The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has urged Federal Government to provide necessary support to the states to achieve the targets and commitments set at the United Nations high-level meeting on tuberculosis held in 2018.According to the state chief executives, the targets and commitments expect that by 2022, Nigeria will be back on track in its efforts to end TB by 2030.
NGF made the call, yesterday, in a statement issued by its Chairman and Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, to commemorate the World Tuberculosis Day.
The statement read in part: “This day provides the opportunity for the entire world to intensify public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic impact of tuberculosis, as well as renew our commitment to accelerate efforts at the national, state, local government and community levels to eradicate TB in Nigeria.
“Tuberculosis is an airborne disease that affects millions of people regardless of socio-economic status. Though it is preventable and curable, it has remained the deadliest infectious disease globally.
“Currently, Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest burden of TB, ranking first in Africa and sixth globally.”
According to Fayemi, “It is estimated that about 18 Nigerians die of TB everyday which translates to 432 people monthly and 157,000 yearly.”
He said that over the last decade, government and partners had implemented various interventions to ensure that people with TB are found and treated.
“However, the advent of Covid-19 pandemic and its control measures in 2020 further impacted on the health system, including TB services, setting back progress made.
“Despite this setback, the government, in partnership with other stakeholders, is working to address these challenges.”
Meanwhile, National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA) has said it is committed to ending HIV in the country by 2030, as it trained and empowered 180 indigent young people living with the virus in Lagos State.
At the 2021 graduation ceremony and presentation of certificate to the beneficiaries of the empowerment and skills acquisition programme in Lagos, yesterday, the Director General of NACA, Dr. Gambo Aliyu, said the participants were trained to be skillful in beautification, hairdressing, makeup and confectionery, among others.
Aliyu said the exercise was organised to reduce new HIV infections in line with the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) strategy to get HIV epidemic under control by 2030.
By Matthew Ogune,
The Guardian