Headline

Make HIV Treatment Totally Free, NEPWHAN Tasks Govt

Published

2 years ago

December 8, 2021

The Network of People Living with HIV in Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, NEPWHAN, has called on the Federal and state governments to save the lives of indigent members by making HIV treatment totally free.

Making the call recently at an event to mark the 2021 World AIDS Day with the theme: ‘End inequalities, End AIDS, Support PLHIV’ the group noted that some facilities such as the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, NIMR and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, still collect money for drug pick up.

Speaking on the challenges of the people living with HIV/AIDS, the secretary of NEPWHAN, Ms Monica Obi urged the Lagos State governor to wade into the issue.

“For example, the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, NIMR. NIMR might not be directly linked to Lagos State but it is in the State and the governor can do something about it.

“We want a situation whereby our people can walk into any facility and collect their antiretroviral drugs, ARVs, free of charge. He should take our message to President Muhammad Buhari that we want free and accessible ARVs in NIMR.

“We want a baseline test in viral load test free. There are some indigent clients that will not be able to pay and because of that they will be missing appointments and some will not be taking their drugs regularly because they will be scared of the money they will pay on the next appointment.

“In facilities like LUTH, they pay N5,000 for a viral load test. So we want HIV treatment to be totally free.”

Obi also lamented the lack of some regimens in NIMR.

“In NIMR, there are some regimens of ARVs that are not available. Some have not taken ARVs for months. So you are indirectly telling the people to go and die.”

Speaking on stigmatisation, the Lagos State Coordinator of NEPWHAN, Mr. Patrick Akpan, said Nigeria may not be able to end HIV/AIDS because a lot of people are still being discriminated against thereby losing job opportunities.

Akpan who has been living with HIV 17 years said: “Within the last one month, we have gotten more than three or four stigma cases.

“When you stigmatise people living with HIV that means you do not regard that person because of his status, that is stigma.

“If we discrimate, it means we are not heading to ending Aids because a lot of people will be hiding, nobody will want to come out because of discrimination.

“Government needs to do a lot more because I don’t know what will happen if the donors decide not to give us drugs again.”

He, however, rated the efforts of the government at just 30 percent.

On his own, Umoru Ibrahim who has managed HIV for the past two decades said the ugliest thing that impedes the response to HIV is stigma and discrimination.

Ibrahim said: “Science has proven that even people living with HIV who are on treatment and have their viral load suppressed cannot transmit the virus.

“It hurts to hear that employers of labour will deny somebody employment because of his or her HIV status.”

He said Nigeria has not got to where the citizens should jubilate yet because there are still a lot of work to be done.

“It is most dangerous that we have an epidemic of this magnitude and it is donor driven. Everything about HIV is funded by donors. The Nigerian government’s financial input is about 10 percent and it is shameful.

“Let the government take ownership and let us have a fair playground for everybody. Then produce drugs here, produce test kits here and let the treatment get better. What we are having now is not the best,” Ibrahim stated.

Headline

Meet 17-year-old Nigerian Who Won $3.5m Worth Of Scholarships From Harvard, 13 Other Foreign Universities

Published

3 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Editor

A 17-year-old Nigerian boy, Oluwafemi Ositade, has secured full scholarships to multiple Ivy League universities in the United States, Canada and Qatar.

The teenager, a member of the Class of 2023 of The Ambassadors College, Ota, won scholarships over $3.5 million.

Ositade’s astounding success stems from his exceptional performance in the SAT where he achieved a perfect score in Maths (800/800) and a near-perfect score of 760 out of 800 in reading and writing and his CGPA of 4.04/4.0 from college.

Nigerian boy Femi Ositade wins $3.5 million worth of scholarships from Harvard and 13 foreign universities

Ositade received 14 scholarships from renowned institutions nine of which are full ride scholarships (covering tuition, accommodation, allowance and all other student’s expenses).

The universities that have given scholarship offers to Ositade are Harvard University, Brown University, Duke University, University of Toronto Lester B Pearson Scholarship, Wesleyan University, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, University of Miami, Howard University, Stetson University, Fisk University, University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus, University of Toronto St. George Campus, University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus and Drexel University.

In the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), he got a score of 358, and was ranked as the second best in Nigeria for the year 2023.

Also, in the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Ositade got eight A’s and one B2.

He wants to pursue a degree in Computational Physics, due to his passion for Quantum Computing and Mathematics.

Headline

Drama As Women Fight Dirty, Breasts Fall Out During Spring Break Outing In US [PHOTOS/VIDEO]

Published

4 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Editor

Shocking videos captured during Spring Break shows topless women fighting on a popular US beach.

The Orange Crush is a college spring break party on Tybee Island in Savannah, Georgia.

The party has been hosted annually in April for almost 30 years since Savannah State University opened.

This year’s event was chaotic. Videos have been shared on social media showing the carnage unfolding.

One video showed several bikini-clad women fighting on the beach’s boardwalk. They were filmed punching and scratching each other so violently that some of their tops flew off.

During the two-and-half minutes of chaotic footage, several women experienced their tops being forcibly lowered or displaced.

Some stopped fighting momentarily to adjust their clothing, while one individual, clad in a green swimsuit, persisted in the altercation even after her breasts were exposed.

Watch videos from the scene below.

No Peace at Savannah’s Orange Crush as Women Brawl Breakout Over The Weekend At Spring Break Event pic.twitter.com/cmfIZS7KQC
— SHO’NUFF (@IAMSHO_NUFF) April 22, 2024

Headline

Video Of Girl Being Bullied, Slapped At Lead British School Sparks Outrage Online [PHOTOS/VIDEO]

Published

4 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Editor

Videos of female students bullying a lone female student at Lead British School, Abuja, has sparked outrage online.

In videos shared online, female students, dressed in school uniform, are seen slapping one female student identified as Namtira.

“What’s the boy’s name?” they asked as they confronted her and slapped her across both cheeks.

Heartbreaking video shows girl being bullied and slapped by other students at Lead British School (videos)

Another video shows one of the bullies, identified as Maryam, asking, “Who broke my heart?” repeatedly as she slapped Namtira.

She then warned “don’t touch my hand” as Namtira tried to protect herself from the slaps.

Afterwards, Namtira stopped trying to prevent the slaps and calmly took them.

Students in the background are heard claiming Namtira “snatched” someone as they confronted her.

Namtira Bwala, said to be the daughter of author Daniel Bwala, did not retaliate as they hit her.

Heartbreaking video shows girl being bullied and slapped by other students at Lead British School (videos)

The video has sparked outrage and led to the hashtag #JusticeForNamtira.

This video is very triggering and painful to watch.
Apparently the bullied student at Lead British School Abuja is Namtira Bwala not Maryam.#JusticeForNamtira #LeadBritishSchool pic.twitter.com/RD63uTS3kz
— IHUOMA (@officialIhuoma) April 23, 2024