The House Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Malaria on Thursday pledged to investigate the utilisation and impact of the N62bn Federal Government intervention funds invested into the HIV/AIDS control programme and other donor funds by Global Funds during the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
According to The Punch Newspaper, the committee also expressed disappointment over the absence of the national coordinators of the National Malaria Control Programme and the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programmes during a recent visit embarked upon by the Committee on a fact-finding mission.
The Chairman of the Committee, Amobi Ogah, however, expressed optimism about the fight against the deadly diseases in the country due to achievements recorded by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS led by the Director-General of the agency Dr Aliyu Gambo, during the visit to the agency.
During the visit, members of the House Committee expressed dismay over the data and statistics compiled by the agency on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS across the states and asked the agency to invest more in creating awareness of the disease, particularly in rural communities.
The House Committee which pledged its support for NACA programs, expressed displeasure that the Coordinators National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme as well as that of National Malaria Control Programme were absent when they were duly informed of the visit by the Committee.
He added that rather than the politicians, heads of government agencies and institutions are the major problems of the nation.
Statistics presented on the National HIV/AIDS Impact Survey conducted by NACA showed that in most states of the federation, two out of ten and three out of fifteen persons sampled and tested had contracted the deadly HIV/AIDS disease.
