Features
Towards HIV/AIDS Eradication In Nigeria
Osagie Enahire
Recently, the Federal
Government re-emphasised its commitment in streng-thening the health sector towards achieving the global goal of eliminating HIV/AIDS by the year 2030. The minister of health, Dr Osagie Enahire who stated this at a news conference to mark the 2015 World AIDs Day with the theme “Getting to Zero: Ending HIV/AIDS by 2030” recently, said that the theme was aimed at zero new HIV infection, zero discrimination and zero AIDs-related deaths.
The health minister maintained that any increase in HIV/AIDS new cases would impact negatively on the health and economy of the nation, revealing that about 3.4 million Nigerians are living with HIV as at the end of 2014 out of the 36.9 million persons living with the virus globally. He maintained that tackling the root causes of vulnerability remained the sure way to achieving the goals.
During the World AIDS Day celebration, the Rivers State Government embarked on free voluntary medical test and treatments across the 23 local government areas as part of the event to mark the World AIDs Day. It was to exploit the services of medical experts in the state to freely handle all such cases towards eradicating HIV/AIDs scourge before 2030.
On its part, the Global Association for War Against AIDS (GAWA), on the sidelines of a sensitisation programme for parents, advised them to educate their children and wards on HIV/AIDS to help reduce the burden of the disease in Nigeria. The Education Officer of GAWA, Mrs Tinuke Lawal while speaking with newsmen in Lagos said it was aimed at teaching parents diverse ways of preventing children from contracting the scourge called AIDS disease. According to Mrs Lawal, parents should educate their children in primary schools as to help them gain knowledge on how to avoid practices that may put them at risk of HIV/AIDS because it is real. “The children need to know about it now that they are little”.
The National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA) embarked on a free HIV counseling programme aimed at covering 30 states of the federation. NACA Head of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Dr Rosemary Adu explained that the programme was a component of the Presidential Comprehensive Response Plan to test 50 million Nigerians for HIV between 2014 and 2015. The plan, she said include free medical care for multiple disease such as malaria, diabetes and hypertension as well as HIV treatment to an additional 600,000 HIV positive patients across the country.
Indeed, one major obstacle to African prosperity in general and Nigeria in particular is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Despite all the advances of modern medicine, life expectancy has continued to fall in much of African countries in the past decades. The human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV) destroys the body’s immune system. More than 30 million Africans are infected with HIV and three quarters of the World’s AIDS deaths occur in Africa as nearly five Africans die of the disease every minute.
Among the most important development issues facing Nigeria is how to strengthen the health sector and improve the overall health status of the population. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce maternal and child mortality in Nigeria cannot be achieved without major improvements in the health status of Nigerian women and children.
Generally, Nigeria is making very slow progress on health-related issues, including maternal and child health indicators compared to most other African countries. Findings have shown that HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is highest in Rivers State, Nigeria. Nigerians are vulnerable to infection because they are poor and lack adequate or sufficient information and education that will keep them away from the scourge. Another factor is that the government which is responsible to take HIV/AIDS case seriously is not doing that, and the cost of preventive vaccine and its management and control are enormous.
Nigeria is currently treating no fewer than 800,000 people living with the virus with the Anti Retroviral (ARV) drug while the federal ministry of health is collecting data of infected persons. Despite the fact that 2014 surveys showed a decline in HIV cases among pregnant women who attend antenatal clinics to 3.0 percent compared to 4.1 percent in 2010, a decline among youths from 6.0 percent in 2001 to 2.9 percent in 2014, government has a lot to do.
There is need for collaboration among stakeholders in the pursuit of preventing and eradicating HIV/AIDS, particularly among adolescents and youths, mother-child transmission as well as accessibility to care and treatment to enable the country achieve the 2030 deadline.
In spite of the remarkable progress in the level of prevention, treatment and care for those living with the virus in Africa and in the world, what is more important is the production of drugs that will cure the virus completely. Most African governments including Nigeria and their partners have made significant financial investments in the HIV/AIDS response but major gaps are still left unfilled in stigma, discrimination and punitive laws persisting in the sub-saharan Africa, which is mostly affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic with nearly 26 million people living with the virus while 800,000 HIV deaths occurred in 2014.
