A non-governmental organisation, AIDS Healthcare Foundation has urged youths to avoid risky behaviour associated with unsafe sex by embracing the use of condoms.
Country Program Director, AHF Echey Ijezie said this during a day programme to mark this year’s International Condom Day (ICD) organised in collaboration with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
He said the use of condom has contributed to the reduction of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.
Ijezie said there was a need to step up awareness on the use of condoms in the country.
He said: “It (use of condoms) is a message we teach and propagate and we want everyone to embrace. We want our youth to reduce the risk associated with unsafe sex. Even if they want to engage in sex it has to be safe sex.
“Condom advocacy is necessary because of millions of cases worldwide. We want improvement in the use of condoms. The young ones need improvement and sensitisation so as to do better when it comes to the use of condoms.”
An Assistant Director with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Ezinne Okey-Uchendu said Nigeria has about 600 million condoms.
She called for more interventions to bridge the condom gap in the country.
The Director Advocacy, Policy and Marketing, AHF Africa, Oluwakemi Gbadamosi urged Nigerians not to be ashamed of using condoms during sex.
She said Nigeria is still getting a high rate of infection as a result of non-use of condoms.