By Sani Idris

The Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN)
has urged governments at all levels to sustain efforts toward cushioning the effects of the scourge in the country.

Mr Peter Ezekiel, the Kaduna State Programme Officer of the Resilience and Sustainable System Health and Covid19
Response Mechanism (RSSH-C19RM) project, made the call at a media roundtable to review the successes of the project on
Tuesday in Kaduna.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the engagement was in collaboration with the National Agency for the
Control of AIDS (NACA).

Ezekiel explained that the RSSH-C19RM project is aimed at combating AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and Gender-Based Violence (GBV),
among other diseases affecting people.

He, however, said that so far, the project had made remarkable impact in efforts to step down the designed campaigns to
the grassroots.

Remarkable achievements were also recorded in sensitisation and the need to report cases of HIV/AIDS infections and GBV,
especially those involving rape and other crimes against children.

The programme officer, therefore, stressed the need for relevant stakeholders to scale up efforts in that regard.

He explained that another key area of the project is ensuring availability of healthcare facilities at the grassroots.

According to him, that will help communities in preparing against any future occurrence of diseases such as the COVID-19
pandemic.

Ezikiel urged government to support the project to achieve the set out goals of limiting cases of infection through sustained
partnership.

He urged citizens to speak out whenever they see something, adding that the project is working toward providing a toll-free
line where GBV victims can report cases without revealing their identity.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)