Although HIV prevalence is much lower in Nigeria than in other African countries such as South Africa and Zambia, the size of Nigeria’s population of about 170 million indicates that by now, the rate has risen higher than that of 2014. With AIDS claiming so many lives, Nigeria’s life expectancy has declined significantly. To be candid, Nigeria has a general HIV epidemic but the prevalence varies widely across states and rural or urban areas.
Concentrated HIV/AIDS epidemics occur in particular geographic regions and within certain segments of the population. Nigeria’s epidemic is largely fueled by intersexual and mother-to-child transition, but there are clear identifiable risk groups similar to those in many other African countries. According to the 2007 integrated Bio-Behavioral Surveillance Survey, this is evidenced in a significantly higher infection rate among most-at-risk populations, including commercial sex workers, injecting drug users, and men who sex their fellow men or homosexuals.
Poverty speeds the epidemic’s spread as many Africans and Nigerians cannot afford antibiotics, and so cannot cure other sexually transmitted diseases, which leave them with open sores through which the HIV virus can pass. Migration and war help the virus to cross borders while traders, labourers, tourists and sailors etc. flock from the poorest African countries and even the western world, to the other parts of the world.
At holiday periods such as Christmas, they go home or other places and infect their wives and other persons. Truck drivers and other transporters, soldiers and police as well as miners who often live in single-sex hostels for months or years are surrounded by prostitutes and they carry the virus for thousands of miles, from one rest-stop brothel to another. Wars create surges of refugees, some of whom have no other means of support but commercial sex, all these are disdain for risk and are more likely to contract HIV and horribly prone to spread it forcefully.
Frankly speaking, many adult populations have been having unsafe sex on bed and behind bushes, so it may be impossible to curb the epidemic. Some young women in Nigeria believe that without regular infusions of sperm, they will not grow up to be beautiful and in some parts of Nigeria, men believe that they can cleans themselves of the virus by passing it on to a virgin, just as some think they can achieve the same effect by having sex with a madwoman.
AIDS has devastated many African families and it strikes people in their productive prime, so it has become imperative to reinvigorate all the measures put in place to eradicate the scourge worldwide. A few countries, notably Uganda and Senegal, have, however, fought the epidemic with great success. Uganda, after a laud and inventive anti-AIDS Campaign, adult HIV prevalence crashed from 30 percent in 1992 to 5 percent in 2002.
Nigerian governments should devise more proactive medical policy that will ensure absolute cure of AIDS and other sexually contracted diseases, while there should be regular supply of the available drugs.
Nigerians should cultivate the habit of subjecting themselves to regular medical tests for their well-being while parents should lecture their children on sex education as ignorance of parents and adults on sex education has caused a lot of harm to them and their children. Young men and women should stay away from unprotected sex and make sure they use condom and stick to one sex partner to avoid HIV.
Shedie Okpara
From the fore going, the fight against drug trafficking should be treated as an international challenge with open collaboration, if the world leadership must win the fight!.
The circumstances or should I say the improvement on drug related activities are modifying and updating on daily basis. A close friend of mine in the United States of America who recently visited Jamaica, came with a lot of complicated information about drug trafficking and transaction. Being a qualified Nurse in US and on a visit to the Reggae Country (Jamaica), she said she was put aback when a man approached her and introduced himself as a Pharmacist. According to her, she immediately picked interest due to her professional background. To her, a business partner is birthed. But she was shocked to the narrows on learning that drug dealers or traffickers and subriquited Pharmacist in that Country. From her account, they ( The Jamaican Pharmacists), are the first set to people to meet and greet you at the Airport. No government or authority challenges them in the open due to the sophisticated nature of their transportation
Come to think of it, who would want to attack a Pharmacist on duty? Nigerians are not left out in the improvement on drug deal. A chat with a confident in the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) Rivers State Command, so revealed. The Officer draw my attention to the movement of Dispatch Riders. He said part of the reasons they ride with almost speed equivalent of the thunder lightning, is to meet up with the appointment of delivering hard drug consignment to a client of theirs. According to him, those guys popularly referred to as Yahoo Boys are the ones who now payroll dispatch riders so that they can deliver their consignment ( hard drugs) on schedule no matter the sort of traffic or weather condition. The fear of loosing rich clients and that of the unknown treatment that may come of the Boys, as the officer puts it, drives the Riders crazy thus the reason to speed even at the expense of their lives.
