From Fred Itua, Abuja
An OCI Foundation initiative that seeks to include teachings against breast and cervical cancers into the curriculum of all senior secondary schools in Nigeria, successfully, has gone through second reading in the House of Representatives.
The Bill is being sponsored by Tanko Sununu and Professor Julius Ihonvbere.
On Thursday, March 31, 2022, the Bill scaled through first reading. It is part of the OCI Foundation’s “Arm Our Youths (ArOY) Anti-Cancer Health Campaign”, an initiative targeting youths in Nigerian Senior Secondary Schools and the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
Already, in partnership with Nigeria NYSC, the OCI Foundation is annually delivering the same anti-cancer campaign to hundreds of thousands of Nigerian fresh graduates (youth corps members) in all the 37 NYSC orientation camps in Nigeria.
The ArOY Health Campaign enjoys the support of the Nigerian First Lady, Aisha Buhari, whose NGO, the FUTURE ASSURED FOUNDATION, is partnering with the OCI Foundation on the Bill.
Alongside the Nigerian First Lady, other partners to the ArOY Health Campaign Bill include the Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS), the Nigerian First Ladies Against Cancer (FLAC), the Sweet Home Africa Humanitarian Foundation (SHAHF), the Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the Amity Global Network/Alex Reports.
“The second reading of this ArOY Campaign Bill brings the OCI Foundation’s dream and commitment to empowering Nigerian youths against breast and cervical cancers in all the senior secondary schools across the country, another step closer to reality. We look forward to this Bill becoming Law, in due course,” an official, Charles Okoh said.