The Director General of the Kano State Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr Usman Bashir, has said that the Agency has secured a special slot for People Living with HIV/AIDS in the upcoming mass wedding for 1,800 slated for the state very soon.
It will be recalled that the administration of the state government headed by Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has earmarked over N800 million for mass weddings to procure furniture, food items, and clothing materials for 1,800 intending couples under its mass wedding scheme.
Alhaji Bashir disclosed this in an interview with a journalist in his office on the preparedness of the agency to conduct the screening exercise for all the intended couples before matrimony.
According to him, the KSACA in collaboration with the HISBA Board, will conduct the screening for the prospective couple before the uptake of the planned mass wedding.
Dr Bashir observed that even though HIV/AIDS prevalence is on a downward spiral in the state as it currently stands at 0.6% (NAIIS Survey 2018), Kano has almost 40,000 clients on medication, while efforts are being made to screen the outstanding 80,000 people living with the disease based on the current population projection, who will be enrolled on free medication as soon as they are diagnosed.
He said HIV/AIDS is gradually becoming more common like all other ailments due to the procurement of free drugs by the government and other supporting partners.
Research has shown that marriage between a client living with HIV and a client on medication usually results in the birth of a healthy baby free from HIV/AIDS using the Prevention of Mother-to-child transmission Technique (PMTCT).
Alhaji Bashir said recently that the government of Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has released funds to the Agency to procure 3rd Line drugs (Salvage Line) used by people living with HIV/AIDS in the State, which are usually provided by the Federal Government but are currently unavailable nationwide, and this will ensure sustainable provision for the Clients in the State.
He then called on people to know their HIV/AIDS status, as medication is available and free across the state and the virus is no longer deadly if treated early enough and properly managed.
He commended Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf for supporting the process of improving Health services and indices in the State.
However, preparation is in top gear as the Kano Hisbah board’s commander, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, inspects items for the mass wedding.
He said the state government has set aside over N800 million to purchase furniture, clothing materials, food items, and dowry, among others.
Each bride would receive a set of beds with mattresses and pillows, as well as N20,000 to start up a business.
He, however, hinted that criteria were set for the selection of the beneficiaries, and anyone found guilty of divorcing his wife after the marriage would pay for the items received from the state government.
Sheikh Aminu added that philanthropists and wealthy individuals have pledged to contribute their quotas to ensure the success of the mass wedding.
He further disclosed that 1,800 couples would benefit from the kind gesture, which would go a long way in curtailing societal vices and poverty bedevilling society, as many marriages were postponed due to the inability of parents to sponsor the wedding.
Speaking on the date, he stressed that the public and those willing to assist would be notified as soon as possible to achieve the desired objectives.
The commander then appealed to wealthy individuals to support the government by assisting the less privileged in society.
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