they talk out of maybe peer envy. He (Soludo) is running after Peter Obi's record.”
The senator further argued that Obi remained more popular than Soludo despite the latter's position as governor of Anambra State.
“Whether he likes it or not, today, no matter what Soludo does, Peter Obi will continue to be more popular than him, both in Nigeria and in Anambra State. Go there and see,” Umeh added.
Obi served as governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014. Soludo became governor in 2022.
‘Envy, hate behind Soludo’s attacks on Peter Obi’ – Senator Umeh
-
News3 days agoTroops rescued 70 abductees, recovered N10 million ransom: DHQ
-
News3 days ago
Plateau Activates Ebola Preparedness Measures, Urges Residents to Observe Safety Guidelines
-
Business3 days ago
CBN grants JP Morgan approval-in-principle to set up merchant bank
-
Business3 days ago
REA Ends 16 Years of Darkness in Two Kano Communities
