Your organisation was featured at the 2018 AIDS Conference in France. What were the highpoints of the conference for you?
In August 2017, I attended the AIDS 2017 Conference in Paris, France and was disappointed to see how little or no representation there was of Nigerian youths at the presentations and sessions. I discussed this with Dr. Nadia of the IHVN, whom I met at the conference and she too had the same concerns. Just then and there we resolved to do something that would project Nigerian youths and their efforts in the global fight to end AIDS during the next conference.
About a month later, I arrived in Abuja and we started working towards this goal and we made it. The high point for me was not just to show the world our efforts in eradicating HIV/AIDS but also to give Nigerian youths living with HIV the chance to represent themselves and air their views, expectations and the challenges they face on a global stage, and the International AIDS Society provided the largest platform in the world for this via their annual AIDS conferences.
How were you able to scale through the rigorous application process?
The process was a highly competitive one, spanning over six months of application and preparations. We knew that our proposal had to be exceptional to have a chance. We partnered with another organisation called APYIN- the Association of Positive Youths in Nigeria and with the guidance of Dr. Nadia Sam Agudu of the IHVN Abuja, we put in an application proposal that got us an exhibition booth at the AIDS 2018 Global Village, and we were the only Nigerian organisation represented there.
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What did you gain from this opportunity?
Over 5000 people and organisations from across the world visited the Global village at AIDS 2018. It was good to be seen and also to see what other organisations are doing, and to network for future collaborations and programmes. Also, it was interesting to see how enlightened and actively involved youths from Southern and Eastern Africa are when it comes to HIV/AIDS and Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights issues and policy making in their countries. Nigeria as a country has a lot to learn from these countries in this regard. I believe Nigeria needs to stop living in denial about HIV/AIDS. Nigeria has the second largest number of people living with HIV in the world and two thirds of all new HIV infections in West Africa the past two years occurred in Nigeria. This rate of infection is even higher among adolescent girls and young women. This is the awareness we are fighting so hard to create.
Do you think the showbiz industry should raise more awareness about HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy?
Yes. Modelling and acting are two things I have a passion for. I spent many years working internationally as a model and as an actress and these were very lucrative. Today, I am also working with my team to produce a short film to create awareness on the HIV crisis the country is facing, especially with adolescents girls and young women. It’s high time we started speaking out.
You were currently discussing the prevalence of sugar daddies and teenage pregnancy in Africa on AlJazeera’s The Stream. What provided the basis of some of your suggestions?
AlJazeera contacted me and wanted my views on their programme discussing the sugar daddy/sponsor culture that is so rampant in African countries, seeing that my organisation ran a campaign across Nigeria last year to educate young girls about the risks associated with these kinds of sexual arrangements, and not to forget the role its playing in the spread of HIV among young girls. We have reached over 25,000 in-schools and out-of- schools youths with our programmes and supporting dozens more to stay in school via our Keep a Girl in School Initiative, pushing back on HIV and teenage pregnancies which is a huge problem in Nigeria.
I believe young girls deserve SRHR education and protection from sexual assaults, which is unfortunately so common in our country. If we are to reverse the high rates of HIV infections and teenage pregnancies the country is currently facing, we must educate and empower the youth, especially women, with the necessary education and opportunity to make informed decisions about their sexual health and lives. So, I will continue to advocate for this.
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