The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha has called on all State Governments to champion the course towards a sustainable partnership for a vibrant HIV/AIDS response in the country.
Mr Mustapha made the call in Abuja at a presentation ceremony for the stewardship of HIV Response in Nigeria 2007 to 2022.
The event was also held to mark the 15th anniversary of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in Nigeria.
In a message via zoom, the SGF, who highlighted the importance of partnership and the harmonization of all HIV intervention programmes in the country, charged state governors to take ownership of the mandate for greater impact.
The director-general, NACA, Dr Gambo Aliyu, presented its landmark achievements in HIV response from 2015 to 2021.
Dr Aliyu said Nigeria was on the verge of achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target of eradicating the virus.
According to him, recent statistics showed that their are fewer persons living with HIV and AIDS, (2 million) less than the assumed number (3.4 million). A representative from Global Fund, Jean Thomas, said his organization had expended over $1.17 billion on health Interventions in Nigeria.
HIV/AIDS alone, he said, gopped $328 million, a support “necessary for the largest black nation in the world”.
The high point of the event was the unveiling of the National HIV Response Cordination Report 2015-2021 by Mr Mustapha.
NACA was established on February 22, 2007, with the mandate of coordinating the response of HIV/AIDS in the country.
Reporting by EMMANUEL KUTARA; Editing by Tony Okerafor