Latest report shows that the Federal Government has decided to spend N1,593,287,500 billion on a one-day political carnival under the guise of HIV/AIDS conference in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.According toVanguard Newspapers, the event is intended to showcase President Goodluck Jonathan’s ‘achievements’ in the health sector, especially, the progress allegedly recorded against the AIDS pandemic in the country.
Meanwhile, the Federal and the state governments did not purchase any anti-retroviral drugs in 2013 for the more than 3.4 million Nigerians said to be living with the HIV virus.
The percentage of HIV patients under treatment in Nigeria dropped reasonably, with all surveys conducted to measure the outcome and impact of HIV in country now being funded by implementing partners.
Even with this development, the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, was not involved in the arrangement of the HIV/AIDS conference. Instead the conference is being put together by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, as well as the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.
It was revealed that the conference was sold to the SGF, Senator Pius Anyim, by the Country Director for Nigeria, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Dr. Bilali Camara, and then presented to President Jonathan for approval.
Now, a letter dated April 30th, 2014 having reference number: UCD/L34/30/04/14, and addressed to Anyim, Camara, had a Gambian, saying that the UNAIDS was prepared to give support to the SGF to launch the political component of AIDS to sell the candidature of President Jonathan in the forthcoming general elections.
The letter read in part: “UNAIDS is well prepared to support the leadership of his Excellency (Jonathan) in preparing this component of his political agenda of the upcoming elections and to provide technical support for the national programmes aimed at eliminating HIV among children during the implementation phase of this visionary objective.”
By international work ethics, the UNAIDS Country Director, was not supposed to meddle in local politics.
It was gathered that the ceremony had been slated to hold after President Jonathan’s declaration for 2015 re-election, and it would be attended by the President, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, principal staff of the National Assembly, state governors and visiting Heads of Governments and diplomats.
Also, a concept document showing how the N1.59bn ear-marked for the rally would be spent, stated that Nigeria had recorded a 20 per cent reduction in new HIV infections among children.
When the Media Assistant to the SGF, Sam Nwaobasi, was contacted regarding the ceremony, he said that the ceremony was not a one-day event, and that it would be a nationwide programme.
He added that the N1.58bn budget was not final, but still subject to review by the federal government.
Nwaobasi said, “The concept note for the programme was developed by senior officials and the amount you saw there was not the final budget, it may still be reviewed. I want you to know that the event is not a one-day programme as you said, and the budget is for a lot of things, including mobilization of participants and their movements across all the states to show the success recorded in the fight against the HIV/AIDS scourge and to combat the mother-to-child transmission of AIDS virus.
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