11 November 2015 – Geneva, Switzerland – The Stop TB Partnership is delighted to welcome Her Excellency, wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Hajiya Aisha Muhammadu Buhari as the new Ambassador to champion the cause of tuberculosis (TB) elimination in Nigeria and globally.
Recognizing her passion in promoting the well being of women and children in Nigeria, Stop TB Partnership Nigeria has nominated Her Excellency to champion the cause of TB elimination in adults and children both in the country and worldwide. Her Execellency conveyed her acceptance through a letter.
Nigeria has the highest number of TB cases in Africa and ranks third amongst countries with the highest burden of TB globally. Approximately 600,000 people become infected with TB in Nigeria every year and it is estimated that up to 60,000 of these new infections occur in children. TB is also the most common cause of death in persons living with HIV. This has become even more complicated with the emergence of drug-resistance TB (DR-TB), a variant of the disease caused by strains for the causative bacteria that is resistant to commonly used medications. DR-TB causes more severe disease that is more difficult to treat and requires the use of very expensive medications. Despite the significant burden of TB disease and its impact in Nigeria, TB elimination efforts are grossly underfunded, receiving less than 30% of the required funding from all souces.
Her Excellency, Hajiya Aisha Muhammadu Buhari is a very committed advocate for women and children’s rights, and is very passionate about issues affecting them. Her newly founded initiative, the “Future Assured Project” is aimed at contributing to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality and supporting girl-child education. “The Gogo (Caregiver) of Africa”, as she is being addressed, has been described as someone who would want to share the burden of others and advocate for the less privileged. Her acceptance to champion the course of TB has elicited very positive commendations from important stakeholders working on TB.
Reacting to the news, Dr. Lucica Ditiu, the Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership in Geneva, said “If we want to achieve our TB targets, we really need to change the main aspects in which we tackle this diseases – leadership, engagement, technical aspects and funding. Bringing strong voices and leadership from countries is essential. We are honoured and delighted that the First Lady of Nigeria kindly agreed to join our cause given her interest and dedication to humanitarian issues and we are sure that this will mean a lead to a significant progress in the Nigerian TB programme and overall in the health of people of Nigeria.“
The Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, an affiliate of the Global Stop TB Partnership, Geneva, is a multi-stakeholder partnership of organisations comprising government, parliamentarians, multilateral and bilateral organizations, development partners, private sector, academia, professional associations, civil society organisations and persons affected by TB. The Partnership is dedicated to ending the scourge of TB in Nigeria and fulfills its mandate by advocating for political commitment, support and funding that such a significant challenge deserves.