By Victor Nwegede
As dawn broke over Abakaliki on December 1, 2025, volunteers in brightly branded vests fan out across markets, motor parks, church compounds, and school gates. They carry boxes of free condoms, educational materials, mobile HIV testing kits, and portable speakers. Some haul megaphones for impromptu health talks; others hold clipboards ready to document testing results.
The early bustle speaks to a growing urgency across Ebonyi State: the need to protect its young people from a resurgence of HIV infections.
Once considered a national success story, Nigeria’s fight against HIV faces new threats rising adolescent risk behaviours, shifting social norms, and declining global funding. Ebonyi, where youth are increasingly at the center of new infections, has responded with one of the most ambitious community-led campaigns in the country, rallying religious institutions, families, schools, and grassroots groups into a unified front.
At the heart of the campaign is the Ebonyi State Agency for the Control of AIDS (EBOSACA), led by Executive Secretary Prince Chibueze Andrew Iteshi, whose team has expanded outreach far beyond clinics, into the daily paths of young people.
A Growing Crisis Among Adolescents
In church compounds during one of EBOSACA’s sensitization and testing drives, Prince Iteshi expressed a fear echoed by many health workers: HIV infections among adolescents and young adults — some as young as 14 are rising.
“These are the ages at which young people are most sexually active,” he said. “We used to speak of 16 to 25. Now we are seeing cases at 14. Society is changing, and so must our approach.”
While the 2018 National AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) puts Ebonyi’s overall prevalence at 0.8%, lower than the national average, certain areas tell a different story. Abakaliki LGA stands at 1.2%, among the highest in the state. Edda (Afikpo South), Afikpo North, and Ohaozara range between 0.9 and 1.0%.
Behind these numbers lie a tangle of risk factors including early sexual debut, transactional sex, peer pressure, drug use, and unsterilized grooming tools used in salons and makeshift tattoo shops.
“Many youths go to salons where one clipper or needle serves multiple people,” Iteshi warned. “If you must groom or get a tattoo, ensure the tools are properly sterilized or buy your own.”
When Pulpits Become Platforms for Public Health
In a deeply religious state like Ebonyi, faith institutions hold unmatched influence. Recognizing this, EBOSACA launched a dual outreach campaign across churches and mosques, earning warm reception from leaders and congregants.
At the Central Mosque, Abakaliki, EBOSACA teams offered free testing, educational materials, and harm-reduction services for people battling drug use.
“We thank EBOSACA for coming,” said Usman Shuaib Adam, Secretary General of the mosque. “Our mosque is ready to partner in spreading awareness. This affects all of us.”
Women in the mosque’s antenatal classes welcomed clear, stigma-free guidance on preventing mother-to-child transmission. Representatives of the National Human Rights Commission, led by Christopher Okorie, praised the outreach and reaffirmed support for protecting the rights of people living with HIV.
Churches across Ebonyi echoed the same spirit. Pastors—among them Rt. Rev. Scamb Nwokolo, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ebonyi State stood before their congregations and encouraged testing.
For many worshippers, the sight of testing tents on church grounds was a turning point. Some were tested for the first time. Faith, once seen as distant from HIV discussions, is now a bridge to healthier choices.
Parents, Teachers, and the Home Front
As risk factors increase, EBOSACA is leaning heavily on family engagement.
“All these children come from homes,” Iteshi said. “Parents are the first teachers.”
Yet in many households, conversations about sex, drugs, or peer pressure remain taboo. Sensitization meetings in Ezza North and other LGAs brought parents face-to-face with uncomfortable truths. Many were shocked to learn that sharing shaving sticks or eyebrow razors can transmit HIV.
One mother in Amike-Aba confessed:
“We can’t pretend anymore. These children are not living in the world we grew up in. We need to talk to them.”
In classrooms, teachers are becoming frontline educators. With support from UNESCO, 1,110 teachers have been trained under the Family Life Health Education (FLHE) curriculum. Once fully rolled out, schools will use interactive lessons, drama, and peer-led discussions to teach HIV prevention and debunk myths.
A Campaign That Moves With the People
Mobility defines EBOSACA’s strategy. Volunteers take the message to where people gather—markets, roadsides, mechanic villages, bus stops.
A massive awareness walk through
Abakaliki stopped traffic as placards reading “Get Tested, Stay Protected” and “Prevention Is Better Than Regret” filled the streets. Market women paused sales to collect free condoms. Young cyclists slowed to ask questions. Curiosity turned quickly into active participation.
Beyond the capital city, EBOSACA launched a 13-LGA sensitization tour to identify high-risk communities and expand access to services.
At the Ezza North Headquarters, Dr. Ezekiel Nwakpa presented key statistics:
16,300–18,000 people are currently living with HIV in Ebonyi. 94–95% of identified cases are on treatment. Abakaliki, Edda, and Ohaozara remain the highest-burden LGAs.
The tour offered on-the-spot testing, antiretroviral therapy enrollment, condom distribution, injectable PrEP (every two months), and awareness on Medication Assisted Therapy (MATS) for drug dependence.
Civil society groups, including Abby Care Foundation led by Edit Nwankwo, highlighted their work supporting over 1,000 patients across multiple LGAs.
Honoring Lives Lost and Renewing Commitment
A candlelight memorial in Abakaliki brought together people living with HIV, health workers, government officials, and community members to honor those lost to AIDS-related illnesses.
Speaking for the Commissioner for Health, Permanent Secretary Dr. Lawrence Ezeogo reflected on the 1980s and 1990s, when HIV was widely seen as a death sentence.
“Many died not because treatment was unavailable, but because of stigma and ignorance,” he said. “All of us live in a glass house when it comes to exposure. Compassion saves lives.”
The Funding Challenge Ahead
Despite the campaign’s momentum, a storm looms: global HIV donors are expected to withdraw most support by 2030. Programs dependent on external funding testing, treatment, outreach, key population services, and school health programs face possible disruption.
“Without support, these programs cannot survive on domestic funding alone,” Iteshi warned, urging continued international partnership.
Yet Ebonyi is not waiting helplessly. The state government has pledged ongoing support to strengthen HIV programs and protect vulnerable groups.
A Movement Bigger Than Any Institution
Ebonyi’s HIV prevention campaign has evolved into a sweeping social movement powered by volunteers, parents, teachers, religious leaders, youth groups, civil society organizations, and community elders.
The logic is simple but profound:
The more people learn, the less they stigmatize.
The more families talk, the safer young people become. The more churches and mosques engage, the more trust grows.
The more youth access testing, PrEP, condoms, and counseling, the lower the infection rates.
As World AIDS Day 2025 approached, Ebonyi's intensifying mobilization offered a model for other Nigerian states—a blueprint for resilient, community-driven public health.
The stakes remain high. But hope lives in everyday acts: a mother speaking honestly to her child, a teacher correcting harmful myths, a pastor encouraging testing, a volunteer handing out condoms, a young person choosing to know their status.
This is Ebonyi’s story, a story of resilience, collaboration, and unwavering commitment to its youth. A reminder that ending HIV is not only a medical responsibility but a collective moral duty.
And with communities standing together, an HIV-free Ebonyi and an HIV-free Nigeria remains within reach.
