Abuja, June 11, 2025 – Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called for renewed national commitment and unity in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Syphilis, and Hepatitis, urging stakeholders across health, education, and governance sectors to rise to the challenge of eliminating these diseases from the country.
She made this passionate appeal while speaking at the National Elimination Alliance Stakeholders’ Engagement, held in Abuja, where policymakers, health professionals, development partners, and advocacy groups gathered to review progress and chart a new course in the ongoing public health campaign.
According to Senator Tinubu, while Nigeria has made notable gains in reducing the burden of these infections, significant gaps remain, especially in testing, public awareness, and equitable access to treatment.
“The elimination of HIV/AIDS, Syphilis, and Hepatitis is not just a medical responsibility but a national imperative. We must work together, government, communities, religious leaders, youth, and the private sector, to drive action that leaves no one behind,” she said.
The First Lady, who also serves as the United Nations Champion for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT) of HIV in Nigeria, emphasized the urgency of protecting women and children, noting that mother-to-child transmission still accounts for a large percentage of new infections in the country.
She commended the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Health, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), and international partners such as UNAIDS and WHO, while calling for improved domestic funding and the integration of routine testing into all primary healthcare services.
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, while speaking at the event, noted that Nigeria has seen a 30% reduction in HIV prevalence over the last decade, but added that “pockets of resistance and misinformation still pose threats to total elimination.”
He announced that the Federal Government would be scaling up Point-of-Care testing, particularly in rural communities, and intensifying its awareness campaigns targeting high-risk populations.
Statistics from NACA indicate that approximately 1.7 million Nigerians are currently living with HIV, with tens of thousands more battling untreated Hepatitis B and Syphilis. Many of these cases are underreported due to stigma, limited access to healthcare, and cultural taboos around sexual health discussions.
Oluremi Tinubu concluded her remarks with a call for empathy, education, and collective action, saying:
“These diseases don’t care about ethnicity, religion, or region. Our response must be united, compassionate, and relentless. Every Nigerian life is worth saving.”
The stakeholders’ engagement is expected to yield a renewed national framework for disease elimination, with strengthened collaboration between federal and state governments, civil society, and international partners.
