UPDATED: Independence Anniversary: Tinubu compares his tough policies to painful cancer treatment

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday compared his tough policies to the essential cancer treatment a patient needs.

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The Nigerian leader, in a televised address marking the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary, said the situation inherited in 2023 warranted tough decisions that economists argue have caused Nigeria’s worst cost of living crisis in a generation.

“Nigeria was like a sick patient who receives the terrible news that he has cancer. His doctor explains that the treatment will be difficult and painful, but that it offers a strong prospect of recovery. The patient has a choice. He can begin treatment, endure its discomfort and fight the disease. Or he can ask only for morphine, dull the pain and leave the cancer to spread.

“For too long, Nigeria’s leaders chose morphine while praying for a miracle that never came,” he said.

Mr Tinubu said previous administrations had focused on the symptoms of the country’s economic problems while allowing the underlying issues to worsen.

“When this administration assumed office, we resolved to do things differently. We chose to excise the cancer. The reforms that followed were difficult. The side effects were real. Yet, we must never confuse the medicine with the disease,” he said.

The President’s comparison comes at a time when cancer remains a major health burden in Nigeria, with many patients diagnosed late and facing difficult treatment.

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Cancer burden

The latest estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) show that Nigeria recorded an estimated 152,261 new cancer cases and 90,795 cancer deaths in 2024.

Breast cancer accounted for the highest number of new cases, followed by prostate and cervical cancers.

The figures highlight the scale of a disease that continues to claim thousands of lives in Nigeria each year, particularly where patients present late or are unable to access timely treatment.

Nigeria’s 2025 Cancer Control Capacity and Needs Assessment also found that more than 70 per cent of cancer patients in the country present with advanced disease.

The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) conducted the assessment with support from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The report identified late presentation as one of the major challenges affecting cancer outcomes in the country.

A 2025 study involving 264 cancer patients in Kano and Ibadan also found significant delays in diagnosis.

Researchers reported a median period of 12 months between patients first noticing symptoms and receiving a cancer diagnosis, with patients visiting a median of three health facilities before receiving a formal diagnosis.

Chemotherapy, other treatments can be difficult

Chemotherapy, one of the major treatments used for cancer, can cause side effects including severe tiredness, nausea and vomiting, hair loss, mouth sores and reduced blood-cell counts, depending on the drugs used and the individual patient.

Other treatments, including surgery and radiotherapy, can also be physically demanding and may require repeated hospital visits over weeks or months.

READ ALSO: Tinubu to prioritise jobs, industrial growth in Nigeria’s new prosperity era

In Nigeria, access to these treatments remains a challenge. The 2025 national cancer-control assessment estimated that more than 120 radiation machines would be needed to adequately treat the country’s cancer patients, but only 13 functional radiation machines were available at the time of the assessment.

It also found that patients often have to travel long distances to access radiotherapy.

The report further identified shortages of oncology specialists. It estimated that Nigeria had about 0.03 oncologists per 100,000 people and noted that skilled oncology staff were inadequate for the country’s population.