Speech by Her Excellency, Hajiya Raliyatu Aliyu Akwe Doma, Wife of the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, on the Occasion of the State Launch of the National Women Coalition on HIV/AIDS, (NAWOCA), Lafia, Friday, July 4, 2008.
It is with a sense of fulfilment and gratitude to Almighty Allah that I welcome you to this occasion of the launching of the Nasarawa State Chapter of the National Women Coalition on HIV/AIDS (NAWOCA). The Coalition, is the pet project of Her Excellency, Hajiya Turai Umaru Yar’Adua, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is aimed at addressing the issues of HIV/AIDS among women and girls.
We must thank the First Lady of Nigeria for conceiving this idea with the mission of providing the necessary platform for the prevention and care of victims of HIV/AIDS.
Let me also thank my husband, His Excellency, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma, OON (Garkuwan Doma), the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State for the support and inspiration he has given me in the efforts towards this launching.
Ladies and gentlemen, you will all recall that in August 2007, Her Excellency, Hajiya Turai Umaru Yar’Adua launched the National Women Coalition on HIV/AIDS (NAWOCA) at the National level. During that occasion, all the wives of the State Executive Governors pledged to support the Coalition with the launch of State and Local Government Chapters. Today’s launching is therefore, a fulfilment of that pledge aimed at providing support for those infected and affected by AIDS in Nasarawa State.
At this point, it is important for me to highlight some of the reasons why it is considered critical to provide support for those who suffer from HIV/AIDS in our environment.
As at the end of 2007, there were 33.5million people living with AIDS worldwide. Of this number, 15.4million are women, while 2.5 million are children.
In Nigeria, about 2.9 million adults and children live with HIV/AIDS while about 900,000 children have been made orphans by the disease. In Nasarawa State, prevalence levels are higher than the national average.
You will agree with me that such figures give a disturbing picture of the impact of the disease in our midst. The effect is not only on the people infected or directly affected by HIV/AIDS, but also on the resources available to cope with the situation. Consequently, action towards mitigating the effects of the disease must be quickly coordinated and implemented at all levels.
The objectives of the coalition are to provide support for women and girls already living with HIV/AIDS. It also involves public enlightenment campaigns for prevention of the disease. The Coalition intends to achieve these objectives through advocacy visits to women in their communities and by equipping hospitals to ensure early and easy screening of all women who visit health facilities in the State.
The Coalition is also a platform for promoting the rights of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), especially girls and women. Currently, these groups suffer a lot of discrimination in the society, due mainly to ignorance on the modes of transmission. The coalition therefore intends to ensure that infected women and girls are accepted within the society and do not suffer neglect in any way.
The fulfilment of these goals requires the active support and cooperation of all and sundry. I therefore wish to call on all National and International multilateral agencies, donor agencies and NGO’s to support our efforts in this regard. I also call on all health and educational institutions to complement our efforts by providing platforms for access to health education for women and girls.
At this juncture, I will like to call on the wives and husbands of all Directors of Personnel Management in our Local Government and Development Areas to commence immediate efforts towards the launching of the Local Government chapters of NAWOCA. It is important that we all jointly share in the vision of Her Excellency, Hajiya Turai Umaru Yar’Adua in tackling the problems of HIV/AIDS. The rate at which the disease is ravaging our young and productive groups must be controlled.
In conclusion, I once again wish to commend the leadership of Her Excellency, the First Lady of Nigeria, Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua for the vision, focus and determination in the battle against the HIV/AIDS. I also appreciate the support of the State Government. I want to assure that the women of Nasarawa State shall spare no efforts at ensuring that the disease is drastically reduced in the State for the good of all of us.
To the good women of Nasarawa State, I say thank you all for your understanding and cooperation in this crusade.
On this note, it is now my pleasure to formally launch the Nasarawa State Chapter of the National Women Coalition on HIV/AIDS (NAWOCA).
Thank you and God bless.