NIOLA foundation pushes cancer advocacy on 10th anniversary
Founder and Executive Director, Niola Cancer Care Foundation, Eniola Akintunde.
The Niola Cancer Care Foundation has stepped up its advocacy efforts, warning that many Nigerians still lack awareness of colorectal cancer, are diagnosed late and cannot afford treatment. This follows the foundation’s 10th anniversary, where it highlighted a decade of advocacy, screening and patient support for colorectal cancer in Nigeria. Speaking at the 10th anniversary event on 11th September, the Founder and Executive Director of NCCF, Eniola Akintunde, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Okura Iyebiye Gemstones Resources and Saints Integrated Limited, noted that more Nigerians need to learn about the disease and support when managing it. The foundation’s 10th anniversary event was themed ‘Colorectal Cancer in Nigeria: Confronting Our Shared Realities through Early Detection and Collective Action.’ Akintunde said the foundation grew out of her personal experience of losing her husband, late Gbolahan Akintunde, to cancer in 2013. She recounted that she nursed her husband through his illness in Nigeria and later in India, where he died, and said the loss was compounded by hostility from people around her.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google “When I brought his body back to Nigeria in July 2013, instead of being allowed to mourn my husband in peace, I was accused by a family member of killing him,” Akintunde said. She added that she was later physically attacked while shopping, months after her husband’s death. “I was attacked from behind, my clothes were torn, and I was pushed to the ground while being called names and accused again of killing my husband,” she said. Akintunde disclosed that she had also suffered multiple miscarriages before the couple had a child in January 2011, and lost that child weeks later. AI operation uncovered 126 terror suspects – INTERPOL ‘Nigeria battling foundational problems’ INTERPOL operation uncovers 126 foreign terrorist suspects “We lost that precious baby on Valentine’s Day of the same year,” she said. According to her, these experiences pushed her to begin informally visiting hospitalised cancer patients every Christmas Day from 2014, before the organisation was formally registered in 2016. The NCCF founder said the foundation had, over the past decade, worked in colorectal cancer awareness and education, cancer screening, patient support and navigation, psychosocial support, palliative care, community advocacy, and research collaboration. She said the foundation had encountered patients who could not afford treatment and families who did not know where to seek help, but had also recorded survivors and growing community support. However, Akintunde said the burden of the disease in Nigeria remained heavy. “Cancer is still affecting families. Colorectal cancer is increasingly becoming a major health concern. Many Nigerians still lack awareness. Many people are still diagnosed late. Many patients still cannot afford treatment,” she said. She called for continued collective action to reduce the impact of the disease. “Together, we can create more awareness. Together, we can encourage early detection. Together, we can support patients. Together, we can save lives,” Mrs Akintunde said. The event, held to celebrate the foundation’s decade of impact, also featured an awards presentation to donors, partners, healthcare professionals and volunteers who have supported the organisation’s work, alongside a fundraising drive for further outreach and advocacy. Arinze Nwafor Arinze Nwafor is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with five years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s economy, industry, data, metro, and judiciary. He focuses on highlighting growth, policy, and market challenges shaping Africa’s largest economy. Arinze’s reporting reflects practical newsroom experience, editorial judgment, and a strong commitment to accurate, informative, and audience-focused journalism.
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