AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), health-driven NGO, at the weekend claimed that no fewer than 3.4 million people are currently living with the dreaded HIV and AIDS in the country, adding that only 700,000 persons have access to the treatment.

Mr. Adetayo Towolawi, the Country’s Programme Manager, made the disclo­sure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He explained that the fig­ure was worrisome as Nige­ria’s population was about 170 million people, with studies showing that it has the second highest burden of HIV in Africa, only after South Africa.
Towolawi further dis­closed that there were still a huge number of persons who do not have access to treat­ment further urging the Fed­eral Government to scale up funding in HIV response.
“Funding is still a huge challenge, there is a require­ment by UNAIDS for Ni­geria to contribute into the global funds of 13 billion dollar target.
“If our funding contin­ues the way it is now, over 20 million people will die be­tween now and 2030.
“This tells us that about 20 million people are yet to have access to treatment,’’ he said.
Towolawi said in elim­inating HIV and AIDS by 2030, there was need for the government to fulfill its promise of funding, testing and treatment in order to put the virus under control.
He advised the govern­ment not to be dependent on donor partners, adding that South African govern­ment funds 80 per cent of its domestic programmes.
The programme manag­er further said that South Af­rica presently runs the big­gest Anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment programme in the world.
“The Nigeria government needs to express the politi­cal will and step up domes­tic funding.
“Today the world is get­ting complacent and we are beginning to see HIV and AIDS like any other diseas­es, if those tested positive are not placed on drugs, they will certainly die.
“Nigeria is more donor dependent, and the govern­ment needs to invest in HIV to achieve a wealthy econo­my through a healthy popu­lation,’’ he added.
Towolawi expressed con­cern over the country’s low HIV testing uptake, say­ing that about 60 per cent of Nigerians do not still know their HIV status.
He said for a country targeting 50 per cent testing coverage, a robust commu­nity testing drive was need­ed to bridge the yawning gap.
According to him, a lot of progress has been made, however, achieving an AIDS-free generation was possible if more people knew their status and those found posi­tive placed on treatment.
The News Agency of Ni­geria (NAN) reports that AIDS Healthcare Founda­tion is the largest non-profit HIV and AIDS organisation in the world providing health care to over 650,000 patients in 36 countries.
AHF Nigeria has been operating in Nigeria since 2011 and present in six states across the country.

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