REMI TINUBU MEETS WITH STATE GOVERNORS’ WIVES IN ABUJA
Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady of Nigeria, met in Abuja with the spouses of state governors.
In a message sent to the spouses of the governors on Thursday and signed by her SA Media, Busola Kukoyi, Senator Tinubu said that it was now necessary for the forum to take place in order to provide them with updates on matters, particularly those that have an impact on the country.
“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”.
The First Lady reaffirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and his government have put mechanisms in place to guarantee that a lasting legacy is left for future generations and unborn children.
Knowing that children and young people are the most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, she says she will work with governors’ spouses to support the president’s efforts by making sure that a sick generation is not left behind.
“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 emphasised that they must come together with a unifying message to fight the scourge and save 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”.
She took advantage of the conference to let the gathering know about the Renewed Hope Initiative Elderly Support Scheme (RHIESS), which is scheduled for December 21, 2023, and will take place concurrently in all 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Each state will provide two hundred and fifty (250) old people with a sum of one hundred thousand naira, along with medical screenings and other benefits. The Office of the State First Ladies should have compiled the drafts for the 25 million naira that were given to the First Ladies of each state for subsequent distribution to the recipients.