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Tag: Sani Aliyu

  • HIV: National survey on AIDS out by March 2019

    …75 per cent of the country covered 

     

    The result of the national survey of people living with HIV/AIDS will be out early next year, the Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Sani Aliyu has said.

    Aliyu who spoke yesterday in Abuja while addressing the media on the 2018 World AIDS day celebration also said works will be completed by this December.

    In Nigeria, 2018 World AIDS Day commemoration is taking place under the theme: Know your status.

    This year marks the 30th anniversary of the First World AIDS Day. Events to commemorate the 2018 World AIDS Day have commenced with a call on all stakeholders to work towards realising the importance of HIV testing in order for people to know their HIV status. 

    World AIDS Day is held each year on 1st December. It is an opportunity for every community to unite against HIV, show support for people living with the disease and remember those who have passed away due to AIDS.

    NACA DG revealed that that the survey has been carried out 27 states of the Federation, which represent 75 per cent of the entire work.

    The survey was embark upon early this year to determine the actual number of Nigerians living with the virus. The agency had argued that previous records branded by the country was based on guest work and not through a verifiable means.

    He said: “The result of the survey will be out hopefully by March. We have done at least 75per cent of the 36 states in the federation. We are now in web 5 and 6 of the survey. And by the end of this week and early next week we will have only about 6 states left to go. And we expect the field work will finish by 21st of December.

    ” There may be a need to do some cleaning up in early January. We are now dealing with states that have either difficult terrain or security concerns. So we are going on to Borno, Yobe, Zamfara and Benue. But you will get the results and the result will be interesting and it will provide us with more leverage to get more resources for the HIV programme,” he said.

    Read Also: HIV/AIDS: Oyo records low level of stigma cases

    On end Mother to child transition of HIV, Aliyu noted that the country is still facing some challenges as “only about 50% of pregnant women come for ante natal care.”

    He however said the agency will continue to embark on awareness programmes so as to get more pregnant women attend ante natal care.

    Speaking on the World AIDS Day, he said “it is an opportunity to remind the public of the importance of testing for HIV. Having a HIV test is an essential step towards accessing life-saving HIV treatment. As we progress towards putting everybody living with HIV in Nigeria on treatment, NACA will continue to push for increased resources to be dedicated for HIV prevention activities, which include improved access to HIV testing and widespread availability of self-test kits. Get a HIV test today, it may be the most important decision you take and could save your life.”

    “The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day “Know your status” is particularly apt since the Country’s 2017 treatment data shows that the main challenge towards attainment of the country’s targets is that of having many people living with HIV in Nigeria know their status.UNAIDS launched the new report on ‘Knowledge is power’ that highlights how providing a variety of testing options and services, such as community-based testing and home-based testing, can help mitigate many of the logistical, structural and social barriers to HIV testing”said the UNAIDS Country Director, Nigeria, Rex Mpazanji.              

    One of the highlights of this year’s national commemoration will be a formal ceremony with participation from high level government officials, representatives of people living with HIV, development partners, as well as adolescents and young people. Participants will listen to speeches on issues related to HIV testing under the theme ‘know your status’.

    A series of activities are planned across the country, including voluntary HIV testing and counselling on the streets, markets, church, mosque, IDP camp and other places. A strong social media engagement is underway to link people living with HIV, young people, women and girls’ networks and associations with decision makers at all levels. 

  • Don’t discriminate against workers living with HIV/AIDS – NACA

    The National Agency for the Control of AIDS ( NACA ) has cautioned employers of labour in the country not to discriminate against their employees with HIV.

    Dr Sani Aliyu, the Director-General, gave the advice in a statement issued by the Head, Public Relations and Protocol of the agency, Mrs Toyin Aderibigbe, in Abuja on Monday.

    The DG said that cases of employment-related stigma and discrimination remained a major challenge to ending AIDS epidemic by 2030.

    The statement quoted Aliyu as saying: “The pandemic of HIV/AIDS has become one of the most critical workplace issues in our time.

    “The unequal treatment of workers based on their HIV status in the workplace is a clear breach of their right to gainful employment.

    “People living with HIV/AIDS have a fundamental right to work just like everybody else, stigma and discrimination are potent threats to this right, and undermine opportunities for people to obtain decent employment.”

    Aliyu said that the agency would continue to collaborate with relevant agencies and organisations to achieve the goal of eliminating stigma and discrimination in workplaces.

    “The continuous engagement of relevant stakeholders has led to strengthen capacity for compliance and effective implementation of HIV workplace policies.

    “It has also built capacities on available options for addressing discrimination including redress, and made available legal services for survivors of human rights violations,” he said.

    The DG added that the agencies and organisations involved in the advocacy included the International Labour Organisation, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment among others.

    He noted that the collaboration would ensure that employers comply with the provisions of the National Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS, and the National HIV/AIDS Anti-Discrimination Act.

    We recall that the HIV and AIDS (Anti-Discrimination) Bill was signed into law in 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The Act makes it illegal to discriminate against people because of their HIV status.

