ICD: NACA, AHF intensify condom awareness

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

In their determination to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) have intensified awareness on the use of condom.

Speaking at the event on Monday to commemorate the International Condom Day (ICD), a Deputy Director at NACA, Ezinne Okey-Uchendu said, condom programming is a major pillar in prevention HIV/ AIDS.

“Condom prevents against Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and unplanned pregnancy. This message is very important to the young ones and there is need to always intensify awareness on the usage to avoid spread of diseases.”

Speaking further, she said the agency ensures that people with HIV/AIDS are on drugs so that they will not be able to transmit.

On Total Marketing Approach (TMA), she said the approach helps to subsidized condoms, saying all are not free.

She added that the government is working to ensuring an effective condom programming in the country.

Similarly, Oluwakemi was now structured under a proper management service that would run the new service in partnership with the Lagos State Government and with the cooperation of members of the Lagos State Park and Garage Administrators.

Gbajabiamila noted that as the representative of his people, he had a good understanding of the current hardship and discomfort being faced by many Nigerians, including his constituents.

“The House of Representatives under my leadership has been on the side of the people, working tirelessly to rescue you from economic saboteurs seeking to derail the successes of President Buhari and the APC administration. I am glad that the judiciary also confirmed our position on the implementation of the naira redesign policy of the central bank. The good news is that relief is underway.”

He said as Nigerians prepare to vote on February 25 and March 11, the development of Surulere, Lagos State, and Nigeria will be on the ballot for consideration, and that the sustenance of the transportation initiative would “be guaranteed if we choose APC in the forthcoming elections.”

“I strongly believe that residents of Surulere, irrespective of tribe or religion, will affirm and attest to all the developmental projects facilitated in Surulere 1 and 2 Federal Constituencies and beyond.

“Surulere is enjoying all these developments because our community has enjoyed the support of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu from 1999 till date. It is our time to return this support and love to the man we believe will bring relief and succour to many Nigerians when elected.

“As we all go out on February 25, 2023, I urge you to vote APC in the Asiwaju for President, Rt. Hon. Wasiu Sanni Eshinlokun for Senate and my humble selfFemi Gbajabiamila - for House of Representatives. While on March 11, 2023, we should vote APC to return our Governor, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and Hon. Desmond Elliot back into office.”

Gbajabiamila also urged the people of Surulere and Lagos Park and Garage committee members to cooperate with the management of the GbajaRide Transport service for ease of movement of residents and students.

“I also urge the management service and drivers of GbajaRide to make safety a top priority, and I pray that GbajaRide will be safe from accidents and our people will find joy in subscribing to GbajaRide any day any time. God bless you all.”

Also at the function was the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Rep. Jimi Benson; APC Lagos State Chairman, Hon Cornelius Ojelabi; Special Adviser to Lagos Governor on Transportation, Hon Sola Giwa; SSA to the Lagos Governor on Sports, Mr. Anthony Adeyinka; MD of Lagos State Housing Development Corporation, Hon. Ayo Joseph; the Oniba of Iba, Lagos, Oba Suleiman Raji; the Onikate of Ikate-Surulere, Oba Lateef Adams; Secretary of Lagos GAC, Alhaji Mutiu Are; Member of Lagos GAC, Chief Olorunfunmi Bashorun, among other dignitaries.

Nigeria to become preferred investment destination — NIPC

Badamosi, Director of Advocacy and Policy Management, AHF Africa Bureau, said the event is commemorated a day before Valentine’s Day to caution you people who indulge in unprotected sex.

“The message is important for the young ones to protect themselves. It is also strategic because a lot of activities and expression of love that happens during Valentines. We are saying that they should also show love by using condom.

“We need to help young people make informed choices. This is Al a time to increase investment because of the prevalence.

“Everyone has a role to play so as to effectively curb the spread”.

On his part, Dr. Echey Ijezie, AHF Nigeria Country Program Director, said the programme calls for emergency need to step up awareness. We also want to demystify stigma and misinformation.

“Condom advocacy is necessary because of millions of cases world wide. We want improvement in the use of Condom.

“The young ones need improvement and sensitisation so as to do better when it comes to the use of Condom”.

TheNigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), has expressed its commitment to ensure that Nigeria becomes a preferred investment destination of choice for investors.

The Executive Secretary of NIPC, Mrs Saratu Umar, said this at the NIPC stakeholders’ engagement forum with state Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Umar said that NIPC was also strategising to increase national attractiveness and branding strategies at the national and subnational levels to deepen Nigeria’s investment promotion drive.

While calling for improved synergy among stakeholders in the investment promotion ecosystem, she expressed concern that the investment promotion drive of the country was fragmented.

According to her, the investment promotion drive of the country is largely fragmented, thereby, depriving us of cohesive leverage we can achieve if we synergise our efforts and resources.

“Consequently, all stakeholders in the investment promotion ecosystem ought to work in synergy and complement our mandates and competences to facilitate a national investment promotion campaign under the National Investment Promotion Master plan.

“This will also holistically accommodate investment opportunities at the state levels,’’ she said.

Umar said that the absence of a coordination and monitoring mechanism had left the investing community in a state of confusion.

She said that the coordination of investment promotion activities between the national IPAs,

NIPC, and sub-national IPAs for the effective implementation of investment promotion activities was largely absent.

“To avoid a ‘race to the bottom’ conduct, the country’s effort should be created for investment promotion under the coordination of the national IPA, NIPC,’’ Umar said.

She said that Nigeria is a resource rich country with a potential that was unrivalled by any other country in the world, “but this potential is yet to be fully harnessed’’.

“The level of resource mobilisation is insufficient to harness this potential for inclusive growth and national development.

“And this is where the role of investment promotion comes in to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and mobilise Local Direct Investment.

“Global FDIs market over the last decade has become very competitive and versatile.

“The investment promotion thrust of successful jurisdictions that are attracting the largest global market share of FDIs inflows are driven by effective, efficient and performance driven IPAs.

‘With almost 180 IPAs worldwide competing to channel FDIs to their different countries, a compelling imperative is established that NIPC is positioned to ensure that Nigeria gets a fair share of this global market.

“The commencement of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) makes it imperative for Nigeria to enhance its investment promotion drive and outclass other economies within the Area.

“This is in order to remain the preferred investment destination of choice because with AfCFTA, an investor can establish operation in any African country that is signatory and still access the Nigerian market,” she said.

According to Umar, the central and strategic role of NIPC in the coordination of all investment promotion should, therefore, be activated to ensure Nigeria’s investment promotion drive was given traction.

“This is to onboard investments into the different sectors of the economy in a bid to facilitate economic growth and national development as well as job creation, import substitution, foreign exchange generation and reduction of our reliance on debt among others.

“Therefore, in order not to lose out of the tremendous opportunity that has now presented itself, we must collaborate under NIPC’s coordination to implement investment facilitation measures to maximise the impact of investment facilitation activities.

“Thus, under the national investment coordination framework being evolved, NIPC will provide a clear strategy for a seamless collaboration and coordination of the investment ecosystem as well as usher in a robust and effective stakeholder communication and engagement.

“This will result in effective partnership with all stakeholders including sub-national investment promotion players,’’ she said.

Umar also said that a national council of investment promotion would be inaugurated by NIPC under its chairmanship and membership of all sub-nationals.

According to her, it is with investment promotion roles to facilitate and ensure seamless coordination of the activities of the national and state IPAs for holistic growth and development. (NAN)