The Nigerian Ministry of Defence (NMOD) and the United States Department of Defence (USDOD) 14th steering committee meeting has ended in Abuja, unveiling the NMOD- USDOD HIV programme Strategic Plan for 2021 – 2025.
Mohammad Abdulkadri, Spokesperson to the Minister of Defence Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd) said in a statement that the unveiling raises the bars of the deliverables in safeguarding the overall wellbeing of the target beneficiaries in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
The statement quoted General Magashi as expressing satisfaction with the performance indicators and progress recorded in the HIV programme activities.
The Minister said fighting HIV among the troops, their families and the civilians around the barracks has significantly changed the narratives about the spread and the management of the reported cases of the scourge despite challenging operational environment.
Magashi, who is the Chairman NMOD – USDOD, said it is gratifying that his directive during the last meeting held in March this year that regular interface should be upheld is being complied with.
He expressed appreciation to the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Mary Beth Leonard, for sustaining the partnership, noting his satisfaction with the availability of the State of the Art equipment from the U.S. government which is aiding Nigeria’s national response and combat against communicable diseases, HIV and Covid-19 pandemic.
The co-Chairman of the NMOD-USDOD, Ambassador Beth Leonard, statistically outlined the high and the low cases of HIV and scored the programme activities very high in performance.
In their separate remarks, Director General, Defence Health Implimention Programme (DHIP), Brigadier General NAE Okeji (rtd), and the United States Army Medical Research Directorate, Africa and Nigeria (USAMRD-A/N), Dr Laura Chitandem, said 16 years after the establishment of the Steering Committee in 2005, it has made significant impact in carrying out its mandate.
According to the statement, “the Steering Committee thereafter presented prayers for the adoption and implementation of Genomic Sequencing for DRL as well as the need for the inclusion of the Legal Services Department.”