    It also prohibits any employer, individual or organisation from requiring a person to take HIV test as a precondition for employment.

    NAN

  • Ending HIV, AIDS by 2030: NACA extends strategic outreach programme

    The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) says it has further extended its Strategic Travelers’ Outreach Programme (STOP) to some West African states as one of the approaches aimed at ending HIV and AIDS in 2030.

    Dr Sani Aliyu, Director-General, NACA, said in Abuja on Friday that the agency would conduct sensitisation programme as part of STOP on the platform of Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organisation (ALCO).

    He said the success of the previous STOP programme in 2013 along key transport corridors in Kano (Wudil), Kogi (Obajana), Enugu (Obollo-Afor) and Ogun (Shagamu), informed the choice of ALCO as a veritable platform for sensitising more people to the need for fighting HIV and AIDS.

    According to him, NACA engages a reputable AIDS service organisation and through a collaborative and community-driven process, designs STOP which has been useful as one of the approaches to stopping HIV and AIDS.

    He said the previous survey revealed several social structures indicative of high levels of transactional sex.

    “The associated knowledge, attitude and practice survey showed that a majority of respondents were sexually active transport workers and over a third of them had between two and five sex partners within a year.

    He also said 62 per cent of transport workers reported more than one regular sexual partner, observing that only 7 per cent of the respondents reported mean sex with their spouses.

    “Majority of respondents knew a location where they could get tested but only about half of the respondents had ever been tested for HIV.

    “Knowledge about condoms was high, with 93 per cent having heard about condoms at all the survey sites but only 70 per cent of all the respondents reported having ever used a condom.

    “The assessment also showed that there are still gaps between the knowledge of HIV and sexual behavior necessary to curb the spread of HIV as well as high risk behavior along the transport corridors of Nigeria.

    Read Also: NACA to check high prevalence of HIV among key populations

    He said the findings would enable NACA and other stakeholders plan and pilot interventions to identify and address policy issues and develop relevant strategies for effective interventions.

    According to him, the goal of NACA is to address all HIV and AIDS challenge prevalent in Nigeria, Ghana, Republic of Benin, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire corridors through the support of ALCO.

    Speaking on the importance of transport workers in the programme, Dr Anthonia Ekpa, a director in the Federal Ministry of Transportation, said it was imperative to stimulate them for the purpose of getting them to know what their responsibilities ought to be in that regard.

    “We have an overriding responsibility to bring them together in the ministry and advise them on what to do as they constitute sections of the society

    In his remark, Dr Erasmus Morah, Country Director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), applauded ALCO initiative.

    He said transport workers and those who could identify themselves as sex workers were involved in the programme because their activities affected the economy and social life that needed collaboration.

    ALCO is a sub-regional organisation that supports policies for development, health and free movement in its member states Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Togo.

    ALCO is an actor in the coalition’s health to identify and validate currently known key drivers in the management of the epidemic in the corridors.

    NAN

     

  • 200,000 living with HIV in Oyo – NACA DG

    200,000 living with HIV in Oyo – NACA DG

    Dr Sani Aliyu, Director-General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS ( NACA ) says an estimated 200,000 people are living with HIV in Oyo State.

    He made the disclosure on Tuesday in Ibadan during a courtesy call on Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State at the executive council chamber of the governor’s office.

    The delegation led by Aliyu, included representatives of relevant international donor and funding agencies like WHO.

    Aliyu stated that only 16,000 out of the estimated 200, 000 persons living with HIV in the state are currently on treatment.

    “We have a gap between the number of infected persons and those on treatment. We have a gap between infected pregnant women and those receiving treatment.

    “We also have issues with the number of new infections recorded,’’ he said.

    The NACA boss stated that 10, 000 pregnant women in Oyo State are living with HIV, adding that about 50 people contact HIV in the state on a daily basis.

    He stated that the state has a considerable figure in terms of new infections, commending the state government for running one of the best programmes on HIV/AIDS.

    Aliyu said that there are 1,060,000 people living with HIV in Nigeria, out of which only five percent were currently on treatment courtesy of the Nigerian government.

    The NACA boss stated that about one million Nigerians are currently on treatment on the bills of the international donor agencies.

    He said that NACA had proposed to the state government to contribute 0.5 or One percent of their federal allocation towards HIV/AIDS.

    Aliyu stated that such contribution by state governments would allow the states to put another 50 per cent of infected persons on treatment.

    “For instance, we have 16,000 already on treatment. If the state can put 0.5 percent of the allocation, the state will be able to put 8,000 on treatment,’’ he said.

    He assured the governor that they are willing to work with his government to ensure that people living with HIV across the state have access to quality and affordable treatment.

    In his response, Gov. Ajimobi assured the delegation of his administration’s readiness to partner with them to bring the figure of infected people to a barest minimum if not totally eradicated.

    Ajimobi, who was represented by his deputy, Chief Moses Adeyemo said his administration would support the donor agencies with funds and human capital towards the eradication in the state.

