All Posts in "Day: June 24, 2021"
Bandits Kidnap Village Head, Wife In Ibadan
HIV/AIDS: FG Moves To Reduce Overdependence On Foreign Donors
The Federal Government Wednesday launched the National Domestic Resource Mobilisation and Sustainability Strategy to reduce the country’s over-dependence on international donors to fund HIV/AIDS interventions and responses.
Currently, 80 percent of funding for HIV comes from international donors and development partners, while the government (national and states) only contributes a paltry 18 percent of the funding.
Speaking during the official launch of the Strategy in Abuja, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Gambo Aliyu, said: “Sustaining HIV funding requires resource mobilization, and this resource mobilization for a long time has always been external. It is time to mobilize resources domestically to ensure that sustainability of HIV funding is guaranteed after the epidemic control.
“Between the year 2005 to 2018, about $6.2 billion was extended to identify close to one million people living with HIV and AIDS in this country and place them on treatment. However, 80 percent of this money came from international donors and development partners.
“Only 18 percent of the money was contributed by the Federal and State government, and one percent of it came from the private sector. Because of this, it becomes imperative, with the leadership of his Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, and the pledge he has made for which he has fulfilled to place 100,000 people living with HIV and AIDS on treatment with the government of Nigeria money; and also on an incremental basis to increase this number by 50,000 every year. I am glad to say we did this last year and we are on track to repeating it this year.
“However, our strategy reflects the need to expand our resource base and increase domestic resources to diversify our source of funding. The goal is to ensure that sustainable resource is available for the implementation of our programs to meet the United Nations goal of identifying and placing on treatment and actually controlling the virus of 95-95-95.
“What that means is that at the end of it, if that is achieved, over 80 percent of people living with HIV and AIDS in the country will have the HIV restricted in them in such a way that it doesn’t leave them to affect other people, and also, it lacks that opportunity to bring down their body defense mechanism which could claim their lives. We are on target to do that program-wise, but are we on target to do and to continue sustaining that financially and domestically?
“It is essential that our national and state stakeholders assume greater ownership of the HIV response, including financing. Strong accountability structures, along with a multi-sectoral HIV response are needed to monitor the use of the funds that are raised, and to ensure that we spend on activities that will continue to have real impact on people living with HIV and AIDS.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of the House Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (ATM), Hon. Abubakar Sarki Dajiru, said: “The 2022 budget, by the grace of God, the National Assembly, based on the Committee on ATM, and also our Senate partners, felt that the budget of NACA should be improved by 100 percent.
“Based on our position, we have always felt that we are living on risk because if today the development partners decide to withdraw from Nigeria, believe me sincerely, we felt that at the end of the day we are going to crash between the zero level.
“Also, one of the things that we felt is very important is between the private and the government, especially the Governors of all these states. They are supposed to be doing their own contributions also to NACA. This way, at least at the end of the day, the States will be able to see the impact, especially within the rural areas.
“Almost 90 percent of the Governors are not doing what they are supposed to do. So, we are having that alliance with the Director-General of NACA, of which sooner or later, from the National Assembly, we are going to come up with a motion whereby all the Governors and all the counterparts (funds) that we felt they should pay to NACA, should be directly from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.”
The Country Director of UNAIDS, Dr Erasmus Mora, added: “Recently, the world came together at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting to adopt a new political declaration on HIV/AIDS for the year 2021 to 2026, which is that all countries should move in the direction of increasing ownership, financing and accountability for HIV.
“Right now we have approximately 1.8 million Nigerians living with HIV. Congratulations to NACA because about 1.6 million of them are on treatment. And the question now is: who is paying for these 1.6 million Nigerians who are on treatment? If the payer should change their mind, what happens to these people who need the drugs for the rest of their lives.
“So, this particular agenda we are calling domestic resource mobilisation and sustainability agenda, is about how do we pay to keep Nigerians from getting infected from HIV, and more importantly, how do we pay to ensure that those who are in treatment currently can comfortably remain on treatment and that the remaining 20 to 30 percent who are not on treatment are brought on treatment?”
