NIGERIA: Government releases $680,000 to combat HIV/AIDS

The Nigerian government has released Naira 90 million (US $680,000) ahead of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, to be held in the capital, Abuja, from 4 to 9 December.

The funds were part of "government social responsibility in combating the rising epidemic in the country", said Dr Esio Udoh, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on HIV/AIDS.

Udoh told This Day Online that the government was ready to "fight the scourge to a standstill", but stressed the need for a multisectoral approach in "close collaboration with partnering agencies".

He recently visited the national secretariat of International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (ICASA) to "get to know more about the level of preparedness of the secretariat in successfully hosting the world conference."

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