The account of a prominent Party Promoter, Wayne Anthony, as obtained online recently, also pointed out that ‘No Legislation Will Stop Clubbers From Doing Drugs’ Party promoter, Wayne Anthony, arrived in Ibiza, a Spanish Island in 1988, at the same time as dance music and the party drug ecstasy. Despite hallucinating badly enough to make him give up the lifestyle forever, he says laws will never stop clubbers taking drugs. “I don’t think you can control these things,” said former party promoter Wayne Anthony. He arrived in Ibiza in 1988 and began setting up club nights and raves in some of the island’s most iconic venues. In the years that followed, the sleepy Spanish island turned into a raver’s haven of clubbing and hedonism, with party drugs like ecstasy commonly found. “What Ibiza represented was this beautiful, hot island which was visually stunning and we knew you could party there quite legally,” said Wayne. “You didn’t have to look over your shoulder. You could just be as free as you possibly could be.”
That freedom came with a price. Along with the lavish clubs, all-day-benders and hot Spanish sun came drug cartels and crime. The city transformed into one the world’s most vibrant party capitals, “fuelled by a dangerous and lucrative drugs trade which drew as many criminals to its shores as it did party animals”. Wayne, one of the contributors to the documentary, spoke to Sky News ahead of its release.”I’m not going to sit here and say the cartels aren’t there. They are all there and they’ve been there from the ’90s,” said Wayne. But he said most people tried to ignore the organised crime going on around them. According to Wayne, clubbers usually took the approach of: “‘Give me 10 E’s . Behind the scenes of the filming of Ibiza Narcos with Wayne Anthony. Behind the scenes of the filming of Ibiza Narcos with Wayne Anthony. Hallucinating giant spiders Although he described the Balearic island as the “motherland”, it was eventually a bad experience with drugs that convinced Wayne it was time to leave Ibiza.
He’d been partying for days when he realised he’d taken too many drugs. A friend told him to drink cough medicine, dangerous advice that he now says could have killed him. “I saw the worst hallucination I’ve ever seen in all of my life. I ended up locking myself in the villa with all the shutters down. When he sobered up, he realised he had “come to the end” of his party life on the island. “I never looked back. I never took another drug. I got away from the club world.” ‘I don’t think you’re going to be able to stop it’ Despite his life-changing experience, he doesn’t think criminalising drugs is a good idea – or particularly effective. “If you’re old enough to vote for who’s going to be a world leader, if you’re old enough to put your name down on debt for 25 years, I feel like you should be old enough to govern what you put inside your own body, you know?” said Wayne.
Back to Nigeria, some illicit drugs worth over N30billion seized at Onne Port in Rivers State.
This blood chilling development forced the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency at the Onne Port, following what authorities described as repeated incidents of importation of dangerous cargo, including arms and ammunition through the said port. To this effect, the government said it was immediately implementing emergency protocols at Onne Port for the next three months by conducting thorough examinations of all suspected containers in the premises.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, in charge of the port via a press conference, said it henceforth, unveiled the seizures of illicit goods by the Nigeria Customs Service, Area 2 Command, Onne in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State. In defence for his action, Adeniyi said the recurring incidents posed a threat to national security, adding that the health of citizens at the Onne Port is increasingly being used as a destination for dangerous and illicit cargo, describing it as a disturbing trend.
The customs boss stated, “Earlier today, I joined numerous stakeholders to take a significant step towards the cause of trade facilitation through the inauguration of upgraded facilities provided by the West Africa Container Terminal, Onne. “As I express delight that trade facilitation is getting traction in Onne Port, I cannot help but call your attention to a grave concern. This has to do with the repeated incidents of national security breaches unfolding in Onne Port. I appreciate your presence, as we all have a shared responsibility in safeguarding our national security. As we are all aware, the policy thrust of Mr President supports the re-energising of our business environment to drive faster import clearance and grow our capacity for exports, Our emphasis has been to promote initiatives that speak to Trade facilitation and economic development. “It is a matter of regret that criminal elements in the international supply chain are exploiting our pro-trade stance to commit atrocities bordering on national security breaches”.
“The attempts to test our will through the importation of dangerous cargo through this port has necessitated the declaration of a state of emergency in Onne Port, coming on the heels of a seizure of a huge cache of arms a couple of months ago. It is disheartening that perpetrators have not backed down on their illegal acts. Recent intelligence and seizures have revealed a disturbing trend; Onne Port is increasingly being used as a destination for dangerous and illicit cargo. The scale and nature of these illegal importations pose a significant threat to our national security and the health of our citizens. Today, we are here to showcase yet another series of significant seizures made by the diligent officers of the Area 2 Command. On display are twelve containers of illicit goods intercepted through a combination of intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration, and meticulous physical examination. Seizures on Display include: Three (3) x 40-feet containers: Containing 562,600 bottles of 100ml cough syrup with codeine and 3,150 pieces of chilly cutters, with a Paid Duty Value (DPV) of N4,716,573,846.
