War Against AIDS - congratulations Mr. President Olusegun Obasanjo
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The Acceptance to head the Task force on the fight against AIDS is
worth emulating by other National Leaders and Statesmen. The general
ensured that he carried some worthy lieutenants and Commanders of
different companies, Alpha, Charlie, Bravo, Delta... Foxtrott...to Yan-
kee and Zebra. Chief of them being his Deputy, the Vice President of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I, on behalf of the many teaming Africans and people of the World
that believe in fighting the scourge of AIDS, like a war and not po-
litical rhetorics, congratulate the Commander in Chief of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria on accepting to also be the Commander in Chief of
all the Nigerians in War Against AIDS.
This battle is so different from the regular ones and there is need
to involve all the resources, scientific, social, cultural, reli-
gious, medical and technological.
My belief is that the Government is facing the challenge in the true
sense of it, not as a political statement because the World, United
Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank etc. are all flowing
in the tide of the fight against AIDS.
If this fight is to succeed, it must be fought in a different way
from the usual governmental crusades against societal ills. The ten-
tacles of AIDS are worst than any Octopus or Mafia I've seen. They
have no respect for borders, race, geography, sessions or persons.
The Peculiarity of Developing Nations and Nigeria makes it necessary
to reappraise the western techniques before applied in Africa. Like
the American Vietnamese War, the West and the Far East Trade rela-
tions, Nigeria needs Nigerians, like Africa needs Africans to fight
the scourge, the African way, using local and modern methods of dis-
ease warfare.
There is the need to remove all the bureaucratic bottlenecks that
will only lead top failure and increased corruption.
The health industry should go beyond the distribution and sales of
condoms to the prevention of infection through needles, shaving,
pedicure and manicure, tooth brush and the woes of wars and refugee
situations. You may not believe it, but it is true, some families use
the same toothbrush for everybody, everyday. Most local and modern
(Mobile and Stationery) barbers, do not know or care about transmis-
sion of diseases, due to careless/ignorant practices. The local tra-
ditional barber is also a mani/pedicurist. He is also the surgeon
that circumcises the children and removes bad blood by excision and
sucking of blood with horns. The blades/kits are used form one person
to the other with little called hygiene.
There is the need to remove the stigma that is attached to it and
fight it like any other predicament.
The creation of test centres is good, but we need more professionals
to handle the cases after they are diagnosed, not condemned like the
case is in most developing world.
Involve the religious, traditional, media practitioners and NGOs in
the fight.
Safeguard the privacy of the individual matter their positions on the
divide of positive or negative outcome.
Go to the people feel their pulses, then the discovery of a solution
will be half near. So many lack not only good livelihood, but also a
basic meal structure for the mere survival of the body and soul.
The encouragement of good practices cost money, but it is by far less
expensive than the treatment of a full-blown AIDS.
The Nigerian researchers and healers that are making head ways, by
finding one form of relief or cure as they say or the other, should
be sponsored fully to continue their research and work by all means
and institutions like National Institute Pharmaceutical Research and
Development (NIPRD) be made to monitor the progress.
The Government should have a stance on the issue. If abstinence is
the best prevention and maintaining a single or ones matrimonial
partner(s) is also a good preventive method, then by all means en-
courage it. It is not far from the traditions and cultures most Nige-
rians are used to.
The Commercialisation of condom preventive method, should have some
air ethics in it, like tobacco is being forced to have. The outcome
of ill managed condom method has led to the increasing number of peo-
ple especially the curious teenagers and young adults that have
delved into sex related matters wrongly and dangerously with the be-
lief that condoms are diplomatic passports that need no visas to SEX.
Finally, the battle against AIDS is not only a governmental thing,
individuals and families must resolve to fight the calamity, take
care of the already wounded, caution the risk takers and return to
the basic norms of Best Practices. Personal efforts are the most im-
portant elements that will aggregate to form compound of National
Success.
As we think globally or nationally on the issue of AIDS, I implore
every one of us to also think personally.
May we succeed beyond our dreams, with God being our helper.
Adamu Ayuba
Better Youth Foundation International
Director, Nigeria
Cp 34 Nouakchott Street, Zone 1,
Box 8880
Wuse Abuja, Nigeria
Tel: +234-9-5236-877
Fax: +234-9-5231-570
or in USA
Tel/fax: +1-435-407-3327 or +1-435-407-3333
mailto:adamua@hotmail.com
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