HIV/AIDS: Where is the money going?
By Folashade Oladipo

When Global Funds for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, GFATM, terminated a sum of $50million (about N11billion) it was supposed to give as grant to the National Action Committee on AIDS, NACA, to curb the spread of HIV\AIDS in Nigeria, a major reason advanced was NACA’s inability to credibly utilize the $201million it had received so far.

According to Global Funds, NACA, “ has not demonstrated sufficient capacity to achieve the goal of the grant as a result of low disbursement of funds meant for the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission, (PMTCT) and Anti-retroviral ( ARV) programmes and non-production of sufficient and reliable data.’’

Though Babatunde Osotimehin, NACA’s chairman reacted, saying that the late disbursement of funds was largely responsible for the delay in the implementation of programmes, the fact remains that out of 250,000 PLWHAs it has targeted to include in its treatment programme by June this year, NACA has only been able to accommodate about 40,000 cases, a figure which is even disputed in some quarters. This number is pitiable considering that about 500,000 PLWHAs are supposed to be on Antiretroviral Therapy, ART.

It is, perhaps, this shady trend that has prompted PLWHAs, non governmental organizations, especially the Treatment Action Movement, TAM, to raise questions on how all the funding received from NACA’s development partners such as World Bank, United States Agency for International Development, USAID and others are being diverted. It is also noteworthy that some PLWHA’s still pay N1,000 to access drugs in some of the treatment centres.

Humphrey Ubanyi, executive director, Coalition of Enugu State Support Groups Organization, CESSGO, recently complained. “We are still paying N1,000 to get drugs in Enugu State. Both at State and Federal Centres for instance at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH, where we get our drugs, the fee is still being collected.’’ With series of complaints dogging NACA, the body has continued to be under the searchlight of public scrutiny.

While Osotimehin would not readily agree to allegations of fraud, he can not deny that NACA had and still has an avalanche of funds to dispose with. This is the position of Obatunde Oladapo, TAM national secretary.

Recently, it negotiated $90.8m credit with the World Bank for HEAP. The fund, serviced by the National Project Team is expected to be utilized for a period of five years. With this programme, NACA is expected to engage in capacity building and expand the public sector response. It is also expected to involve the public sector, 17 line ministries; State Action Committees on AIDS, Faith based organizations, non governmental organizations and other government agencies.

Some of NACA’s development partners who have contributed immensely in terms of grants and donations include the Japanese International Cooperative Agency, JICA; Centre for Development & Population Activities, CEDPA; The Joint United Nations Program on HIV\AIDS ( UNICEF, UNDP, UNDCP, ILO); United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, DFID among others. All these agencies desire NACA to disburse the funds to ultimately reduce the 5.6m prevalence of HIV and treat the 3.5 million incidences of HIV as we have in Nigeria today. Two weeks ago NACA also announce a series of collaborative support package it sealed with the Clinton Foundation.

But, aside the external grants received from international organizations, the campaign against HIV/AIDS also recently received a boost with the debt cancellation given Nigeria by the Paris Club of Creditor Countries. This debt relief, translates to the fact that the country will be able to save N129 billion every year for the next 20 years. From this sum, N100 billion will accrue to the federal government while N229 billion will be for state governments.

To spend this fund judiciously, the federal government through Frank Nweke, Information minister recently stated that it would be committed to achieving the millennium development goals, MDGs. Goal six of the MDG is to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. It is expected that by 2015, the incidences of HIV\AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis would have been halted and begun to reverse the spread.

Aside the Ministry of Health, other Ministries believed by the federal government to be germane to tackling the incidence of HIV/AIDS include the Ministries of education, labour and productivity, agriculture, water resources, women affairs, science and technology and others. The funds already disbursed to the concerned ministries has however been generating a lot of controversies.

For instance, the N700 million meant for the Ministry of Agriculture is expected to be used for, “ grazing reserves, watering points, diseased control, presidential initiative on livestock production and HIV\AIDS programme.

In a recent budget analysis by ActionAID a non governmental organization, it raises question on the objectives. “This allocation is confusing, at best vague and downright suspicious. It raises question about how disease control, livestock production related to HIV or AIDS. The allocation was made without mention of any specific programme or activity to be focused on. It makes it difficult to be monitored effectively when data are not disaggregated,’’ stated ActionAID.

Also, in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, a sum of N5m was earmarked for “HIV activities’’. It was queried that, “the kind of activities they want to implement should have been specified for easy understanding. What particular area of HIV\AIDS intervention is the focus?”

If various government agencies involved in HIV\AIDS would be transparent in the manner with which they disburse funds, Oladapo believes Nigeria would soon experience a drop in the HIV\AIDS prevalence rate and provide quality care for PLWHAs.