“Others are, three x 40-feet containers containing 380,000 bottles of 100ml cough syrup with codeine, 24,480,000 tablets of Royal Tramadol Hydrochloride, 5,350,000 tablets of Tapentadol and Carisoprodol, and other items, with a DPV of N17,432,506,000 were seized”.
According to the report, more seized items were, “Five (5) x 40-feet containers; Containing 892,400 bottles of 100ml cough syrup with codeine, 1,300,000 tablets of 50mg Really Extra Diclofenac, 7,250,000 tablets of 5mg Trodol Benzhexol, and other items, with a DPV of N8, 128,568,295,90. This very action of the Nigeria Customs Service, further complicated the hope of how soon the fight against drug trafficking could be brought to a halt owing to its high profile nature.
Another hair-raising report of the illicit drug deal has it that when NDLEA bursted a Snake-Guarded Shrine Used For Storing Illicit Drugs sometime ago in Edo State. This very news report was published in The Tide Newspaper on June 24, 2024. According to the report, NDLEA said its operatives uncovered a shrine, guarded by a snake, being used for storing illicit drugs, during an operation in Edo State. The Agency in a statement by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, added that its operatives discovered a specially constructed large hole in a wall, hidden behind wallpapers and fetish objects used for drug storage. It further noted that methamphetamine, Loud, Colorado and Arizona, all strong strains of cannabis with a total weight of 8.743kg among others, were recovered from the shrine.
To be cont’d
King Onunwor
The persistent clash between farmers and herders in Nigeria has been a longstanding issue. These conflicts, often, over resources like land and water, have led to loss of lives, destruction of property, displacement of large numbers of people, deep-seated mistrust between communities and insecurity. Herders, traditionally nomadic, move their livestock in search of grazing land and water. Farmers, on the other hand, require the same resources for their crops. This competition often leads to clashes, especially in areas where land is becoming increasingly scarce due to population growth, climate change, and environmental degradation. As these clashes intensify, there has been a growing call for sustainable solutions. Two weeks ago, President Bola Tinubu took a bold step towards tackling the issue by inaugurating the Presidential Committee on Implementation of Livestock Reforms and creating the Ministry of Livestock Development.
The committee which has the president as the chairman and the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega as the deputy chairman has the mandate to address obstacles to agricultural productivity and open up new opportunities which benefit farmers, herders, processors, and distributors in the livestock-farming value chain as well as propose recommendations aimed at fostering a peaceful co-existence between herders and farmers, ensuring the security and economic well-being of Nigerians.The establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development was part of the recommendations of the National Livestock Reforms Committee. Part of the 21 recommendations submitted to the president include: “This agenda should include the establishment and resuscitation of grazing reserves as suggested by many experts and well-meaning Nigerians and other methods of land utilisation.
“Create the Ministry of Livestock Resources in line with practice in many other West African countries. In the alternative, Federal and State Governments should expand the scope of existing Departments of Livestock Production to address the broader needs of the industry,” among others. Experts in the agricultural sector have posited that the livestock industry can create millions of jobs directly in farming, processing, and distribution, and indirectly in related sectors like feed production, veterinary services, and marketing. It provides livelihoods for rural populations, helping to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life in rural areas. It also increases the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and foreign exchange earnings through the exports of livestock and livestock products such as meat, dairy, wool and leather.
According to them, a well-funded livestock industry supports the growth of agro-processing sectors, such as meat packing, dairy processing, and leather manufacturing, adds value to raw products and creates additional economic activity as well as stimulates the development of supply chains, including logistics, packaging, and retail, contributing to broader economic growth. It enhances economic resilience by diversifying the agricultural sector and providing a buffer against crop failures or other agricultural shocks and many more. Some other agriculturists have also opined that the livestock industry in Nigeria is currently underdeveloped and that by the creation of the ministry of livestock development will open up the industry which will be a huge money spinner for Nigeria.
