The Federal Government has restated its commitment to achieving the global target of ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, as Nigeria joined the international community to mark the 2025 World AIDS Day.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, gave the assurance on Monday at the State House during the national commemoration, with the theme “Overcoming Disruptions; Sustaining Nigeria’s HIV Response.”

The event was organised in collaboration with the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).

Salako noted that government had introduced several programmes and invested more than N300 billion to strengthen HIV/AIDS response and supported health agencies nationwide.

He added that Nigeria had increased domestic funding for HIV interventions to reduce dependency on foreign aid, with expanded local production of antiretroviral drugs and test kits improving national self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability.

Salako said HIV testing, counselling and treatment coverage continued to expand, with about 1.6 million Nigerians currently on antiretroviral therapy out of an estimated 1.9 million people living with the virus nationwide.

The Federal Government in 2024 inaugurated the Free to Shine Campaign, championed by the First Lady, to eliminate HIV, syphilis and tuberculosis, particularly preventing mother-to-child transmission.

In spite of the absence of a cure or vaccine, Nigeria aims to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, transitioning HIV into a manageable, endemic condition through sustained treatment and prevention efforts.

In her remarks, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, said the country had recorded notable progress in HIV prevention, treatment and care.

She urged continued commitment to ensure all Nigerians in need accessed lifesaving services.

The First Lady stressed that ending AIDS required compassion, innovation and continuous advocacy.

She emphasised the need to tackle persistent stigma and discrimination, saying every Nigerian deserved dignity and non-judgmental access to healthcare.

Mrs Tinubu noted that national efforts over the past year had focused on eliminating vertical transmission, expanding paediatric HIV treatment, and advancing local sustainability of the HIV response across all states.

She applauded the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; the National AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Programme (NASCP); and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) for their continued support.

She said that the Federal Ministry of Health had also played a crucial role in advancing national progress, noting that the combined efforts of those institutions had significantly strengthened the fight against HIV/AIDS nationwide.

Mrs Tinubu added that, in partnership with the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), the Free to Shine Campaign had expanded its reach across all six geopolitical zones of the country.

She said the initiative was promoting the elimination of HIV, hepatitis and syphilis among mothers and children, strengthening early testing, treatment access and preventive healthcare services nationwide.

The First Lady warned that Nigeria’s response remained heavily donor-funded in spite of shifting global financing trends.

She called for increased local investment to prevent disruptions to critical HIV services.

She disclosed that the Federal Government had approved the disbursement of 200 million dollars to support HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programmes, while NACA was engaging state governments to ensure long-term ownership of the national response.

Director-General of NACA, Dr Temitope Ilori, said stigma was gradually decreasing and Nigeria was on track to end AIDS as a public health threat, in spite of recent global and economic disruptions.

Ilori noted that challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, economic fluctuations and declining donor support, had strengthened Nigeria’s resolve to build a more self-reliant, sustainable and homegrown HIV response.

She stated that adult HIV prevalence had dropped to 1.4 per cent, with an estimated 1.9 million Nigerians living with the virus, reflecting progress made through improved access to treatment and testing.

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, represented by Permanent Secretary Daju Kachollom, described the effort to sustain Nigeria’s HIV response amid disruptions as both timely and essential.

She said Nigeria had weathered pandemics, economic shocks and pressure on the health system, yet remained resolute in its commitment to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat through strengthened sector reforms.

Walson-Jack added that HIV services continued to be integrated into broader health-sector reforms, including the Health Sector Renewal Initiative and revitalisation of primary healthcare, to ensure more resilient service delivery nationwide.

The Movement for the Survival of the Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND) has decried the neglect of communities in Obolo Nation and others in the Niger Delta Region

MOSIEND also called on the stakeholders to empower the youths in skill acquisition and other meaningful ventures to better their lives

This call was on Rhythm 93.7 FM Port Harcourt, Radio program, Talk of the Town, by MOSIEND Eastern Zonal Coordinator of MOSIEND Half Hour Comrade Tammy Bruce Longjohn, alongside Asarama Clan Chairman, Comrade Amos Zebedee Udu, and Unyeada Clan Chairman Comrade Owen Wilson Ngere monitored by our correspondent

The spokepersons underscores the urgent need for government agencies and development partners to respond decisively to the dire state of basic amenities in the area.

