By Joke Kujenya, Fellow, 2026 Naija Cancer Watch Fellowship
COUNTING TWO decades, Sebeccly Cancer Care and Support Centre has been expanding cancer awareness, screening, early detection and patient support across Nigerian communities, reaching tens of thousands of women and strengthening the capacity of healthcare professionals along the way.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that as Sebeccly marks its 20th anniversary, the organisation said it is extending its cancer advocacy to the media through the 2026 Naija Cancer Watch Fellowship, supported by ACT Foundation.
Explaining the essence of the fellowship, Dr. Omolola Salako, Founder, Sebeccly and fondly dubbed “The People’s Oncologist” said it forms part of a broader range of interventions by her organisation, whose work has included free breast and cervical cancer screening, breast imaging, healthcare worker training, patient support and cancer awareness campaigns.
According to her, more than 250 primary healthcare professionals have received training in early cancer detection, while its screening and community programmes have reached about 35,000 women across Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and other communities.
Dr. Salako also said Sebeccly has held hundreds of support group meetings for cancer patients and survivors as part of efforts to provide care beyond diagnosis and treatment.
Meanwhile, the ACT Foundation’s partnership with Sebeccly has supported breast and cervical cancer screening programmes that provide free services to women in different communities.
Giving further insights on the partnership between the two organisations, Dr. Salako, said their latest intervention reflected the need to strengthen every part of Nigeria’s cancer response, including public access to accurate information, particularly to encourage early presentation.
She said one of the major challenges they have encountered over time is late presentation, which has remained a terrible snag in cancer management in the country.
The oncologist noted that 70 per cent of cancer patients seen in Nigerian hospitals in 2026 presented late, with some having lived with symptoms for months or years before seeking appropriate medical care; thus, helping them has constituted complex situations.
She also spoke about the 2026 media fellowship which is intended to build on Sebeccly’s wider cancer advocacy work by equipping sixteen fellows comprising professional journalists in the Nigerian media industry, and few social media bloggers and influencers with detailed knowledge of cancer science, treatment, survivorship and health communication.
Salako said she believed that information disseminated by the team of fellows could influence how people understand cancer symptoms and decide when to seek medical attention.
Speaking for ACT Foundation, Team Lead for Communications and Branding, Ijeoma Ezenwere, said the foundation’s support for Sebeccly aligned with its commitment to strengthening organisations working directly with communities.
She said the Naija Cancer Watch Fellowship follows an earlier cancer awareness and prevention training programme for journalists organised by Sebeccly in 2012.
Ezenwere described the fellowship as the first in the line-up of Sebeccly’s 20th anniversary, including the P.O.W.E.R Conference scheduled for September 9, the launch of the KindGifts medical crowdfunding platform and the groundbreaking for the GIFTS of Survivorship Centre.
She also noted that Sebeccly’s fellowship marks a new phase in its cancer advocacy work via bringing journalists into a broader effort to improve the quality of information Nigerians receive about a disease that continues to face challenges of late presentation and misinformation.
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