Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, the wife of the Kebbi State Governor, has been proposed to lead the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
The UICC, a global non-governmental organisation with members in 172 nations and a partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), is at the forefront of lobbying efforts and capacity building to help and advance the cancer community.
The other candidates for the job are Ulrika Kagstrom of Sweden and Daiming Fan of China, in addition to Bagudu.
The union's member organisations will vote for the person they want to lead the organisation for two years on October 11, 2022.
In 2018, Bagudu was elected to a two-year term as a Director of the UICC. In 2020, she was re-elected as a Director for another term of two years.
During her four-year tenure as Director, Bagudu built on her work in cancer advocacy to make UICC was known in Nigeria and many other African countries. She mobilised mainstream cancer care and advocacy.
She chairs the First Ladies against Cancer Initiative and has lobbied the National and State Assemblies for better policies and funding to support cancer care.
On what she would do as President of the UICC, Shinkafi-Bagudu said she would focus on accessibility, affordability, and availability of the tools needed for cancer treatment.