Society urge govt to consider HIV scourge as national security problem

Coalition of Civil Societies Network on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (COCSNHAN) has called on governments at all levels to consider HIV/AIDS as a national security problem.

Mr Ikenna Nwakamma, the First Co-chairman of the society made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

Nwakamma said that the scourge should be seen as a national security problem “because anything that affects or threatens more than a million citizens should be considered a huge national security problem.

“In my opinion, the National Security Adviser to the president should continue to remind the president about the scourge and the need to do more toward stopping its spread.”

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The co-chairman stressed the need for genuine investment toward curbing HIV and tuberculosis as a national security response.

He particularly urged state governments to rise up to their responsibilities, noting that “we are yet to see state governments making strong commitments in terms of counterpart funding for serious public health responses.

“Many states had left the fight for the federal government alone; HIV infection could be anywhere, not only in Abuja.”

Nwakamma then called on state governments to commit a percentage of their security vote to the fight against HIV and other health matters.

(NAN)