By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The National Orientation Agency, NOA, in synergy with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, is starting HIV/ AIDS campaign in Nigeria.
The campaign is aimed at combating HIV/AIDS stigma surrounding the disease across the country.
While addressing a delegation from NACA who paid a courtesy visit at NOA’s headquarters, the Director General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu assured NACA of the Agency’s readiness to foster new awareness campaign nationwide, emphasizing the critical role of public sensitization in addressing the menace of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases in the country.
The NOA boss stated that the Agency will leverage on its extensive communication infrastructure which comprises of 818 office locations across the country, 774 local government offices and also partner with 198 radio stations with 40 television stations in the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria to facilitate the campaign.
He also assured that the agency will explore its social media influencers, animation, print medium (The Explainer), its in-house TV and radio studios to enhance effective outreach.
While reflecting on the recent decline in international funding for HIV/AIDS Programme by the United States government, the Director General implored NACA to explore innovative local strategies for sustainable intervention, assuring them of NOA’s relentless support in achieving their shared goal of a well-informed and stigma-free society.
Issa-Onilu further stressed that while fear-based communication was once effective in tackling the epidemic, there is a new approach to avert the stigma and misinformation, noting that HIV/AIDS should be considered a manageable health condition like hypertension and diabetes, rather than a death sentence.
Earlier, the Director General of NACA, Dr. Temitope Ilori, said that HIV/AIDS remains a public health concern particularly among the youths who underestimate its existence due to the success of the treatment programme which has reduced feasible cases of full-blown AIDS, underscoring the urgency of improving public awareness and behavioral change communication to counter misinformation and promote prevention.
She applauded NOA’s robust presence across the country and its effective use of traditional and social media for reaching out to Nigerians, urging the agency to support NACA in spreading accurate information on HIV/AIDS preventions and treatment while actively combating stigma and discrimination.
While raising concerns on the growing influence of misinformation on social media, Ilori noted that there is need for Nigeria to take full ownership of its HIV response, strengthen collaborations with Governmental agencies like NOA, in ensuring sustainability and effective public enlightenment on the infectious disease.
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