Bayelsa inaugurates committee to draft bill on HIV/AIDS

September 22, 2006

Bayelsa State government has inaugurated a committee to prepare a bill on HIV / AIDS. The committee has the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, as chairperson. Other members include the Director of Public Health, Dr B.E. Kpokiri, Dr B.Z. Avah and Dr J. Y. Stow, while Mrs Bio Charles Onyema is to serve as secretary. Inaugurating the committee in Yenagoa, on Friday, the Commissioner for Justice, Mr Seriake Dickson, tasked members “to work hard and prepare a workable legislative framework that will effectively tackle the HIV / AIDS scourge.” Dickson said that “the state government is deeply involved in the fight against HIV / AIDS, calling on all professionals to join hands with the committee to successfully carry out its laudable policies on HIV/AIDS.” The commissioner also urged the committee members “to pool their knowledge together to create a legal framework for the protection of persons living with HIV/AIDS.” Responding, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, thanked the government for giving members the opportunity to serve and pledged the readiness of the committee to live up to expectations. She expressed her hope that, “with its high calibre of members, the committee will come out with a draft bill on HIV/AIDS within two weeks.”