UN extols Nigeria’s progress in tackling HIV

Dr Leo Zekeng, Country Director and Representative of UNAIDS made the commendation in Abuja, at the one-day stakeholders’ meeting on the proposed assessment of the HIV situation in the humanitarian and conflict settings in Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the event centred on assessing HIV service provision in conflict settings through collaboration with the Institute of Public Health, of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Also, to promote knowledge-sharing and generate evidence to advance HIV-related interventions, as well as ending inequalities and leaving no one behind in the humanitarian and conflict settings in Nigeria.

Zekeng said, “Through the support of the international community and under the leadership of the government, Nigeria has made tremendous progress in addressing HIV in the country.

“We have about 1.6 million people on treatment out of the 1.9 who are living with HIV and AIDS: we also have registered, reduced new infections.

“Policies, strategies are in place. Institutions are in place, but we are also aware of the situation of the humanitarian conflict prevailing, unfortunately, in some states in the northeast and northwest of the country.

“We are also aware of about 80,000 refugees coming from neighbouring Cameroon. So, the global AIDS strategy is all about leaving no one behind and ensuring everybody can have access to comprehensive HIV services.

“We thought it fit as UN, in close collaboration with UNAIDS, UNHCR, IOM, UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF and UN Women under government leadership, to find out the impact of conflict and humanitarian situation on HIV vulnerability and risk.”

This, according to the country director will ascertain which services are available in those areas, who are the implementers, what are the scales and the scope of those services, as well as the quality of those services.

He said such will help generate evidence that can advance policies for planning and programming, adding that it’ll boost resource mobilisation and relevant awareness on ending AIDS by 2030 and leave no one behind.

“It shows the interest, not only in an epidemic which continues to be a public health threat but also the willingness of different stakeholders under the convening role of the UN to undertake such an important initiative.

“The data collection should be starting soon. It will be in two weeks’ time and it is our hope that before June, the latest finding will be available.

“So the purpose of this deep dive looking at the HIV situation in the humanitarian and conflict situation in Nigeria, you are raising the number of states.

“Although we wish to have resources to go everywhere, because of financial constraints we are limiting ourselves to only five states.

“We are happy to see the support of the government through NACA, civil society organisations, implementing partners, people in HIV and AIDS, key population, to ensure as we end AIDS, nobody is left behind”.

“We already engaged rural communities. We have 1.6 million people on treatment, we still have a gap of about 300,000 people to fund. Some of them are in urban communities, some in rural areas,” he added.

Dr Tosin Oni, a participant from the Institute of Public Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, underscored the need for research to be conducted to tackle HIV-related challenges in communities.

According to Oni, people within communities tend to be forgotten, because they are not in normal settings: therefore, this programme is targeted at assessing the situation of HIV service provision.

“We are looking at five states, Benue, Taraba, Yobe, Cross River, and Borno. So, the choice of these states was informed by the huge number of IDPs, and of course, the availability of partner support.

“Also is the availability of manpower to carry out research, so that is what the project is basically about, as academia, we have expertise in carrying out research.

“This is why the university is handling this programme and by the time we are done, the results will be published, even for audiences elsewhere, outside the five states, across Nigeria and even, outside Nigeria.

“To really see what is going on regarding HIV service provision in crisis and conflict settings in Nigeria. Government and community-based organisations should pay attention to people in conflict and crisis settings.

“They need voices, people to come and really see what is going on in their domain; it is when donors, government and civil society, organisations are aware of what is going on that intervention can be achieved,” Oni said.

The points of the event were the presentation of study objectives on the HIV situation and conflict setting in Nigeria, the design, methodology, implementation and progress, question and answer, and final review of data collection tools and logistics.