Lagos — National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has said Nigeria recorded more than 280, 000 HIV and AIDS-related deaths in 2008. Director-General of NACA, Dr John Idoko, told newsmen in Lokoja, Kogi State, that more than 350,000 fresh cases were also recorded in the country during the period.

Idoko, who spoke during a courtesy call on Governor Ibrahim Idris, said the development had made the country to emerge as the second most burdened in the world after South Africa. He said the current HIV and AIDS prevalence rate of 5.1 per cent in Kogi had made the state very important to NACA, considering that the figure was higher than the 4.6 per cent national average. Idoko said the prevalence rate might have been influenced by the fact that Kogi shared boundaries with other high prevalence rate states, such as Benue and Nasarawa, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

He noted that Kogi State had many junction towns, a position which might have contributed to the increasing number of HIV and AIDS cases in the state. He said Nigerians within the age bracket of 20 to 24 years remained the most vulnerable in respect of the condition and stressed the need for more funds for NACA and state agencies to curb the menace.Idoko said only 15 states and the FCT had converted their HIV and AIDS committees to full-fledged agencies and urged other states to follow suit in order to benefit from the special grants set aside by the World Bank to contain the situation. He also urged state governors to prevail on all the 774 local governments in the country to be part of the funding of NACA and SACA activities.

The director-general appealed to the governor to assist NACA in its desire to establish a youth-friendly centre within the campus of Kogi State University, Ayingba.He also called for adequate funding of the Kogi State Agency for the Control of HIV and AIDS (KOSACA) to help in the control of the spread of tuberculosis and malaria attacks.Responding, Idris said local governments had an important role to play in the funding and eradication of HIV and AIDS.He promised that the state government would soon build a youth-friendly centre and provide a new office and other facilities for the agency.