By Babatunde Ayedoju

The Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has assured the people of the state of his government’s commitment to providing good healthcare for all, in line with the “OUR EASE” agenda of his administration.

The governor gave this assurance while declaring open the three-day non-residential sensitisation and technical workshop for stakeholders on the development of Ondo State HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan (SSP 2025-2027) on Monday in Akure.

Aiyedatiwa who was represented by his Special Adviser on Health, Professor Simidele Odimayo, stressed that all hands must be on deck to achieve the United Nations goal of ending HIV/AIDS scourge by 2030.

He said, “Our government places high premium on the health and living standard of our people. It is our avowed determination that everybody has access to quality healthcare and support. We shall leave no stone unturned until Ondo State becomes HIV/AIDS-competence and resilience, until the disease is no longer a threat to our collective wellbeing and survival.

“I am informed that 28,334 people are estimated to be living with HIV in the state while as at the April 2, 2025, 21,611 are currently on treatment. Most new infections being recorded are mostly among youths and adolescents. Against this backdrop, it has become rather imperative for all stakeholders to be unrelenting in their efforts at forestalling the spread of this epidemic.”

Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Taiwo Fasoranti, represented by the Permanent Secretary Political, Chief Akin Akinnagbe, described HIV/AIDS as a public health concern from which Ondo State is not exempted, saying that only collaborative efforts can combat the disease effectively as government alone cannot do it.

Calling on all stakeholders to actively participate in this process, Dr Fasoranti stressed the need for partnership between the government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), the private sector and community leaders.

The SSG said that though the state had made significant strides in HIV awareness, prevention and treatment as there is still room for improvement.

His words: “Together, we can build a healthier and more resilient state where everybody can have access to HIV support.

“Let us remember that behind every statistics is a human life yearning for a better tomorrow. Let this drives us to set targets that will be a benchmark for other states to emulate.”

Various speakers who gave goodwill messages commended the initiative and stressed that the decision of the United States Government to stop funding should be seen as a challenge to look inwards for financial support towards curbing the HIV/AIDS menace.

Project Manager of the Ondo State Agency for the Control of AIDS, Adedayo Adegbulu, while delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, described the stakeholders meeting as a pivotal moment for public health and for the future of sustainable development and HIV response in Ondo State.

While noting the shift in global landscape of health financing and change in traditional donor priorities, Dr Adegbulu stressed the need for Nigeria, and Ondo State in particular, to take greater ownership of the country’s health interventions, particularly HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

Dr. Adegbulu disclosed that the President Bola Tinubu administration had committed $200 million to mitigate HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and set up a technical working group to develop a sustainability roadmap, following the suspension of foreign support.

He said, “As at the end of 2024, estimated number of PLHIVB was 39 million; 4.8 million of this number is living in West Africa and Central Africa, with Nigeria accounting for 1.8 million. Ondo State is estimated to have HIV prevalence rate of 1.0 percent with high incidences of new HIV infection. Equally concerning is our contribution to the national burden of prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission and paediatric HIV.

“These figures are not just statistics; they represent real lives, individuals, families, and communities of person’s living with HIV and AIDS,” he added