Nigeria

Only 1.8 million people of the 6.5 million people living with HIV in western and central Africa were on antiretroviral therapy at the end of 2015. This 28% treatment coverage of people living with HIV in the region contrasts with the 54% coverage in eastern and southern Africa in the same year.

In response to this HIV treatment shortfall in western and central Africa, UNAIDS, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners in the region have developed country emergency catch-up plans to accelerate the AIDS response. These plans call for tripling HIV treatment coverage within the next three years.

At a meeting on the sidelines of the 70th World Health Assembly to support the catch-up plan, health ministers and other representatives of countries in the region vowed to strengthen government leadership, make structural changes in their health systems and strengthen accountability.

The meeting, which was organized by the WHO Regional Office for Africa and UNAIDS, was attended by the health ministers of Benin, Burkina Faso, the Central Africa Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Liberia and Nigeria and representatives of Cameroon, Guinea and Sierra Leone. They all collectively agreed to put in place strong measures to accelerate HIV treatment in their countries.

All the participants agreed that health-service delivery models had to be transformed, notably by community health workers taking a bigger role in health-care delivery. WHO and UNAIDS will continue to work with the countries as they implement their plans for increasing access to HIV treatment.

UNAIDS is working with countries to achieve the commitment in the 2016 United Nations Political Declaration on Ending AIDS of ensuring that 30 million people living with HIV have access to treatment through meeting the 90–90–90 targets by 2020.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé hailed Nigeria for having halted the spread and reversed the trend of its AIDS epidemic during a visit to the country from 7 to 10 February. He also urged the political leadership to increase domestic funding for the response from 22% in 2012 to 45% by 2020.

During his visit, Mr Sidibé met with the Vice-President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, and urged the government to increase its support for the Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Week, with the aim that all pregnant women are tested for HIV by the end of 2016 and all women who test HIV-positive have immediate access to antiretroviral therapy. The health week has proven to be an excellent opportunity for pregnant women to know their HIV status. During the health week in 2015, for example, Kaduna State reported testing 84 000 pregnant women for HIV in a first round and an additional 126 000 in a second round.

Mr Osinbajo told Mr Sidibé during the meeting that Nigeria was making huge budget allocations for social investment programmes, in part to increase access to health care and help end the AIDS epidemic.

Nigeria was invited to participate in the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, scheduled for 8 to 10 June, and to play a leading role in the development and adoption of its political declaration.

Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world, with 3.4 million people living with HIV in the country in 2014. However, with increased investment in the AIDS response from Nigeria and its partners, the situation has improved in the past decade. New HIV infections dropped from 310 000 in 2004 to 230 000 in 2014, and coverage of antiretroviral therapy increased from 13% in 2011 to 22% in 2014, providing more than 747 000 people living with HIV with access to life-saving medicine.

During his visit, Mr Sidibé also met with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Environment, development partners, the Dangote Foundation; pharmaceutical companies and civil society; as well as the UNAIDS Champion and former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo. 

Isah Mohammed Takuma is married and has a one-year-old daughter. At 32, he is a university graduate and currently serves as the National Coordinator of the Association of Positive Youths Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

He says he draws daily inspiration from his personal experience to support HIV prevention efforts in Nigeria. “I was 19 when I first had sex. I thought one time was not enough to get infected with HIV,” he said.

Even when he started to fall sick, he simply could not believe that HIV was the cause of his health troubles. He was 23 when he tested HIV-positive and his life changed forever.

“It was a nightmare and I had to go through hurdles to recover. My CD4 count was low; my viral load was high. I was like a walking corpse,” Mr Takuma recalled.

Antiretroviral treatment soon put him back in good health. He returned to university and completed his studies much later than planned, but he was happy to be alive and healthy again.

At university, he started a support group for young people living with HIV. He told his story to peers as a way to prevent new HIV infections. “Many other people in my class got to know their HIV status because of my efforts, and I am really proud about that,” Mr Takuma said.

The Nigerian Government reports that more than 6.7 million people were tested for HIV in 2014 and that it continues its efforts to expand treatment, with coverage at 22% in 2014. The global treatment target set for 2020 is that 90% of people living with HIV are on life-saving antiretroviral therapy.

