Experts warn of HIV/AIDS crisis in Nigeria as U.S. aid freeze threatens health sector
Health experts have urged President Bola Tinubu to take immediate action to prevent a resurgence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria following the suspension of billions of dollars in U.S. funding for global health and education projects.
The experts, Baba Yusuf and Etim Etim, raised the alarm during an appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political program on Channels Television. They emphasized that the funding freeze by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration could severely impact Nigeria’s fight against HIV/AIDS and Malaria, calling on the government to treat the issue as a national emergency.
Yusuf and Etim advised the Tinubu administration to engage manufacturers of antiretroviral drugs and secure direct funding to continue subsidizing medications for people living with HIV/AIDS. They warned that without urgent intervention, the availability and affordability of these life-saving drugs would be at risk.
Etim highlighted the impact of former U.S. President George W. Bush’s initiative, which had previously subsidized HIV/AIDS drugs for Nigeria and other African nations.
“Now, those drugs are either going to be too expensive or unavailable,” he cautioned. “The government should quickly get in touch with manufacturers of antiretroviral drugs, provide direct funding, and bring those drugs to the country.”
The experts also recommended that the 2025 Budget, currently before the National Assembly, be adjusted to accommodate the shortfall left by the U.S. funding suspension.
“We should quickly treat this as an emergency case because at one point, HIV/AIDS penetration in this country was one of the highest in the world, but it was driven down,” Etim added. “We should not allow the HIV/AIDS pandemic to rise again. That should be the focus of the Minister of Health and the Federal Government.”
As Nigeria faces the potential consequences of this major funding gap, stakeholders in the health sector are calling for swift government action to protect millions of lives and sustain progress made in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
