NASS to prioritise fight against HIV/AIDS – Saraki
By Ezrel Tabiowo and Taiye Odewale
Abuja
Former African leaders under the aegis of Champions for an AIDS-Free Generation, yesterday declared that about 5.7million Nigerians, representing 3 percent of the nation’s 170 million population are currently living with the deadly HIV / AIDS.
The group, which was represented by a former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, and a former Vice-President of Uganda, Speciosa Wandira-Kazibwe, raised the alarm when they visited the Senate President Bukola Saraki, in his office, in company with some UNAIDS
officials.
The group was expected to be led to the National Assembly by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who, however, missed the trip because he was in Lusaka, Zambia.
They urged the federal government to intensify efforts towards curbing the spread by deploying human and financial resources to the relevant agencies, currently dealing with the scourge.
Specifically, the ex-Botswana leader urged the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to deploy similar energy and resources it currently employs in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency, to fighting the scourge of HIV/ AIDs.
“AIDS is like cancer, it grows. It is only when we pay attention that we will be able to prevent it. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS requires intensive technical competence. Government should not look back in subsidising the anti-retroviral drugs and ensuring its availability and accessibility,” Mogae said.
He said his group had noted that most Sub-Saharan countries were currently experiencing an alarming rate in the spread of the disease, because they seemed to have relaxed in the war against the scourge.
Mogae also urged Nigerian leaders to get more involved in the war in order to encourage the agencies fighting it scourge, adding that the country is currently next to South Africa in terms of HIV / AIDS prevalence.
In his response, Senate President Saraki, said the National Assembly will continue to give required attention to the fight against HIV/AIDS in the country.
The Senate President stated that the leadership of the National Assembly is not only concerned about the spread of HIV in Nigeria, but Africa as a whole.
He assured of the legislature’s support, including appropriating adequate funds to agencies in the country that are devoted to tackling the pandemic.
Saraki, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu, in Abuja said: “We all know the importance of the fight against HIV/AIDS. You made a point that it seems we are beginning to relax concerning the danger posed by the disease.
“The initiative you have taken to raise more awareness is commendable. We, in the National Assembly will continue to champion advocacy and creation of awareness concerning the scourge including making necessary budgetary allocation to aid the fight.
“We did it in the case of polio. When I was the Governor of Kwara State, we, the governors across the country, saw that there was no coordination between the federal government and the state governments on the efforts being made to eradicate polio.
“We organised a seminar where we sat with the Bill Gates Foundation, to chart a new way
forward. This resulted in the resounding success we witness presently.”
