The Federal Government, on Friday, in Abuja, under the leadership of the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, signed a 469 million dollars Country Operation Plan, COP, with the United States, US, government, to support HIV prevention, care, and treatment programmes in Nigeria.
The COP was signed by the US Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador-at-Large, Deborah Birx; and Director-General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, Dr Sani Aliyu.
The ceremony was witnessed by the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, who stated that: “Nigeria is working with the embassy, and others are committed to changing Nigerian history for better.”
The US Global AIDS Coordinator, Deborah Birx said: “U.S. Government commitment to the Nigeria COP 2017, is approximately 469 million dollars, including centrally funded initiatives, to support HIV prevention, care and treatment programmes, in the country.
“Since its inception in Nigeria in 2004, PEPFAR has disbursed more than 4.3 billion dollars in support of the Nigeria HIV/AIDS.
“It is a rare privilege to be here and it is a historic moment because it is the first time we ever signed a U.S. government commitment HIV/AIDS to a country in a country”, she said.
She added that, the present US administration under the leadership of President Donald Trump, was committed to the issue of HIV/AIDS, and also committed to the people and Nigerian government, who she said was doing something great at the moment.
The envoy said that the authorities in Nigeria had been working to ensure that all Nigerians can thrive free of HIV/AIDS and be free of the disease.
She noted that the COP signing was important, because it would help to give more understanding on how to control the pandemic by the year 2020.
“As a partner and the American people to the government and the people of Nigeria, our commitment is to really control this pandemic.
“I think Nigeria can go from the lowest number in West and Central Africa to the leadership position that it should be”, she said.