Despite the challenges that people living with HIV face in the country, Mr Takuma said the fact that he and his wife have an HIV-free child “tells the story of what Nigeria’s HIV response has done in the lives of many young people like me.”

Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world. In 2014, 3.4 million people were living with HIV in the country, of which 380 000 were children below the age of 14. HIV prevalence among young women between the ages of 15 and 24 was 1.3% in 2014, almost twice as high as it was for their male counterparts.

Like Mr Takuma, Faith, 16, is passionate about advocating for HIV prevention among young people.

The soft-spoken and cheerful student was born with HIV but only got to know her status at the age of 10. However, she started on antiretroviral treatment when she fell ill two years ago.

She is now healthy and advocates for treatment for all. “I have even been on radio to speak about HIV,” she said. “We want adolescents and youth to understand that it is possible to have a normal life without any stress.”

“We also want to take part in international engagements to share our stories and be an inspiration to other girls and young people,” she said.

Faith views her involvement with the Association of Positive Youths Living with HIV in Nigeria as vital to ensuring that women and girls enjoy healthy and productive lives.

She aspires to graduate as a nurse to help save lives in Nigeria.

A multimedia campaign led by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation in conjunction with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PEPFAR, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, UNICEF and UNFPA has prompted more than 47 000 young people to seek HIV testing and counselling services in Nigeria.

An educational initiative, On Tour with MTV Shuga—created around the award-winning drama series MTV Shuga—trained 160 Nigerian peer educators to facilitate HIV testing and to spread information and positive messaging based on the show in their communities. Of the more than 47 000 young Nigerians who were tested for HIV, 688 were found to be HIV-positive and were referred for HIV treatment.

Since its launch in 2009, MTV Shuga—a modern day drama about love, sex and relationships among Nigerian youth—has reached up to 550 million people worldwide, while 40 million people have been reached via social media. A total of 122 broadcasters are currently lined up to air the new season IV of the show. Among the topics covered in the new season are first sex, grooming of adolescent girls, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, disclosure of HIV status, sexual assault within a relationship, stigma, mentoring and the use of helplines.

On 1 May, Workers’ Day, UNAIDS joined up with the International Labour Organization’s VCT@WORK initiative to scale up voluntary counselling and HIV testing in Nigeria.

The VCT@WORK initiative aims to increase access to HIV testing services in the workplace and refer people living with HIV to HIV treatment, care and support services. It also aims to empower workers by providing them with information about HIV and encouraging them to find out their HIV status.

As part of the initiative, the Nigeria Labour Congress organized events throughout the country’s 36 states, bringing together workers, professionals, students and members of civil society organizations. Nearly 6000 Nigerian workers—including 1300 young people—took an HIV test. People who tested positive for HIV were referred to appropriate health services for follow-up.  

In Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), service providers linked to the National Agency for the Control of AIDS provided free multidisease screening, which included HIV testing and measurement of blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index. This multidisease screening approach has proved to be effective in increasing the uptake of HIV tests and offers more value to workers who come to test. The FCT was selected since it is one of the 13 states that account for 70% of people living with HIV in Nigeria.

The VCT@WORK initiative of the International Labour Organization and the UNAIDS ProTest HIV initiative are joining forces to expand the reach of HIV testing to workers and young people worldwide. Both initiatives aim at demystifying and normalizing HIV testing and are exploring ways in which this can be achieved.

The President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has signed a new antidiscrimination bill into law that protects the rights and dignity of people living with HIV.

The HIV/AIDS Anti-Discrimination Act 2014 makes it illegal to discriminate against people based on their HIV status. It also prohibits any employer, individual or organization from requiring a person to take an HIV test as a precondition for employment or access to services.

It is hoped that the new law will create a more supportive environment, allowing people living with HIV to carry on their lives as normally as possible. More than three million people are living with HIV in Nigeria.

The telecommunication company Etisalat Nigeria is partnering with UNAIDS to help disseminate information about the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Nigeria.

Under the arrangement, Etisalat Nigeria’s 21 million subscribers will receive regular information through SMS text messaging on how to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and where to seek relevant health-care services.

The two-year initiative will support the efforts of Nigeria’s National Agency for the Control of AIDS to increase the number of pregnant women seeking prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services in the country.