MOSIEND leaders in Obolo Nation lamented the absence of potable water, electricity, access roads, and other functional public infrastructures in the clans

“What is troubling is that these complaints continue to echo without corresponding action from the Rivers State Government, the Niger Delta Development Commission, and the oil companies operating in and around the area”.

According to the MOSIEND leaders, the situation has reached a point where community members, particularly youths and women, require deliberate intervention to rebuild livelihoods and restore hope.

They also emphasised the need for empowerment programmes, vocational training, and investments in local economies that depend heavily on fishing and trade.

The Clan leaders call for provision of small engine boats for fishermen and the construction of proper market spaces for the communities

Asarama Clan Chairman, Comrade Udu noted that the community participates fully in electoral processes yet continues to live without clean water or electricity.

He insisted that the clan is not benefiting as they ought to from any MoU with oil companies nor from NDDC projects, raises concerns about the fairness and inclusiveness of development planning in the state.

Equally troubling is the account from Unyeada Clan Chairman, Comrade Owen Wilson Ngere, who highlighted the alarming state of Unyeada Primary School, where children are forced to learn on bare floors without desks, chairs, or basic sanitation facilities.

” For a region that hosts oil and gas activities, such conditions are unacceptable and should concern all stakeholders”.

The Unyeada Clan Commended NDDC for the installation of solar lights in the communities, noting that the project is not enough for the entire community as they
appeal for more of the solar project in the area

While the leaders expressed appreciation to Governor Siminalayi Fubara for the ongoing construction of roads in the area, and to the local council Chairman for the provision of potable water in some communities, .

“Obolo Nation has shown remarkable restraint and continues to maintain peace, as noted by the MOSIEND Coordinator”.

“The issues highlighted are not demands for luxury,but are basic necessities that every community in the Niger Delta deserves.

“The time for promises has passed; what Obolo communities need now is visible, sustained, and inclusive development.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Federal Government over reports that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited spent N17.5 trillion in a single year on securing fuel pipelines, describing the development as unprecedented and alarming.

Atiku made the remarks on Sunday in a statement from his media office, stressing that the revelation stands as one of the most brazen financial scandals in the nation’s history.

The statement compared the alleged spending to Nigeria’s fuel subsidy expenditure over more than a decade, saying: ”For clarity, Nigeria spent roughly N18 trillion on fuel subsidy over a period of 12 years, a national programme that directly cushioned millions of Nigerians, stabilised the transport sector, and helped keep food prices manageable.”

According to the statement, the Tinubu administration had channelled almost the same amount in a single year into opaque security contracts.

“Yet, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the country has now expended nearly the same amount in a single year on the same subsidy and opaque pipeline security contracts awarded to private firms tied to associates and cronies of the President.

“Indeed, the action of the President is akin to robbing Peter (Nigerians) to pay Paul (cronies). This is not governance. This is grand larceny dressed as public expenditure,” the statement added.

The ex-Vice President also questioned the Tinubu administration’s justification for subsidy removal.

”Nigerians were told to tighten their belts, endure
hardship, and ‘make sacrifices.’’

“However, the same administration has now channelled N17.5 trillion—an amount that could transform Nigeria’s power sector, rebuild our refineries, or fund universal healthcare—into opaque security contracts whose beneficiaries are conveniently linked to those in power,” he stated.

Pastor Tunde Bakare, Serving Overseer,
Citadel Global Community Church has urged the Federal Government to suspend all non-essential gatherings in vulnerable areas nationwide, and place them under emergency patrols.

Bakare made the call at a State of the Nation news conference titled: “The Darkness before Dawn” held at the Citadel Global Community Church in Lagos on Sunday.
The pastor noted that while such measures might appear as militarisation of affected communities, they remained essential and temporary steps of neutralising terrorism in Nigeria.
“The suspension of mass gatherings and increased emergency patrols measures must be taken to prevent further mass kidnappings.”

He lamented that terrorists have intensified their attacks on Nigerians from the moment the U.S President, Donald Trump, redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over allegations of a government-tolerated killing of Christians.
“In a space of one week, troops were ambushed and some killed, dozens of secondary school students abducted in Kebbi, worshippers in a Church in Kwara attacked, kidnapped, some killed and hundreds of students from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri town, Niger kidnapped.

“The level of insecurity seems to have worsened in response to the global focus on Nigeria as terrorists and bandits brazenly dared the Nigerian state.

