Youth leader urges govt to be more HIV/AIDS responsive

 

 

An Artiste addressing the media on the HIV/AIDS coming walk concert.

Some artistes and the founders of the concert at the briefing of HIV/ADS walk in Lagos

Mr Ayodeji Laurent, the President Eti-Osa Youth Development Initiative (EYDI), addressing the media on the forthcoming of their HIV/AIDS walk 

Mr Dare Ajayi, the Founder of BIIRE Child and Maternal Health Care Foundation and Partner of EYDI

 

Co-partners at the briefing of HIV/AIDS walk

 

HIV/AIDS

Lagos, Dec. 5, 2013 Mr Ayodeji Laurent, the President Eti-Osa Youth Development Initiative (EYDI), an entertainment company, on Thursday, urged all tiers of government to be more HIV/AIDS responsive.

Laurent made the plea at a news conference in respect of the forthcoming 2^nd Lagos AIDS Walk scheduled for Saturday.

The HIV/AIDS Walk was being planned to sustain the awareness of the disease and its prevention, particularly new infections of mother and child.

According to him, more people are getting infected, particularly the youth from 15 to 24 years old who presently account for over 60 per cent of those infected.

``This is alarming. We are sitting on a time bomb, we should reverse and halt this trend as there is no better time than now.

``The government should take the health of the citizens serious. A lot of HIV/AIDS patients especially children, should be well taken care of.

``We need to start taking care of our own people without waiting for the international community to donate money for us.

``We want government to set up a trust fund that will help sustain HIV/AIDS interventions and programmes, ‘’ he said.

Laurent said that the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency had a goal to test 1.3 million Lagosians by December 2013.

``The HIV/AIDS Walk is centered around people, particularly the youth to know their HIV/AIDS status.

``We are starting from Obalende, which has high level commercial sex workers, intravenous community and high population of highly mobile military personnel.

``Our message will target this community and that is why we have decided to stage the event there,’’ he said.

Laurent said that the security team would comprise a combination of the police, private guards and local security boys.

Two ambulances would also be on hand at the HIV/AIDS Walk and the concert that would take place at night.

Mr Dare Ajayi, the Founder of BIIRE Child and Maternal Health Care Foundation and Partner to Eti-Osa Youth Development Initiative, described the Walk a wake-up call for the country to be serious in eradicating HIV/AIDS.

``Health is the starting point of any nation. If many youths are not healthy then the work force would suffer.

``Every year 7, 000 children with HIV/AIDS are born.

``I hope we won’t wake up and know that a whole generation has been wiped out because of the disease.

``The challenges and the issues involved are enormous and government is not looking toward that area,’’ he said.

The Walk will take off from Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) through Awolowo Road, Ikoyi to Falomo to Alfred Rewane, former Kingsway Road and to the Federal Secretariat.

The concert starts by 7.00 p.m. at Aunty Ayo International School Obalende, Lagos with many artistes scheduled to perform.

The artistes include: Dare Art Alade, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Yinka Davies and many others.