First Lady to Inaugurate South-South NAWOCA

July 31, 2008 :: Leadership (Abuja)

The First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar'Adua, will on July 31, this year inaugurate the National Women Coalition on HIV and AIDS (NAWOCA) in the South-South geo-political zone. The inauguration, slated for Benin City, would involve wives of governors of Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Anambra, Akwa-Ibom and Cross River States as well as women and civil society groups. The Project Manager, Delta Action Committee on HIV and AIDS, Dr John Osuyali, said that arrangements for the inauguration were in top gear.He said Delta State had commenced the mobilisation of women for the inauguration. "We are getting ready for it, the wife of the governor, Mrs Roli Uduaghan, will lead the women delegation to the inauguration," he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria had been experiencing a gradual decrease in its national HIV prevalence. Available statistics also indicated that the prevalence rate had dropped from 5.8 per cent in 2001 to 5per cent in 2003 and 4.4 per cent in 2005.But the country still has between 2.9 and 3.3 million people living with HIV and AIDS according to recent statistics from the Federal Ministry of Health. The statistics also showed that women and girls account for more than 50 per cent of infected persons.According to the statistics, the highest prevalence of 4.9 per cent is found among young women aged between 25 and 29 years. The development led to the formation of NAWOCA on Aug. 2007 by the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA) in collaboration with the first lady. The organisation aimed at drawing attention to plight of women in the fight against the spread of the virus. The inauguration came after a two-day national technical meeting by women living with HIV and AIDS, Civil Society groups, State Action Committees on HIV and AIDS (SACAs) and Development Agencies. The Coalition is programmed to advocate for improved HIV treatment, care and support and other reproductive health services for HIV and AIDS positive women. The Coalition would also advocate for increased commitment to efforts at empowering HIV and AIDS positive women economically at all levels of the society. The Coalition would also seek to advocate improved access to educational opportunities for the child. NAN also reports that Hajiya Yar'Adua had inaugurated NAWOCA in two other zones in the country to mobilise women against the spread of the virus.