Nigeria’s First Lady, Hajia Turai Umaru Yar’Adua has charged women in the country to take up the battle against the scourge of HIV/AIDS, saying women must take the lead in the battle against the pandemic as the only way to complement the efforts of the government

Speaking during the launch of the Southwest Zone of the National Women Coalition Against AIDS (NAWOCA) in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital yesterday, Hajia Yar’Adua urged wives of governors and local government chairmen to use the platform of NAWOCA in their areas to transform the lives of women and children particularly in their great battle against HIV/AIDS.

According to a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor, Engr. Segun Oni on Public Communications, Mr. Moses Jolayemi, and made available to journalists said the first lady stressed the need for conceited efforts against the HIV/AIDS pandemic especially among women.

Her words; “Even though AIDS pandemic started a little over two decades ago as a male phenomenon, we have over the last decade watched it assume a feminine face, particularly on the African continent. This is in view of the place of women within the socio-cultural context of our traditional societies.

“The escalation of this phenomenon and its devastating threat, particularly on women and children gave rise to the formation of National women Coalition Against AIDS (NAWOCA) as a formidable platform to confront the challenges of this deadly monster.

“As mothers and leaders, we must take the lead in this battle until victory is won. This is the only way we can complement the efforts of the current administration in the implementation of its numerous programmes to fight the scourge of HIV/AIDS in our land.”

Speaking earlier at the ceremony, which brought together wives of the governor of Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Lagos and Ekiti States, Governor of Ekiti State, Engr. Segun Oni commended Hajia Yar’Adua for initiating the project, which he described as; “gender sensitive and life-saving” on a national scale to fight the scourge of HIV/AIDS in the country.

Governor Oni reiterated the need to harp more on proper education of the people in every aspect and stage of the scourge, saying; “The campaign should lay emphasis more on prevention, which is better and cheaper than seeking a cure after being afflicted.”

He disclosed that the State Action Committee on AIDS under the leadership of the deputy governor, Dr. Sikiru Tae Lawal is working in collaboration with civil society groups, religious organizations, women groups, youth and community-based organizations in order to make the fight against HIV/AIDS all involving with a wide, effective network.

Reeling out the various efforts of his government in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in particular and provision of qualitative health care in general, Governor Oni said; “We have established a functional Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre at the University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti. Conscious of the fact that a good number of People Living With HIV/AIDS live in communities far away from the state capital, we are already working towards the establishment of one ART Centre in each of the three senatorial districts in the state before the end of the year.

“It may also interest you to know that in the front burner of our health care delivery is a concerted war against maternal and infant mortality. At present, work is at an advanced stage on 200 special clinics across the state, named Blue Centres, where pregnant women would have access to free antenatal care and children up to five years would also be attended to free.”

 In her own address, wife of the state governor, Mrs. Kemi Oni said that the national policy on women was a catalyst to the birth of NAWOCA initiative by the president’s wife.

“NAWOCA is a child of circumstance that was occasioned by the disproportionate vulnerability of women to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. There is no gainsaying that HIV/AIDS is increasingly taking the feminine face as current statistics tell us that women and girls account for 57% of the estimated 3.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.”

She disclosed that Ekiti State has the lowest prevalent rate of 1.6 percent in the country, but in spite of this, the state government has invested efforts to ensure that the percentage further declines to zero.

Among dignitaries at the occasion were wife of Secretary to the Federal Government, Hajia Kolo Kingibe, wife of Oyo State Governor, Mrs. Kemi Akala, wife of Osun State Governor, Mrs. Omolola Oyinlola, wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Olufunke Agagu, wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Olufunke Daniel, wife of the Lagos State House of Assembly  Speaker, Mrs. Mayowa Ikuforiji who represented Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, wife of the state governor, among others.