The Nigerian and United States governments have committed 110 million dollars to a project, the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Assessment Survey (NAIIS), that would give precision and direction to all HIV/AIDS-related activities in Nigeria.
The survey which will be conducted by experts from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, (UMB), in at least 170, 000, households in Nigeria, will bequeath the National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA), with good and precise knowledge of HIV fight and other related activities in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s health minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who spoke at a brief signing ceremony of the agreement in Abuja on Thursday, highlighted the benefits of the survey.
He said: “The survey will end the era of ‘guesswork’ in terms of burden of HIV disease in Nigeria. It will wipe off the shame of not having a precise record of people living with the virus in Nigeria. It also accounts for resources committed thus far in the fight and perhaps, offer an improved approach to achieve a better result.”
The Minister disclosed that the exercise is the largest HIV/AIDS survey in the world, with approximately 200, 000 Nigerian households to be surveyed.
“We are not restricted to HIV alone, hepatitis B and C will also be involved in the survey. Fortunately, the terms of the agreement had compelled us to link those tested positive to treatment centers nearest to them,” he added.
He, however, disclosed that funding of the project would come directly and indirectly from the US government. “US has a direct financial commitment of 90 million dollars to the project and 20 million dollars through the global fund,” he said.
Adewole thus assured the US government and other development partners that Nigerian government will neither interfere in the exercise nor attempt to doctor the survey result.