In 2013, Nigeria accounted for 22% of mother-to-child transmission of HIV cases globally. In November 2014, Nigeria unveiled its national operational plan for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV for 2015–2016, which bolsters efforts to stop new infections among children and keep their mothers alive. The plan will help Nigeria to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2020.

How to realize Africa’s potential for the future of all its peoples and build international support for the continent’s development were key questions explored in the first session of the Africa Rising Forum held this week in New York.

Taking place at the Africa Center and organized by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the 22 September event brought together a number of African heads of state, United Nations partners, and leaders from African civil society and the business community.

They examined how to move beyond simply talking about the need for broad-based economic transformation and sustainable development to taking concrete steps to make them a reality, especially with regard to the post-2015 development agenda. 

A session on ensuring shared prosperity looked at ways to improve investment and resource mobilization, champion entrepreneurship and ensure social protection. Another stressed that development cannot be achieved without the existence of good governance, peace, security and respect for human rights.

It was agreed that ensuring health for all was a critical facet of Africa’s rise, and that ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 now a realistic goal. There was also a consensus that the continent’s rise should not only be measured in terms of overall wealth generated but by the inclusiveness of socioeconomic progress that leaves no one behind.

GENEVA, 14 January 2014—UNAIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria express deep concern that access to HIV services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people will be severely affected by a new law in Nigeria––further criminalizing LGBT people, organizations and activities as well as people who support them.

The new law could prevent access to essential HIV services for LGBT people who may be at high risk of HIV infection, undermining the success of the Presidential Comprehensive Response Plan for HIV/AIDS which was launched by President Goodluck Jonathan less than a year ago.

The health, development and human rights implications of the new law are potentially far-reaching. Homosexuality is already criminalized in Nigeria. The new law further criminalizes LGBT people, organizations and activities. The law states, “A person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisation, or directly or indirectly makes public show of same sex amorous relationship in Nigeria commits an offence and is liable to conviction to a term of 10 years imprisonment.” The law also criminalizes any individuals or group of people who support “the registration, operation and sustenance of gay clubs, societies and organisations, processions or meetings in Nigeria.” The conviction is also 10 years imprisonment.

Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic globally––in 2012, there were an estimated 3.4 million people living with HIV in Nigeria. In 2010, national HIV prevalence in Nigeria was estimated at 4% among the general population and 17% among men who have sex with men. 

The provisions of the law could lead to increased homophobia, discrimination, denial of HIV services and violence based on real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. It could also be used against organizations working to provide HIV prevention and treatment services to LGBT people.

In the 2011 United Nations Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, all UN Member States committed to removing legal barriers and passing laws to protect populations vulnerable to HIV.

UNAIDS and the Global Fund call for an urgent review of the constitutionality of the law in light of the serious public health and human rights implications and urge Nigeria to put comprehensive measures in place to protect the ongoing delivery of HIV services to LGBT people in Nigeria without fear of arrest or other reprisals. UNAIDS and the Global Fund will continue to work with the Nigerian authorities and civil society organizations to ensure safe access to HIV services for all people in Nigeria.

UNAIDS and the Global Fund urge all governments to protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, through repealing criminal laws against adult consensual same sex sexual conduct; implementing laws to protect them from violence and discrimination; promoting campaigns that address homophobia and transphobia; and ensuring that adequate health services are provided to address their needs.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners to maximize results for the AIDS response. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

In a World AIDS Day statement, H.E. Goodluck Jonathan, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria announced his Government’s plan to step up the country’s AIDS response with his leadership and commitment. “No Nigerian should be allowed to die of AIDS, they must take charge and take an HIV test,” said President Jonathan.

A new national initiative to test 30 million people for HIV in 2014 was launched at an event held in the Bwari state of Nigeria by the Federal Minister of Health Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu. According to Nigerian government  more than 80% of men and women in Nigeria report to never have been tested for HIV.  The Minister of Health led by example and took an HIV test to kick-start the HIV testing campaign. He was joined by UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Dr Luiz Loures, and the UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Nigeria Dr Bilali Camara who also took the test to mark UNAIDS support to this landmark campaign.

Dr Loures conveyed his assurances of the full support of UNAIDS and  the entire UN family to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Government of Nigeria in the implementation of the Presidential Comprehensive Response Plan to respond to AIDS which was launched earlier this year