By Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, and Will Stevens, the general consul of the American consulate in Lagos, made a joint appeal for cooperation from all parties so that more residents of the state could be informed of their HIV status.
They both spoke in Osogbo at the inauguration of the Osun Art Surge Project, a program of the Excellence Community Education and Welfare Scheme that aims to provide comprehensive and long-lasting HIV/AIDS clinical and community services to control the HIV epidemic in sub-national units of the states of Delta, Ekiti, and Osun.
Through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief of the United States provides funding for the program.
At the ceremony where he was dubbed “State Surge Champion,” Adeleke, who was represented by his deputy Kola Adewusi, claimed that Osun had experienced a 12% increase in treatment coverage in the first five months of active surge deployment.
“In closing, I want to reiterate our dedication to achieving an HIV-free society in Osun State,” he continued. Although we have gone a long way, we are aware that much work remains. To end HIV/AIDS in our state and throughout Nigeria, we can and will continue to achieve progress together.
Adeleke received his nomination as the “State Surge Champion” and thanked stakeholders for their efforts in making sure that no one living with HIV in Osun was left behind. He also pledged to appoint a state official to oversee the project’s operations.
Dr. Okezie Onyedinachi, Project Head for HIV Treatment for Osun, Ekiti, and Delta States at ECEWS, explained why Osun was chosen as the project’s focal point by stating that the state would have 29,000 HIV-positive residents by the year 2022 and that 16,000 of them would be receiving treatment.
The Surge initiative was created to identify HIV-positive residents of the state who have not started treatment, according to Okezie Onyedinachi, who stated that others who have not yet started treatment must be reached before 2025.
