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Mrs. Abimbola Fashola (R) presenting a gift to a recipient during the launch of NAWOCA Local Government Chapters in Ikeja Division.
Mrs. Abimbola Fashola (R) presenting a gift to a recipient during the launch of NAWOCA Local Government Chapters in Ikeja Division.Oct 15, 2009 - HIV/AIDS: “We Need Concerted Action To Stem The Scourge” – Mrs Fashola
First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola on Thursday, October 15, launched the National Women Coalition on AIDS (NAWOCA) in the Ikeja Division of the State with a call for concerted action against the scourge in the country.
Ikeja Division comprises Onigbongbo, Ojodu, Mushin, Odo-Olowu, Oshodi/Isolo, Isolo, Ejigbo, Alimosho, Agbado Okeodo, Ayobo/Ipaja, Igando, Ikotun/Egbe, Idimu, Musan-Okunola, Ifako/Ijaiye, Ojokoro/Agege and Orile/Agege.
Mrs. Fashola said the only way to combat the scourge and stop the decimation of the nation’s population especially women and girls is for every hand to be on deck in terms of mobilization and empowerment of women as well as awareness campaign to sensitize the them pointing out that they are the most vulnerable due to their nature and status.
Addressing the quality audience made up of political and religious leaders in Ikeja Division, members of the various community development and women associations as well as non-governmental associations, Mrs. Fashola, the First Lady of Lagos State, said the spread of the scourge could only be checked if all issues relating to women are given urgent attention.
NAWOCA is an initiative of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Hajia Turia Yar’Adua, as an advocacy aimed at publicly addressing issues that make the female gender more at risk to HIV/AIDS infection.
The First Lady said women and girls are more susceptible to infection due to several factors including their nature as wives which makes them susceptible to infection through the men, poverty and unstable economy and ignorance adding, “We have to empower the women; we have to encourage them to get lucrative jobs and, above all, we must encourage the women, both young and old, to know their status”.
Lamenting that in spite of the various initiatives and actions taken to raise the awareness of people on HIV, the pandemic has grown to become a serious health issue since 1986, Mrs. Fashola said the initiative was being launched in Ikeja Division as an initiative to stem the spread of the scourge in the Division.
The First Lady urged wives of the various local government chairmen under the Division, who are now chairpersons of the Coalition in their Local Government Areas, to seek support and collaboration of policy-makers in the political, social and religious circles, women leaders as well as traditional institutions within the division.
“This is very essential to the success of this initiative because even though women are the primary targets, we need the support of our men and opinion leaders in our communities to strengthen the organization and to achieve our set goals” Mrs. Fashola said.
She appealed to Chairmen of the Local Governments in the Division to “take seriously all issues that make women prone to infection and ensure that Lagos State takes the leading position so that we can set example to the rest of the country to ensure the successful implementation of this programme”.
She said Lagos State must draw up a plan of activities in accordance with the objectives of the initiative, prepare evaluation and proper coordination schedule, and submit quarterly progress report by each local government if it must maintain its leading position and achieve the goals of the Coalition, adding that the State must also liaise with the State’s AIDS Control Agency at the local government levels as well as the State Chapter of NAWOCA in order to achieve.