The federal government, in collaboration with stakeholders, held a candlelight memorial in Abuja to honour those who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS-related causes.

The event, which took place on Monday, aimed to raise awareness on Prevention-of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and enhance community commitment to ending AIDS.

Temitope Ilori, director general of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), emphasised the need to ensure a generation free of HIV by 2030.

“We aim to ensure a generation free of HIV, enabling us to achieve the global target of ending HIV as an epidemic by 2030.

“We gather to commemorate and honour our fallen heroes who have lost their lives in the fight against HIV.

“Regrettably, in 2023, an estimated 15,000 children died from AIDS-related illnesses. This is a deeply concerning statistic for our country.

“Together, we can reverse this trend and change the narrative,” she said.

She also stressed the importance of ending stigmatisation against persons living with HIV, urging them to access care, maintain treatment, and continue medication to suppress viral load.

Ms Ilori reaffirmed the government’s dedication to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic, emphasising increased domestic funding and resource allocation to combat the disease.

Abdulkadir Ibrahim of the Network of People Living with HIV in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) celebrated individuals and organisations working to control the epidemic.

He advocated for policy changes, funding, innovative practices, and accessible services to stop HIV among children by 2030.

Mr Ibrahim emphasised the need for sustainable best practices, community empowerment, and accessible services, including quality PMTCT services for pregnant women living with HIV.

Esther Hindi of the Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (ASHWAN) pledged to create more awareness on PMTCT.

Other stakeholders, including Ms Funmi Adesanya of PEPFAR and Dr Leo Zekeng of UNAIDS, committed to ending AIDS in Nigeria.

(NAN)