Akeredolu’s wife blames churches, mosques for cancer high death rates ‘due to their imaginary spiritual healings’

Mrs Betty Akeredolu, wife of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, has blamed religious organisations for high death rates recorded in cancer due to their imaginary spiritual healings.
She said that this was in spite of  aggressive awareness and sensitisation done by Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) dealing with cancer advocacy.
Mrs Akeredolu disclosed this on Wednesday at the Inter School Arts Competition for selected secondary schools in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The governor’s wife, who is also the Founder of Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), said that the activities of many religious organisations in respect of offering spiritual healing for cancer had become worrisome.
She said that most women died of ignorance, blaming them for approaching spiritual places such as churches and mosques for automatic miracle.
“I am kind of demoralised because even when BRECAN’s head office is in Ibadan, our women are still presenting their cases late because they keep going to these churches.
“We have UCH (University College Hospital) around us here and they continue messing up our efforts.
 
“The man and woman of God will run away immediately they notice the breast gets rotten, knowing full well they can’t control the situation any longer.
 
“Let our women listen, breast cancer is the easiest cancer you can handle these days due to the amount of research that has gone into it.
 
“Breast is external, check it, go to hospital and stop parading miracle mountain, it has to stop in this country because I feel angry talking about late presentation in this country
 
“Cervical cancer is 100 per cent preventable, we cannot use the word prevention for breast cancer, but we can stand on our feet and say cervical cancer is very preventable.
 
“One of the ways is allow young children for HPV vaccination to prevent sexually transmitted infections as being the cause of cervical cancer.
 
“It is good for us to start preventing cervical cancer very early and let’s embrace the way and tools available through proper awareness which remains a powerful tool.
 
“I have never seen anyone since 24 years of my advocacy of breast cancer who visits miracle mountains and other spiritual means and gets cured.
 
“They will finally end up in the hospital after the breast has rotten,” She said.
 
Mrs Akeredolu said that she was extremely elated at the space of BRECAN development, and recalled how BRECAN started 24 years ago when nobody wanted to associate with her probably because of the name cancer.
 
She further stressed that the Inter-School Arts competition was targeted at creating awareness in the young ones through which their parents would be enlightened and give their consents to the cervical cancer vaccination.
 
The Chairperson of Oyo state chapter of BRECAN, Mrs Tolu Taiwo, said that the competition was another means of passing awareness information about the disease to the world to see.
 
Taiwo said that Oyo BRECAN aimed at introducing breast cancer campaign by engaging the young ones in secondary schools through their skills in arts and which they really demonstrated.
 
Twelve secondary schools participated in the competition organised by BRECAN to commemorate the 2021 World Cancer Day Celebration in the state.
The first three winners were given cash gifts and certificates of participation by BRECAN.