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Two African Social Media Influencers Living with HIV to Address UNGA
Two African Social Media Influencers Living with HIV to Address UNGA
By: Michael Mike
Two young social media influencers living with HIV with the support of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) are on their way to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the Summit of the Future in New York to urge world leaders to partner with them in the response to HIV.
The two, Ibanomonde Ngema from South Africa and Jerop Lima from Kenya, according to a statement on Thursday by UNAIDS, will call on leaders to invest in youth-friendly health systems, provide holistic services for young people living with HIV, and to partner with young people and communities, allowing them to lead in the response to HIV.
Executive Director of UNAIDS. Winnie Byanyima said: “Young people’s powerful and vibrant activism has driven so much of the progress made in the HIV response,” adding that: “They know what works for them. It is essential for leaders to listen to them to understand the specific challenges that young people face and how those challenges can be overcome. Leaders can only successfully plan how to end AIDS and sustain the advances made by partnering with young people living with HIV.”
The young Kenyan HIV activist. Jerop Limo, said: “I am representing not only the voices of 1.5 million Kenyans living with HIV but all people living with HIV,” adding that: “I want leaders to leave New York knowing that we are not beneficiaries, we are equal rights holders. We have a voice, we have skills and expertise and we need an equal playing field where our data is valued, where our input is valued and where our voices are heard. We want meaningful and ethical engagement of adolescents and young people in all spaces of the AIDS response.”
According to the statement, young people, especially adolescent girls and young women, are disproportionately affected by HIV. Globally, 44% of all new HIV infections were among women and girls (all ages) in 2023 and every week 4000 young women and girls around the world are infected with HIV—3100 are in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2023, some 3.1 million adolescents and young people (15-24 yrs) were living with HIV—1.9 million were adolescent girls and young women.
Ibanomonde Ngema, a young South African AIDS activist, said: “Governments meeting here in New York cannot end AIDS alone. They need to involve us to find solutions. We have lived experiences of HIV, from treatment to mental health, because we navigate life with HIV every day. We need to be included in policymaking so that we can take full ownership of ending end AIDS as a public threat,”
He noted that: “The world can only benefit when young people are included in the global HIV response. No conversation about HIV should take place without us, from policy to practice in communities.”
The safety decried that too often young people report facing stigma and discrimination, including from doctors and healthcare workers, when they access sexual and reproductive health and HIV services. This discourages them from seeking support and crucial information about their health, putting them at risk of HIV infection or of defaulting on treatment for those who are living with HIV.
The statement added that young people living with HIV play a critical role in the fight against AIDS in communities. They offer support and share important information about HIV that schools or parents might not talk about. They also challenge stigma and discrimination through social media, helping to save lives and encourage young people to stay on treatment.
It also added that they drive innovation in communities, for example, a self-funded project by the Youth Empowerment Group uses e-bikes to deliver antiretroviral medicines, food and adherence support to young people who often cannot attend clinics because their schooling hours conflict with clinic opening times in Namibia.
However, their transformational work is being held back because it is not being sufficiently supported. Youth-led HIV responses often operate with little or no financial and political support. At the UNGA the two young people will call on world leaders to fully support and fund their work. They will also urge leaders to uphold the human rights of young people as key to ending AIDS as a public health threat—they will call on them to protect young people’s right to healthcare, education, freedom of speech, and to provide social support to young people living with HIV.
Jerop Lima said: “Providing treatment is not enough, young people living with HIV need an education and they need a job to survive,” adding that: “We need to be seen as equal contributors and partners, and we need investment to allow us drive change. We are the leaders of the future and we need to be included now to help shape a better future for us all.”
Two African Social Media Influencers Living with HIV to Address UNGA
NCoS Dismisses Claims of Prisons as TB Hotbeds, Reaffirms Strong Disease Control Measures
By: Michael Mike
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has rejected claims that custodial centres across the country have become “hotbeds” for tuberculosis (TB), describing such assertions as misleading, alarmist, and unsupported by verified data.
In a press statement issued on Sunday, the Service spokesperson, Jane Osuji faulted a report published by Daily Trust on January 3, 2026, titled “How Nigerian Prisons Became Tuberculosis Hotbeds,” insisting that the narrative failed to reflect the realities within Nigeria’s correctional facilities.
According to the NCoS, while it welcomes responsible media engagement on public health and inmate welfare, the report relied on sweeping generalisations and unverified claims, despite the Service having provided the reporter with detailed and factual information on tuberculosis prevention and treatment in custodial centres.
“The portrayal of custodial centres as unchecked tuberculosis hotbeds is misleading and unfair,” the Service said, adding that some of the names and cases cited in the report do not exist in the records of any correctional facility known to the Service.
