Source: Agency Report

L–R: Lagos Health Commissioner, Akin Abayomi; House Committee Chair on HIV/AIDS, Amobi Ogah; Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat; NACA DG, Temitope Ilori; and LSACA CEO, Folakemi Animashaun, at the closing ceremony of the 7th National Council on AIDS.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged Nigerian state legislatures to pass and implement legal reforms that will guarantee sustainable HIV funding, reduce stigma, and promote inclusive healthcare services.

Speaking through Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat at the closing of the 7th National Council on AIDS (NCA) in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu emphasised the need to shift from donor dependence to domestic sustainability in Nigeria’s HIV response.

“We must move from dependency to sustainability, from fragmented responses to coordinated systems, and from ad hoc programming to long-term strategic planning,” he said.

Key Highlights:

• Lagos has launched an HIV Trust Fund and is reforming its HIV Anti-Stigma Law.
• Integration of HIV services into the general health system is ongoing.
• The 7th NCA was themed: “Advancing National HIV Sustainability Agenda in the Changing Global Policy on Aid.”

• $8 billion annually is needed to sustain Nigeria’s HIV response, according to Amobi Ogah, Chair of the House Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Control.
• Temitope Ilori, Director General of NACA, stressed the urgency of implementing the National HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Sustainability Plan.
• Akin Abayomi, Lagos Commissioner for Health, called for increased domestic resource mobilisation, innovation, and governance accountability.

“Sustainability is not only about money, but also leadership, innovation, and adaptive systems,” Abayomi said.