PROTOCOLS
- Today, Nigeria once again joins the global community to commemorate World AIDS; a day of remembrance, to recalibrate, and renewed commitment. We honour those those living with HIV/AIDS daily, but annually, December 1st present us with the opportunity to highlight their resilience, reflect on those we have lost, and celebrate the remarkable progress we continue to make as a nation in ending HIV/AIDS as a disease of public health concern.
- Today, we also have with us the mother of the nation, our Chief Public Health Champion whose commitment to the health and well being of the average Nigerian remains unparalled. Your Excellency ma, permit me to use this years celebration to thank you for your consistent advocacy, resources mobilization and moral support for HIV/AIDS prevention and control in our country which you have engaged in over several decades.
- As the first lady of Lagos State under the New Era Foundation, you were at the forefront of HIV/AIDS prevention campaign, as distinguish senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you deployed priority attention to end the scrounge and now as the mother of the nation, HIV/AIDS continues to receive your consistent attention through several interventions under the Free to Shine Campain and the Renewed Hope Initiative. Thank you ma for being a mother to all, including Nigerians Living With HIV/AIDS.
Under, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, despite global challenges like economic pressures, dwidlling of overseases development assistance, conflicts and supply chain disruptions, Nigeria has remained steadfast in protecting the gains of the past and making further progress. I am proud to report that Nigeria has recorded significant achievements across the HIV continuum especially in ensuring access to life saving ART including paedatric formulations. We have surpassed UNAIDS target by putting 98% of Nigerians LWHA on treatment, met the second target of 95% viral supression and on the way to ensuring that at least 95% of Nigerians with HIV knows their status.
We are making significant progress in our HIV prevention strategies, scalling up awareness campagins, ensuring pre-exposure prophylaxis expansion by providing diverse options including long acting formulary in hundreds of facilities nationwide to reach adolescents, key populations, sero discordant couples and individuals at higher risk.
PWLHA are now being provided with access to annual liver and kidney function tests through expanded health insurance coverage.
Our data systems are getting strengthened with improvements in real-time monitoring, better forecasting, stronger accountability mechanisms and data-driven decision-making, and more efficiency. In the sprit of more efficiency, Nigeria is moving steadily toward fully integrated HIV, TB, Malaria, Nutrition, and RMNCAH services. This integrated approach will ensure that children, and adolescents can access multiple essential services during a single visit thus reducing missed opportunities and improving health outcomes.
Recently at the 66th National Council on Health, the consent age for voluntary HIV counselling and testing was reduced from 18 to 14 years in line with international best practice relevant to our context. This measure is designed to increase testing test rate among adolscents leading to aerlier diagnosis, better access to care and reduction in transmission. The NCH also approved the institutionalization of the National Clinical Mentorship Programme (NCMP) within our health system and advised State Ministries of Health (SMoH) to integrate clinical mentorship activities into their annual operational plans and budgets.
Ladies and gentlemen, while we celebrate progress, we also recognize persistent gaps—new infections among young people, stigma, and inequities in service access. These gaps remind us that ending AIDS is possible, but only if we work together with renewed determination.
I call on all stakeholders; states, partners, civil society, communities, the private sector to strengthen collaboration, scale innovation, and accelerate our march toward the 2030 goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat.
Your Excellencies, distinguish ladies and gentlemen, ending HIV/AIDS is not just about healthcare, it is about justice, dignity, and the future of our children and young people. Nigeria under President Tinubu is on the way to eliminating HIV/AIDS as public health threat and with our mother, Senator Oluremi Tinubu CON personally leading this battle, I see us reaching this target before the globally set date of 2030.
Let us therefore renew our resolve to stand with people living with HIV, eliminate stigma and discrimination, ensure equitable access to treatment and prevention, support every child, adolescent, and adult living with HIV to thrive, an secure a healthier, stronger Nigeria.
And so with peace and plenty, Nigeria shall be blessed.
Thank you for your attention.