The NCoS noted that tuberculosis remains a global public health challenge affecting both custodial and non-custodial populations, stressing that Nigeria’s TB response is coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health through the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme (NTBLCP), in line with World Health Organization guidelines.
It explained that the Service is an active stakeholder in the national TB response, operating health clinics across custodial centres nationwide and working closely with the NTBLCP, federal and state ministries of health, non-governmental organisations, and development partners.
These collaborations, the Service said, support routine TB screening, laboratory diagnosis, treatment initiation, adherence monitoring, and referral to secondary or tertiary health institutions where required. Inmates diagnosed with tuberculosis are placed on nationally approved treatment regimens at no cost.
The NCoS further outlined that healthcare management in custodial centres includes medical screening upon admission, periodic health assessments, infection prevention and control measures, isolation of infectious cases when clinically indicated, and structured referral systems to external hospitals.
While acknowledging challenges such as congestion in some urban custodial facilities and ageing infrastructure, the Service stressed that these issues do not amount to neglect of inmate welfare. It highlighted ongoing decongestion efforts through jail delivery exercises, collaboration with the judiciary, and the expansion of non-custodial measures provided for under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act.
The Service also recalled its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that despite custodial centres being classified globally as high-risk environments, proactive screening, isolation protocols, and close collaboration with public health authorities ensured that no active COVID-19 cases were recorded in custodial centres nationwide.
According to the NCoS, this experience demonstrates its institutional capacity and preparedness to manage communicable diseases, including tuberculosis, within custodial settings.
The statement added that the Federal Government has approved the recruitment of additional medical and healthcare professionals to further strengthen health service delivery, disease surveillance, and treatment programmes across custodial centres.
Reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the health, dignity, and human rights of persons in custody, the Nigerian Correctional Service said it remains open to constructive criticism but will continue to challenge reports that misinform the public or unjustly malign the institution.
NCoS Dismisses Claims of Prisons as TB Hotbeds, Reaffirms Strong Disease Control Measures
US Invasion of Venezuela: ECOWAS Urges Restraint, Backs Dialogue
By: Michael Mike
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expressed concern over the recent developments in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, calling on all parties to exercise restraint and respect international law.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, ECOWAS acknowledged the right of states to combat international crimes such as terrorism and drug trafficking but stressed that such efforts must be carried out in line with established principles of international law.
The regional bloc reminded the international community of the obligation to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, as provided under Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter.
ECOWAS said it fully aligns with the African Union’s position, articulated in a statement released on 3 January 2026, which urged restraint and encouraged inclusive dialogue among the people of Venezuela as a means of addressing the country’s challenges.
The statement comes amid heightened tensions in Venezuela following reports of foreign military actions and growing international reactions to the evolving security and political situation in the South American country. Venezuela has in recent years faced prolonged political instability, economic hardship, and international pressure, leading to sharp divisions both domestically and globally over how best to address the crisis.
ECOWAS reiterated its solidarity with the Venezuelan people and called on all states to respect Venezuela’s independence and territorial integrity. The bloc expressed support for efforts by Venezuelans to determine the future of their country through an inclusive and peaceful process.
The West African regional body joins a growing list of international and regional organisations advocating de-escalation and dialogue as tensions continue to draw global attention.
US Invasion of Venezuela: ECOWAS Urges Restraint, Backs Dialogue
Troops neutralise seven terrorists, rescue hostages in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai, have neutralised seven terrorists and rescued three abducted persons during coordinated clearance and ambush operations in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno.
Zagazola Makama reliably informed that the latest encounters occurred in the early hours of Saturday under Operation Desert Sanity V.
According to the sources, troops operating in conjunction with members of the Hybrid Force and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) made contact with terrorists at about 4:40 a.m. at Sojiri, a known terrorist crossing point in Konduga LGA.
“During the firefight, five terrorists were neutralised, while three hostages kidnapped by the terrorists were successfully rescued. One AK-47 rifle was also recovered,” the sources said.
They added that no casualty was recorded on the side of own troops, with no personnel killed, wounded or missing.
In a related operation, the main advancing force into terrorist territory was reported to be about four kilometres short of the crossing point at Kana after commencing movement from a harbour position.
The sources said contact was made by an ambush team between Meleri and Ngirbua, where two additional terrorists were neutralised and one AK-pattern rifle recovered.
Zagazola reports that Operation Desert Sanity V is part of sustained offensive actions by the Nigerian military aimed at degrading terrorist networks, blocking movement corridors and rescuing abducted civilians across the North East.
Troops neutralise seven terrorists, rescue hostages in Borno
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