– over 300,000 HIV positive in Kogi
By Grace Ben Kato
The Executive Director, Initiative for Grassroot Advancement in Nigeria (INGRA), Hamza Aliyu, has called on Kogi State Government to accent to the 2024 HIV Anti Discrimination Law.
The appeal was made at a one-day Media Round Table discussion with journalists in Lokoja, the kogi state capital recently.
According to him, the law which has been passed by the state House of Assembly, on 14th June 2024, is to protect the rights and dignity of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, eliminate all forms of discrimination based on HIV status, create a safe and enabling working and learning environment.
The law if accented to by Government, will also promote effective ways of managing HIV in workplace, community, institutions and give rights to people with HIV/AIDS to take affirmative action.
The bill, which identifies ten acts that constitutes discrimination, Hamza, said, if accented to, will enable organisations educate the citizenry on the rights of people living and affected with the virus and acts amounting to discrimination.
The Executive Director, who disclosed that over 300,000 people are living With HIV/AIDS in Kogi State, said though the figure is low, the state has not gotten to the point of epidemic control because of sigma and discrimination.
With 99% population of Kogians negative and 1% HIV positive, he maintained that, prevention of new infection is better and cheaper than have new positive HIV persons. “Kogi state has nothing to loss if the law is accented to, sizable number of people will benefit from it,” he said.
The law among others, states that no individual or institution shall require a person to disclose HIV status, prohibited HIV testing for employment or service, disclose of status without consent. Failure will attract two years imprisonment or five hundred thousand naira fine, for breech of confidentiality.