Reports have shown that a Livestock Ministry can play a pivotal role in mitigating conflicts between farmers and herders by implementing policies and programmes aimed at fostering coexistence and sustainable resource management. The Ministry can work towards clearly demarcating grazing routes and farming areas. This would reduce instances of trespassing and accidental crop destruction, a common flashpoint for conflict. While introducing rotational grazing systems can ensure that land is used sustainably, preventing overgrazing and land degradation, establishing water points and boreholes specifically for livestock can reduce competition for water resources. Similarly, promoting the development of pasturelands through reseeding and controlled burns can improve grazing conditions.
According to a veterinary doctor, Dr Andrew Obadiah, by providing training for herders on sustainable livestock practices and for farmers on conflict resolution, both parties can understand the importance of coexistence. He said that extension services of the ministry can offer advice on improving livestock health and productivity, reducing the need for large herds and extensive grazing. “Setting up local committees involving both farmers and herders to mediate disputes can provide a platform for dialogue and peaceful resolution. Encouraging community-based conflict early warning systems can help prevent clashes before they escalate”, he emphasised.For Mrs. Stella Ugwu, a farmer, having a ministry dedicated to the development of the livestock industry can help in diversifying income sources for both farmers and herders and in turn reduce dependence on land.
”For instance, promoting agro-pastoralism can provide farmers with livestock and herders with agricultural produce”, she explained, adding that providing incentives for adopting sustainable practices, such as subsidies for fodder production or crop insurance, can ease economic pressures. Ugwu was however of the opinion that the creation of a new ministry to handle livestock affairs was uncalled for, since the job can effectively be done by the Technical and Service Department of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and food security and its equivalent on the states level.In some countries, the establishment of a Livestock Ministry or similar bodies has shown promising results. For example, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture includes a dedicated department for livestock which has successfully implemented programmes to improve pastoral livelihoods and reduce conflicts.
In Kenya, the establishment of the National Drought Management Authority has helped manage resources better, thus reducing clashes between herders and farmers during dry seasons.The president of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Othman Ngelzarma, sees the Ministry of Livestock Development achieving the same feat for Nigeria in the near future. He told newsmen that, “MACBAN expresses its deepest appreciation to the Federal Government for creating a ministry of livestock to unlock the trillion-naira livestock economy and create qualitative and productive jobs across the value chain to improve the Nigerian economy. With this development, MACBAN believes the hope of the Nigerian pastoralists is now achieved under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
However, the Middle Belt Forum took a different view of the proposed Ministry of Livestock Development, saying it was not enough to sustainably resolve the decades-long farmers-herders crisis in the country. According to the National President of the association, Mr. Bitrus Pogu, what is needed to end the perennial farmers/herders clashes is a deliberate action by regulatory bodies and the government to stop criminal elements from carrying out deadly attacks on innocent Nigerians, mainly farmers. Hear him: “If the reason for creating the Ministry is to stop clashes, I think it is wrong because all of these attacks and killings that are happening have nothing to do with conflicts between farmers and herders. “Farmers have never connived at any given time to go and attack herders, but rather, criminals who happen to be Fulani gang up and attack farmers, kill, maim and chase them out of their ancestral homes.
“Then, the Fulani will come and occupy them. So, it is more about invasion, criminality, and terrorism. And the majority of those they hire to do these evils are not even those who have cattle. So, a deliberate action has to be taken by the government against the perpetrators, which will address the criminality.” Mr. Pogu suggested that the government should adopt ranching for productivity and enduring peace between the pastoralists and farmers in particular and the entire country in general.While the establishment of a Livestock Ministry presents a viable solution, it is not without challenges. Funding constraints, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and corruption can hamper its effectiveness. Additionally, deeply ingrained cultural practices and mistrust between farmers and herders can be difficult to overcome.
Critics argue that without a holistic approach that includes land reform, climate change adaptation, and broader economic development, a Livestock Ministry alone may not be sufficient. Therefore, it must work in tandem with other governmental and non-governmental bodies to ensure comprehensive solutions. “A dedicated Livestock Ministry, with its focus on sustainable resource management, conflict resolution, and economic incentives, offers a promising avenue to address the root causes of these clashes. However, its success depends on effective implementation, adequate funding, and the cooperation of all stakeholders involved. With the right strategies and commitment, devoid of any political or selfish interest, it can play a crucial role in fostering peace and prosperity in affected regions”, they advised.
Calista Ezeaku