It is not called 'obiri na aja ocha' (AIDs) for nothing! Will you be alive and healthy when Biafra is restored? Nothing can save you from AIDs/HIV but you! AIDs/HIV is real and have no cure and may never have, what you do with this information is your business ::|:: Despite $bn grants, Nigerians, economy, under HIV/AIDS’ threats

The future of Nigerian economy and youth hang in the balance of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS, despite foreign aids and domestic financing efforts that have run into billions of dollars within two decades.
World Health Organisation WHO report indicates 60,000 children Nigeria were infected with the virus in 2012, while about 300,000 new infections occur annually among people aged 15 and 24, representing 60 percent of total infection in the country, according to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNIAIDS.
Nigeria is currently faced with domestic funding challenges as it struggles to rev its 25 percent contribution to overall funding for managing the disease, even as fears are rife that donors may soon trim aid. Consequently, tiers of government have set N263billion target to be raised together with the private sector to manage the disease in the next two years, pursuant to the realization of President’s Goodluck Jonathan’s Comprehensive Plan on HIV/AIDS.
Foreign donors have consistently provided 75 percent of required fund for managing HIV in Nigeria for over a decade. Former United States Ambassador to Nigeria earlier this year told National Mirror that no less than $3billion (about N450billion) had been committed to the fight HIV/ AIDS and general improvement of Nigerian health system in the past decade by the US government. This is done mainly through US Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR.
Besides, his successor, Ambassador James Entwistle, in the 2013 release of PEPFAR’s programme in Nigeria said with the support of PEPFAR, about 540,000 men, women and children are on HIV treatment. In Financial Year 2013 alone, approximately 572,000 people have been reached with community outreach programs promoting prevention of HIV; nearly 6.7 million people have been reached with HIV counseling and testing services; about 47,000 pregnant women have been provided antiretroviral drugs for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV; approximately 790,000 adults and children living with HIV/AIDS have received care to support quality of life, including TB/ HIV care services and; about 530,000 children orphaned by AIDS and other vulnerable children received care and support.
Currently, Nigeria remains second world’s most endemic nation with HIV/ AIDS, coming after South Africa which has 6,100,000 of its 51, 770, 560 population (2011 census) living with the disease, according to UNAIDS, South Africa. This is the position both countries have occupied for over a decade. And, Nigeria has 3.4million people living with the disease.
2012 reports on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria have shown more teenagers and children live with HIV in Nigeria, which according to findings is transmitted through failure of appropriate authority to provide needed services, monitoring children’s lifestyles by guardians among others. This development greatly worries WHO at the moment; and it has made this the focus for 2013 commemoration of HIV/AIDS.
“More than 2 million adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years are living with HIV, and many do not receive the care and support that they need to stay in good health and prevent transmission. In addition, millions more adolescents are at risk of infection,” WHO said in its recent report.
Out of 60 million people that have died of HIV/AIDS, three million were Nigerians, said Director General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Prof John Idoko at this year’s World AID’s Day Conference in Abuja earlier this week. According to him, it will be impossible to lay the foundation for the pandemic’s end without greater progress in reducing new infections among adults and children.
He put the prevalence of HIV infection in Nigeria at 3.4 percent of the nation’s population currently estimated 170 million. “3.5 million people are living with HIV, out which 1.5 million are in need of treatment. This number will go up with the adaption of the new WHO guidelines on ART,” the NACA boss said. He informed that there had been reduction in HIV prevalence in many of the 12+1 states namely Benue, Akwa Ibom, Ogun among others.
Besides, out of estimated three million people requiring antiretroviral treatment, Nigerian government is able to provide for 600,000; a 100,000 above those who benefited last year. Key challenges facing the Federal Government according to Idoko include: increasing the number of people on treatment to 50 percent of those in need that is 1.5 million people; getting to test 40 million persons annually; stigma and discrimination; mobilizing local resources and innovative financing among others.
President Goodluck Jonathan had responded to disaster inherent in the pandemic by instituting the Presidential Emergency Response Plan on HIV/AIDS. This aims at combating HIV/AIDS for two years.
According to the President, “the plan will provide HIV testing for 40 million Nigerians; provide treatment for more than 1 million HIV positive persons requiring treatment; and provide Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission services to about 250, 000 HIV positive pregnant women.”
But, like other programmes in Nigeria which have been unsuccessful, Nigerians awaits the result of the plan. Meanwhile, given the current circumstance where more children are infected with HIV, the prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme of government may be judged to be unsuccessful in Nigeria. According to Emeritus Prof Umaru Shehu, most Nigerians women do not have access to health facilities, which make them to give birth at home. Lack of access to these facilities by mothers plus inadequate health personnel remain huge challenge in Nigeria.
UNAIDS said less than 30 percent of pregnant women have access to PMTCT services. More infections occur, daily, and, in effect, more children are born with the virus. This expectedly will put enormous strain on the nation’s resources while the children and the youth productivity will unarguably be negatively affected.
HIV/AIDS has remained the first disease in history that has defied all medications. Nigeria must be in the vanguard of nations that will bring this disease to a halt, through enhanced research and development of its manpower, including all institutions that will help in achieving global goal.
The world is looking towards zero-free HIV generation as this year’s commemoration theme is “Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections”. In his address to commemorate 2013 World AIDS Day, United Nation’s Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon called on nations to commit more effort to global target of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths to help ensure a future free of AIDS.
He said there were significant decreases in new infections and deaths, from HIV/ AIDS.
He said further “As revealed in the UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report for 2013, there are still worrying signals that some regions and countries are falling behind. We are making advances in reaching vulnerable populations through efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination, but there is still much to do to end this problem. We must recommit to breaking the remaining barriers, including punitive laws and social exclusion, so we can reach all people who lack access to HIV treatment and services.”
He urged that to create conditions for an AIDS-free generation, nations must step up efforts to stop new HIV infections among children and ensure access to treatment for all mothers living with HIV, even as he called for action to end the discrimination and violence against women which he said cause terrible harm and increase risk of HIV infection and death from AIDS.