The First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, convened a meeting with the wives of state governors in Abuja on Thursday. The gathering aimed at updating the governors’ spouses on critical matters affecting the nation.
“In recent times, I have been sharing experiences from the First Ladies of other nations to help me position myself appropriately for the task ahead. Some of the things I discovered were that HIV/AIDS is still very prevalent in Nigeria”.
“Estimates from the 2023 Spectrum by the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey, there are about 1.98 million persons living with HIV/AIDS in the country. Adults aged 15 years and above make up about 1.8 million People Living with HIV (PLWHIV), of which 1.1 million are adult women. Equally, 1 in 7 babies born in the world is a Nigerian Child, underscoring the significance of the nation’s role in the global fight against AIDS. Children contribute 23% of new HIV infections in Nigeria, almost four times more than the 8% contribution of key populations, this is according to the Mode of Transmission Study. These statistics are alarming, embarrassing, and unacceptable.”
Senator Tinubu, through her SA Media, Busola Kukoyi, stressed the importance of the forum in facilitating communication and coordination among the first ladies. She highlighted that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has initiated measures to ensure a legacy that transcends generations.
Highlighting the vulnerability of children and youth to HIV/AIDS, the First Lady expressed her commitment to working alongside governors’ wives to complement the President’s efforts.
“I have got the agreement of the Honourable Minister for Health, Professor Ali Pate on a partnership with the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI to increase advocacy on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, also working with all the State First Ladies to ensure that Nigeria achieves an end to HIV/AIDS by the year 2030”.
She emphasized the need for a unified message to combat the scourge and safeguard the future of the nation.
“We did during the Ebola Virus and COVID-19 pandemic”. Reiterating the theme for the 2023 World AIDS Day “Let Communities Lead” Senator Oluremi Tinubu stated that they will be taking the advocacy to the traditional rulers, religious leaders of various faiths, community leaders, educational institutions, and the nooks and crannies of the nation. “It is a war we can win and we must win”.
“I would be using education as a tool to champion the #we are equal” campaign of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development, OAFLAD aimed at Closing the gender gap in Africa and the “free to shine” campaign of OAFLAD, to address the growing complacency in the response to childhood HIV in Africa, knowing that an educated and well-informed women folk will be able to make informed decisions about GBV, the epidemic, HIV/AIDS and others.”
Seizing the opportunity, Senator Tinubu unveiled the upcoming Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme (RHIESS), scheduled for December 21, 2023. The initiative will be simultaneously implemented across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
As part of RHIESS, Two Hundred and Fifty (250) elderly persons in each state will receive One Hundred Thousand Naira each, alongside medical screening and additional benefits. Drafts totaling Twenty-Five Million Naira were presented to the First Ladies of each state during the forum. These funds are earmarked for distribution to beneficiaries, a responsibility expected to be handled by the respective offices of the State First Ladies.