By correspondent in Lokoja.
The Initiative for Grassroot Advancement in Nigeria, (INGRA), an NGO,has called on the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, to promptly sign in to law, the recently passed bill safeguarding Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients.
Mr.Hamza Aliu Ibrahim, Executive Director of INGRA, made the appeal in loko during a Media Roundtable Discussion which focused on reducing HIV stigma in Kogi State.
Ibrahim who Commended the Kogi State House of Assembly for swiftly passing the bill saying that due to significant implications of the bill,emphasized the urgency of Governor Ododo’s assent.
The roundtable, themed “Advancing the HIV Anti-Stigma Bill and Addressing Issues Around HIV Stigma Reduction in Kogi State,” stressed the necessity of treating HIV issue with utmost seriousness.
Ibrahim used the platform to advocate against further stigmatization of HIV patients, stressing that they have equal rights with other members of the society and can access opportunities available to all citizens.
He stressed that HIV patients should not face discrimination but rather, enjoy all fundamental rights such as constitutional protections, marriage, privacy, education, religious worship, employment, as well as freedom of association and interaction.
“HIV patients must not be discriminated against.
“They should be accorded all needed rights like other citizens to live without stigmatization such as rights to constitutional provisions, marriage, privacy, education, religious worship, employment as well as freedom of association and interaction among others,” Ibrahim emphasized.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
