Dr. Mcphalane Ejah, a leading public health advocate, has raised alarm over declining awareness of HIV among Nigerian youths, describing the situation as “sitting on a keg of gunpowder.”
The warning came during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar on Monday.
Ejah, who chairs the Prevention Technical Working Group on HIV in Cross River State, emphasised the ongoing importance of World AIDS Day, observed annually on December 1, as a platform to honour victims, support patients, fight stigma, and advance preventive efforts.
Highlighting a worrying trend, Ejah noted that many young Nigerians now doubt the existence of HIV, largely because they rarely encounter awareness campaigns on radio, billboards, or within communities.
Despite heavy youth engagement with digital media, he said there are no deliberate initiatives to provide youth-friendly HIV education.
“The exclusion of young people from HIV response plans leaves a large, vulnerable segment of our population at unnecessary risk,” Ejah said, warning that neglecting this group could undermine national prevention efforts.
He also criticised the apparent gap between reported HIV funding and actual support for civil society organisations, which he said hampers effective intervention.
“Without urgent action, national HIV initiatives risk remaining symbolic exercises with minimal real-world impact,” Ejah said.
Weak political commitment was identified as another major obstacle, with state HIV agencies operating on insufficient budgets and facing delays or non-release of approved funds.
“Government agencies now rely heavily on foreign partners, making the national HIV response more partner-driven than government-led,” he explained.
Ejah stressed that underfunded agencies are unable to coordinate interventions or properly monitor progress, weakening Nigeria’s overall HIV response.
He described current federal and state-level commitment as largely “cosmetic,” adding that while Nigeria once demonstrated strong resolve against HIV, today’s funding levels fall short of supporting meaningful prevention or intervention programmes.
