The Federal Government of Nigeria has allocated N700 billion to the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and immunisation, according to Dr. Amobi Ogah, Chairman of the House Committee on HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria.
Dr. Ogah made this announcement on Tuesday at the 2025 Pre-World TB Day press conference held in Abuja.
World TB Day, observed annually on March 24, aims to raise awareness about tuberculosis and mobilise resources and political commitment towards its eradication. The theme for this year’s event is “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, and Deliver.”
Commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dr. Ogah said:
“I must commend the Federal Government of Nigeria, led by Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, for injecting the whopping sum of N700bn for the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and immunisation. This was made possible with the help of our minister, who is so dear to this country and believes that we can achieve it.”
The allocation follows the recent withdrawal of financial support from the U.S. government for Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria programs.
Dr. Ogah further assured that the House Committee on HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria Control would continue to push for stronger legislative interventions to support Nigeria’s efforts to eliminate TB.
“The committee will continue to provide legislative mechanisms and interventions to support the fight against TB in Nigeria,” he said.
Additionally, he revealed that the committee had called on the Global Fund to increase its TB funding allocation for Nigeria from 18% to 30%.
“We have also concluded plans to pass a law that will protect persons affected by TB from discrimination and stigmatisation,” he added.
Dr. Ogah emphasised the committee’s commitment to ensuring accountability in the disbursement of the N700bn fund.
“The committee on HIV will ensure transparency and accountability in the disbursement of these funds to ensure that funds meant for interventions and programmes are judiciously spent and not mismanaged. I want to assure you that we in the committee will continue to champion an increase in domestic funding, that is the key,” he stated.
In her remarks, Dr. Queen Ogbuji-Ladipo, Acting Board Chair of Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, stressed that despite advancements in diagnostics, treatment, and prevention, TB continues to affect vulnerable and underserved communities in the country.
However, she expressed optimism about Nigeria’s ability to eliminate TB, citing innovations such as shorter treatment regimens and digital adherence technologies.
“With the unwavering commitment of healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and advocates, alongside innovations such as shorter treatment regimens and digital adherence technologies, we are closer than ever to eliminating TB,” she said.
She highlighted the Stop TB Partnership Nigeria’s advocacy efforts, which focus on securing increased resources, health policy reforms, and service integration for TB management in collaboration with both government and non-state actors.
“As we all know, in light of dwindling donor support, we need to intensify our advocacy for domestic resources for TB now more than ever. I encourage everyone to use their voices to support this cause. Let us work together, push for stronger policies, advocate for more domestic resources, and drive initiatives that focus on TB prevention, detection, and treatment,” she urged.
The Director of Public Health at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Godwin Ntadom, noted that Nigeria recorded its highest-ever TB notification in 2024, identifying over 400,000 cases out of an estimated 506,000 TB patients in the country.
“This translated to about 79% treatment coverage and deserves commendation. Similarly, we have made good progress in TB notification among children, increasing from just 8,293 in 2018 to about 43,000 children treated with TB in 2024,” he revealed.
Despite these advancements, he warned that many TB cases remain undetected, which continues to fuel transmission.
“It will interest you to know that one untreated TB patient is capable of infecting 15 other persons in a year. A more worrisome trend is the suboptimal enrollment of diagnosed Drug-Resistant TB patients on treatment in the last five years,” Dr. Ntadom stated.
Dr. Ntadom reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to achieving the global End TB targets set by WHO.
“Let me reassure you that the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, remains committed to achieving the global End TB targets set by the WHO,” he concluded.