Facebook,Reuters Launch Free Online Course For Journalists
The Facebook Journalism Project has partnered with Reuters to launch a free online training programme for Journalists, called the Reuters Digital Journalism Course.
The Project works with publishers around the world to strengthen the connection between journalists and the communities they serve. Its training, programs, and partnerships work by: investing in organizations that fund quality journalism; training newsrooms globally; and partnering with publishers and nonprofits to combat misinformation, promote news literacy, and improve journalism. Reuters developed the free online course curriculum after its Digital News Report found more people were using social media to access news. It focuses on digital news gathering, verification and reporting, and publishing on social media. It also covers wellness and resilience training while reporting. Facebook said the course is aimed at both seasoned journalists and industry newcomers. Upon completing the course, participants will receive a certificate. “At Facebook, we’re grateful to journalists across Africa who are working hard to keep their communities informed about the issues that matter,” Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Strategic Media Partnerships Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa said. “The Facebook Journalism Project will assist our region’s journalists in developing strong fundamental knowledge as they navigate the rapidly changing digital news landscape.” Muhutu-Remy added. This Digital Journalism Course aims to support journalists across English speaking countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to build a strong foundation in digital reporting and editing. “With news media firmly in the digital age, being able to use digital platforms safely and effectively is essential,” Reuters Executive Editor Gina Chua said in a statement. “The Reuters Digital Journalism Course offers best practices from Reuters journalists around the world to provide the foundation for sound journalism, whether you’re a budding journalist or a seasoned one looking for a refresher.” Health |
3 Friends Rape Lady In Ondo
Three friends, Ojo Olaniyi, Akinseye Bayo and Akintosoye Ayo have been arrested by men of the Ondo State Police Command for gang raping a lady simply identified as Adewumi.
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The suspects,who were said to have committed the offence in Araromi street, Ondo town allegedly drugged their victim and repeatedly had sex with her.
The victim’s sister,who saw her in the nude form they left her reported the matter to the police.
The Police in Ondo State said they have recovered nine motorcycles stolen by different gangs in different parts of the state.
One of the owners of the motorcycle, John Ede, who was inflicted injuries with a machete later died in the hospital.
Those arrested for robbing the motorcycles at gunpoint were Seyi Adeyemi, Emmanuel Sunday and Oluwajuwon.
Two persons, Gbenga Kikiowo aged 27 and Aladeloye Tope ages 25.were arrested at Oke-Aro community where they were planning to go for operation in Akure.
Ondo Police Commissioner, Bolaji Salami, said the suspects would soon be charged to court.
MRA Unveils New Website
Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has unveiled a new platform with enhanced security features, while also addressing accessibility issues for disadvantaged groups to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Announcing the unveiling of the website in a statement issued in Lagos,
Mr. Idowu Adewale, MRA’s Communication Officer, who announced the launch of the website in Lagos,said the platform offers a faster, easy to navigate, user-friendly experience as well as search engine optimization, which also enhances the visibility, and therefore, accessibility of the website to Internet users in search of information online that is relevant to our work.
Developed with support from the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), the website (https://mediarightsagenda.org
He said: “After several months of hard work, we are pleased to be able to replace the temporary platform that we have had to rely in the past few months with a new website that enables us to achieve our goals of fostering improved communication, providing meaningful and informative resource materials to our web visitors, and giving them better access to who we are, what we do, as well as showcasing our various information products.”
He explained that the new website now includes DEI features informed by the need to ensure full accessibility of the website to disadvantaged groups and individuals, including persons with speech, sight or hearing challenges, consistent with MRA’s status as an equal opportunities organization committed to promoting and defending freedom of expression, media freedom and access to information, both online and offline, irrespective of disability, gender, colour, ethnicity or orientation.
He noted that the development of the website was guided by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and stressed that all its contents, plugins and codes are compliant with W3C standards which makes the website accessible to everybody, including people with disabilities.
He pledged that MRA would continue to use the platform, with its interactive features, to track and report on freedom of expression, media development, media freedom, access to information, digital rights and internet freedom issues in line with its mandate.