Thousands of stakeholders gathered in Asaba, Delta State Capital for the flag off of the Free to Shine Triple Campaign of HIV/AIDS, Syphilis and Hypertitis among women of reproductive age for the South South Zone.
The campaign flagged off by Nigeria First Lady and Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu is geared towards raising public awareness of elimination of mother to child transmission, vertical transmission and treatment of children born with HIV/AIDS.
Senator Tinubu said the free to shine campaign was an advocacy initiative led by the African Union, the Organization of African First Ladies for Development and Global Partners.
‘The goal of this campaign is to address the grey complacencies in the response to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa”
”Nigeria, being the country with the highest burden of HIV/AIDS in Sub Saharan Africa due to its large population, faces significant challenges”
“This burden is particularly severe among children, youths, women, men, and marginalized groups”
”To complement the free to shine campaign, I have also decided to advocate the triple elimination of HIV/AIDS, Syphilis and Hypertitis . The campaign will cover the six geopolitical zones of the nation. We launched the maiden campaign for the North Central Zone in Kwara, followed by the North West Zone in Kaduna.”
Wife of the President stated that according to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in 2024, there were over a hundred thousand children and nearly two million adults living with HIV.
“Also, it is reported that most infants born to HIV positive parents, are not tested within the first two months of birth; largely due to the fact that mothers are not aware or they are ignorant of the consequences of their inactions”
“It is heart breaking to note that just two years ago, 15,000 children aged zero to 14 lost their lives in AIDS related illnesses”
”Each of these children was not just a statistics but represented a future full of potential but was sadly cut short”
”The ongoing challenges faced by children born with HIV emphasize the urgent need for sustained actions to improve infection prevention strategies, enhance diagnosis, and expand access to treatment”
Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, reaffirmed commitment of his administration to supporting all efforts at preventing further spread of HIV/AIDS, and commended the Wife of the President for championing the initiative.
”I am pleased to inform you that the empowerment of women is one of the cardinal objectives of my administration’s MORE agenda.
“We believe that as more women achieve financial independence, they will be in a better position to make better decisions regarding their choices in life.
“Hence, we consider ourselves partners with Your Excellency and OAFLAD in the campaign against these public health challenges.”
In their goodwill messages, Director General of the National Agency for the control of AIDS, Dr Temitope Ilori and the WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo used the occasion to highlight efforts by Nigeria in addressing the challenges posed by the disease.
Minister of State , Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako advocated more funding by state and local governments to complement federal government initiative in combating the scourge of the disease.
”Today we are here again, under your direction, to amplify our voices and work towards the triple elimination of HIV, syphilis and viral hepatitis, three diseases that significantly contribute to morbidities, disability, premature death and hold our people down from achieving their full potentials”.
Highlight of the launch included presentations by two mothers who have been living with HIV/AIDS for about 16 years on their experiences and challenges.