    NAN

  • FG’s partners commit $100m to rebase HIV epidemic in Nigeria

    FG’s partners commit $100m to rebase HIV epidemic in Nigeria

    Federal Government’s partners in the fight against HIV/AIDS have set aside US$100 million to conduct a national survey to rebase the epidemic in Nigeria.

    Dr Erasmus Morah, Country Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ), made the disclosure in an interview on Sunday in Abuja.

    He said that most support for the survey would come from the United States Government and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

    Morah said available data showed that Nigeria has about 3.2 million people living with HIV, with a prevalence of about 3.2 per cent.

    “Some people feel that Nigeria doesn’t have as many as 3.2 million people living with HIV, while others feel that more than 3.2 million people are living with it in Nigeria.

    “We need to take a closer look at its prevalence in Nigeria. A national survey will tell us the exact prevalence in the country,’’ he said.

    Morah said the survey would be conducted in 2018.

    He said that UNAIDS was providing support to Nigeria to own and sustain funding the HIV response.

    Morah commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent commitment to maintain 60,000 people living with HIV on treatment.

    He also commended the efforts of the president to care for additional 50,000 people on treatment each year, using domestic resources, as part of Nigeria’s HIV Fast Track plan.

    President Buhari’s groundbreaking commitment to care for additional 50,000 people was made in a statement issued on his behalf by the Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Sani Aliyu.

    He made the statement during the side-event on the HIV Fast Track at the 72nd UN General Assembly in New York.

    “I envision a situation in future where the Nigerian government will be paying for antiretroviral drugs, test kits and other consumables that its citizens rely on to remain alive, healthy and productive,” he said.

    NAN

  • Court arraigns six suspects using graveyard as hideout

    Court arraigns six suspects using graveyard as hideout

    A Grade 1 Area Court in Karu, Abuja, on Monday granted N 10, 000 bail to six men who were accused of using a cemetery in Karu as a criminal hideout.

    The defendants are Sadiq Umar, Nafiu Maladi, Sani Aliyu, Danjuma Manga, Bello Idi and Sanusi Abdullahi.

    They were all charged with the offence of public nuisance, which the police said contravenes section 198 of the penal code.

    The Presiding Judge, Mr Hassan Ishaq, admitted the defendants to bail. Each of the accused would provide a surety in like sum.

    He added that the sureties must reside within the jurisdiction of the court and submit their drivers’ licence or National Identity cards and passport photographs with the Court.

    The police prosecutor, Mrs. Ashasim Helen, told the Court that members of the public had repeatedly reported the criminal activities of the defendants at the Muslim Cemetery in Karu.

    She said on Sept. 9, a team of Police officers from Karu Police station led by CSP Patrick Akwarandu raided the graveyard and arrested the defendants.

    She stated that during police investigation, the defendants confessed to using the cemetery as a hideout for perpetrating evil such as theft, hand bag snatching, extortion etc.

    She added that they committed the evil acts in the night and weapons such as cutlasses and knives were recovered by the police from the black spot.

    After listening to the charge, the defendants pleaded not guilty and the matter was adjourned until Dec. 20 for hearing.

    NAN

  • HIV Vaccine Advocacy Day: World inching closer to licensable HIV vaccines

    Dr Sani Aliyu, the Director-General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), says the world has made significant progress on HIV vaccine research and it is inching closer to licensable HIV vaccines.

    The director-general made this known at news conference as part of activities to commemorate the 2017 World HIV Vaccine Advocacy Day on Thursday in Abuja.

    Aliyu said the world has made significant progress in HIV vaccine research over the last 30 years when HIV was discovered.

    According to him, in 2009 the vaccine field achieved proof-of-concept that a preventive HIV vaccine is possible.

    He said: “In 2012, three different HIV vaccine development approaches are moving to efficacy trials simultaneously; two the three are vaccine candidates and the third is a vaccine related approach.’’

    The director-general said NACA is working with the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) to fast-track HIV vaccine research in Nigeria.

    Aliyu said that Nigeria has invested heavily in the planning and preparing for HIV vaccine research to be conducted in the country, with several competent researchers in the field in Nigeria.

    He said Nigeria also had a National HIV vaccine plan to provide a framework and facilitate the process of research.

    He added that NACA’s dream was to ensure that Nigerians have access to an effective HIV vaccine soon.

    “While we wait for this research breakthrough, we shall continue to facilitate access of Nigerians to existing HIV prevention tools.

    “Elimination of Mother to child Transmission of HIV is a priority for the country and a goal that must be achieved,’’ Aliyu said.

    He said the agency is working to ensure all barriers to access to treatment are removed.

    Mr Godwin Odemijie, representative of New HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Society, an NGO, said May 18, 2017, is the 20th Anniversary of HIV vaccine advocacy day.

    Odemijie said the day is to remind policy makers, partners and key stakeholders the need to develop vaccine to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

    “We will continue to talk about the prevalence of AIDS not total elimination if we don’t have a vaccine in place, it is a potent vaccine that can really check the incidence of HIV,’’ he said.