Connect with us

General News

HIV: Identifying mode of spread key to achieving zero transmission – NACA

Published

on

HIV-and-AIDS
HIV and AIDS

Dr Gambo Aliyu, the Director-General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), says identification of mode of HIV transmission is key not only to controlling the pandemic but achieving zero HIV transmission in the country.

Aliyu said this while disseminating the report of the study on the Mode of HIV Transmission in Abuja on Monday.

He identified four groups namely: never married males, never married females, men who have sex with men and female sex workers,
as risky populations.

The NACA boss, who expressed the commitment of the agency in achieving the 95-95-95 target by the year 2030, said the study would help stakeholders to focus attention on the risky populations.

He added that “time is running out for us in achieving the 95-95-95 target for 2030 but this study will help us to know where to invest resources in tackling transmission.

“There is no way we can prevent new infections or control HIV transmission without identifying those areas that trigger new infections.”

Presenting the study, Mr Tosin Adebayo, the Chief Programme Officer, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of NACA, said that the largest number of new infections was among never married females and males.

Adebayo said that men who have sex with men, female sex workers as well as never married females and males account for 91 per cent of new infections among adults.

He added that new child infections due to mother-to-child transmission represent the second largest source of new infections, accounting for 22 per cent of all new infections.

The programme officer noted that the distribution of new infections vary from state to state, saying that larger proportion of new infections occur among never married individuals or in sero-concordant negative couples.

He explained that antenatal care was vital in reducing new infections, especially mother-to-child transmission.

“Most of those women who do attend antenatal care get tested for HIV but more than 60 per cent of pregnant women do not attend.

“Increasing antenatal care attendance would have benefits not only for reducing HIV transmission but also for the overall health of the child and mother.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria’s HIV prevalence rate is decreasing, having dropped from 2.8 per cent to 1.4 per cent currently. (NAN)

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

General News

Clergy Urged To Put Members’ Welfare Above All Else

Published

on

Anglican Church logo

At a solemn ordination service in Abuja, senior church leaders have called on pastors to make the well-being of their congregations a top priority, following the example of Jesus Christ.

Speaking during the priesthood ordination and installation of a Sub Dean at the Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Okene, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ajulo, described pastors as shepherds charged with the care of their flock. He urged them to shun worldly distractions and focus on meeting the spiritual and material needs of their members.

Bishop Ajulo also encouraged the newly ordained priests to remain faithful to their calling by teaching God’s word without compromise.

In his charge, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged the new clergy to preach the undiluted gospel and foster religious harmony wherever they serve. He expressed confidence that their new roles would help promote peace and unity in society.

The service also featured prayers for national leaders and divine intervention in addressing the current global economic challenges.

Continue Reading

General News

1,000 Prayer Warriors Storm Ilorin for Tinubu, Nation’s Deliverance

Published

on

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

In a dramatic show of faith and patriotism, over 1,000 fiery prayer warriors from across Nigeria will descend on Ilorin, Kwara State, this Saturday, lifting their voices in intense intercession for President Bola Tinubu’s success and Nigeria’s survival in the face of biting economic woes and mounting insecurity.

The spiritual siege, themed “Walking in Domini”, is the maiden convention of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), with its Kwara State Chairman, Evangelist Thomas Adeboye, vowing that “heaven will hear and respond to Nigeria’s cry.”

Aside from marathon prayers, the gathering will roll out free medical outreach to locals across Kwara’s LGAs, a gesture aimed at touching both body and soul.

Adeboye, lamenting Nigeria’s “troubling economic and security realities”, called for a nationwide prayer uprising, insisting that Tinubu has shown the will to revive the nation but needs massive divine backing to succeed.

“Banditry, a collapsing economy, and political tension demand we seek God’s face like never before,” he declared. “We will storm heaven for wisdom for the President and governors to steer Nigeria to safety.”

The convention will also feature awards to distinguished personalities, soul-lifting worship, fiery sermons, and unity-driven lectures—all capped with thunderous prayers for Nigeria’s redemption.

Adeboye urged the President to ensure every policy has “a human face,” stressing that Nigerians must not only endure but also enjoy the fruits of governance.

With the OAIC promising to reaffirm believers’ authority in Christ and rally spiritual boldness in the face of national challenges, Ilorin is set to become the epicentre of a powerful spiritual warfare for Nigeria’s destiny.

 

 

Continue Reading

General News

Nigerian Anglicans Condemn Lesbian Archbishop of Wales, Deepening Global Anglican Rift

Published

on

Anglican Church logo

…Church leaders accuse Welsh counterparts of “spiritual decadence” and “abandonment of faith”

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued a forceful condemnation of the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the Archbishop of Wales. The move is the latest in a series of developments that have deepened divisions within the global Anglican Communion over sexuality and doctrine.

In a statement from Primate The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, the church denounced the election as a “serious departure from biblical teaching” and a sign of “spiritual decadence” and “an outright abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints.”

Archbishop Ndukuba warned that Bishop Vann’s elevation compromises the Anglican Church’s global mission and could obstruct evangelism. He compared the situation to the controversial tenure of Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, who also faced intense criticism from conservative Anglicans for her progressive views.

The Primate accused Bishop Vann of being complicit in the “ongoing crisis” around same-sex issues, stating that the election is a “clear revelation that many who claim to be members of the body of Christ cannot endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).

The Church of Nigeria called on Anglicans worldwide to reject “rebels” and “apostates” and to instead support conservative bodies like the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).

“The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects, and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales,” Ndukuba declared. He concluded with a solemn warning that without repentance, the Church in Wales risks losing “complete relevance” and its leaders will face judgment.

 

Continue Reading