“While we rejoice at the release of some of the kidnapped victims, including the Kebbi schoolgirls and the Kwara church worshippers, as well as escape of some of the pupils kidnapped in Niger , the continued attacks on communities further underscore the need for fundamental interventions.
“These interventions go to the very essence of our nationhood and the quality of governance in both domestic and foreign policy contexts.”

Bakare noted that years of leadership failure to confront the nation’s underlying crises finally came to a head.
“It is sad that it took the United States Congress—not the representatives elected by Nigerians (National Assembly) to convene a hearing on the lived experiences of citizens suffering under insecurity.”

According to him, to position Nigeria strategically in the shifting global order, an integrated approach is required, one that would involve a critical review of our governance structure, security architecture, and geo-economic strategy.
“From convening the Save Nigeria Group to accepting the invitation to be running mate to late president Muhammadu Buhari, to sponsoring the Nigerian Charter for National Reconciliation and Integration at the 2014 National Conference, I have been guided by a realisation.

” The best of the North and the best of the South must come together at the table of brotherhood to forge a strong and united Nigeria,” he said.

Bakare said It is the failure of state institutions over the years that transformed a local revolt into a vicious terrorist movement and other unresolved grievances.

“The state’s failure over decades , to address long-standing disputes between Hausa farmers and Fulani pastoralists allowed local tensions to mutate into a sophisticated and deeply entrenched network of terror.

“Whether the violent attacks are motivated by land grab, ethnicity, religion or all of the above, the situation is the height of failure to guarantee security and welfare of the Nigerian people.”

“The Nigerian state has a responsibility to invade camps of armed marauders who hide under the cloak of herdsmen of whatever ethnicity, and who invade defenceless communities and gleefully massacre unarmed men, women and children.

” From the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to the Eastern Security Network (ESN), to the so-called unknown gunmen, the reaction has ranged from a revolt against the Nigerian state to sheer criminality.

“The trial and sentencing of Biafran separatist, Nnamdi Kanu, which took place at the same time that Donald Trump shifted the world’s attention to Nigeria, has tended to reopen old wounds.

” It is time for Nigeria to
truly heal from the Civil War. It is time for the Nigerian state to take concessionary steps to ensure equity for the South East.

According to Bakare, at the 2014 National Conference, the progressives were convinced that Nigeria does not need the creation of additional states.

” We strongly believed that what was needed was the consolidation of states into geopolitical zones, rather than the further balkanisation of non-viable states.

“However, for the sake of trustful give-and-take, and in the spirit of equity, we, at the Committee for Political Structure and Forms of Government, aligned with our Committee Chairman, elder statesman, retired Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, and advocated an additional state for the South East.

“Concessions such as these will lay the groundwork for genuine integration and inclusion in the South South, which includes Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers. Years of environmental degradation and resource control disputes led to militancy.”
The pastor also reiterated the call for restructuring Nigeria to ensure cohesion and unity.

“While we acknowledge ongoing efforts of President Bola Tinubu to swiftly address the situation—from the declaration of emergency on security to mass recruitment into the police force—we urge him to rise up to the occasion and restructure Nigeria.
Bakare also suggested that the Federal government should render an apology and compensation to victims of terrorism nationwide.

“This would entail opening a Victims and Survivors Register and the President would tender an apology on behalf of the Nigerian state to communities across the nation, calling each community by name, and, possibly, some of the families most gruesomely hit in the attacks.”

On the issue of state police, Bakare said that the President must not leave the process to state governors or the Governors’ Fora of the various zones.
“A nationally driven approach to devolution of policing powers will ensure that the right checks and balances are put in place to prevent subnational executive overreach.”

He said the one-year National Youth Service Corps should be replaced with a two-year scheme, the first year of which would be deployed toward military training and deployment.

The pastor called for standardisation of the nation’s Identity Management System with a view to answering the question, “Who is a Nigerian?”

He also recommended a constitutional referendum to give Nigerians a say on ongoing reforms, such that Nigerians would have the opportunity to determine how they intended to be governed.

Bakare pointed out that by directing that police officers be withdrawn from elite protection to actual policing duties, President Tinubu has already taken a step in the direction of one of our earlier recommendations.

“To Nigerians across the nation, let us not despair. Let us instead hold fast to our conviction regarding the destiny of our nation, rest assured that our story will soon change for the better,” he added.