Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has launched a N41.2 billion FCT HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan (FSP) 2025–2027 aimed at eliminating the scourge in the territory as a public threat by 2030.
The Mandate Secretary FCTA Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolape Fasawe, said at the unveiling yesterday that the roadmap would aggressively tackle stark demographic disparities, structural stigma and a massive 98% funding gap within that period.
In her keynote address read by Dr. Dan Gadzama, she said while the FCT has achieved a 100 per cent Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) initiation rate among identified patients, its HIV burden had persistently remained above the national average since the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS).
The survey indicated that a staggering 98 per cent of children requiring HIV treatment are currently left unsupported, with only two per cent receiving care, while key populations (including sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs) account for 12 per cent of new infections but remain underserved due to deep-rooted social stigma.
“If we continue business as usual, the 2030 target to end AIDS will be a mirage. The FSP 2025-2027 changes the rules of engagement,” Fasawe warned.
The Project Manager, FCT Agency for the Control of AIDS (FACA), Dr. Doris John, in her welcome address, said the document represented the collective will, the rigorous analysis, and the unwavering commitment of every stakeholder at the unveiling.
She said the clock was ticking towards the 2030 target to end AIDS as a public health threat, urging the media to help demystify the stigma surrounding HIV- AIDS.