US embassy cable - 02ABUJA3346

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 003346 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: 12/17/12 
TAGS: KSCA, OPDC, OSCI, PREL, SOCI, TBIO, TSPL, KHIV, NI 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: MINISTER OF HEALTH PLEDGES 
COOPERATION ON THE PRESIDENT'S INTERNATIONAL 
MOTHER AND CHILD HIV/AIDS INITIATIVE 
 
REF: STATE 241028 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR HOWARD F. JETER FOR 
REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
 
1. (SBU) On December 16, Ambassador Jeter, 
accompanied by USAID Acting Director, USAID 
HIV/AIDS Officer and CDC/Nigeria Statistician, 
presented the joint letter from Secretaries 
Powell and Thompson on the President's 
International Mother and Child HIV/AIDS 
Initiative (reftel) and delivered the steering 
committee's survey to GON Minister of Health, 
A.B.C. Nwosu. 
 
 
2. (SBU) The Minister received the letter and 
talking points with enthusiasm and thanked 
President Bush and the people of the United 
States for the Initiative.  Citing his personal 
commitment to the success of the program, Nwosu 
said that combating HIV/AIDS is one of his 
Ministry's core objectives. The Minister said he 
appreciated the Initiative's focus on mother and 
child transmission because it reinforces his 
position that HIV/AIDS should be viewed as more 
than a sexually transmitted disease and he has 
reorganized the Ministry to reflect this. 
 
 
3. (SBU) Nwosu promised the full cooperation of 
the Ministry and suggested the establishment a 
joint committee between the Ministry of Health 
and the USG, whose Nigerian counterparts he 
immediately named. The Minister was hopeful that 
the Mother and Child HIV/ AIDS Initiative would 
support the GON's efforts to determine the 
actual size of their HIV positive population. 
Nwosu added that President Obasanjo recently 
asked the Ministry for an accurate count of the 
HIV population in the country, which they began 
by surveying a population of 600,000. The real 
gap in HIV/AIDS health services is in rural 
areas, the Minister said. To be worthwhile, this 
Initiative must have a broad reach that includes 
those areas. 
 
 
4. (C) The Ambassador also briefed the Minister 
on the proposed POTUS visit to the National 
Hospital for a HIV/AIDS event. The Minister will 
play a leading role in welcoming POTUS to the 
National Hospital.  Nwosu was optimistic that a 
POTUS visit to Nigeria and the HIV/AIDS 
initiative may encourage the Presidency to 
release much needed funding for HIV/AIDS.  Nwosu 
admitted, however, that he is reluctant to 
accept any funding until he has a plan that will 
result in success. 
 
 
5. (SBU) Comment: The Minister welcomed this 
initiative and demonstrated his willingness to 
go beyond rhetoric to support it.  The GON 
acknowledges that HIV/AIDS is a serious problem 
in Nigeria but they still lack a consensus plan 
to confront it. The President's initiative is a 
welcome opportunity for the GON to develop a 
plan of action to prevent mother-to-child 
transmission and it will be received in Nigeria 
with great enthusiasm. 
 
 
JETER