A renewed call to end HIV-related stigma and discrimination echoed across Ikeja on Tuesday as the Federal Government, through the National AIDS Control Agency (NACA), officially flagged off the Zero Stigma Campaign and Sensitisation Against Discrimination of Persons Living with HIV (PLWHIV) in Lagos State.
The human-centred campaign, held at the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat Community Centre, brought together government officials, civil society groups, people living with HIV, students, and community leaders in a shared resolve: that ending stigma is critical to ending HIV itself.
The initiative, a Federal Government project implemented by NACA in collaboration with GEDRITE Nigeria Limited and the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA), followed an earlier sensitisation session with secondary school students at Oregun Senior High School, highlighting the importance of reaching young people early with accurate information.
Flagging off the campaign, Dr Folakemi Animashaun, Chief Executive Officer of LSACA, described the initiative as “long overdue,” noting that stigma and discrimination remain major barriers to HIV prevention and care in Lagos State.
“People living with HIV are still being stigmatised and discriminated against in workplaces, homes, and communities,” Animashaun said. “That is why Lagos State has laws and guidelines against this behaviour. Today, we are saying zero tolerance for stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, in collaboration with NACA and our partners.”
She explained that Lagos State has gone beyond legislation by developing the Gender-Based Violence and HIV Stigmatisation Intersectional Guidelines, the only such framework in Nigeria. Since its launch two years ago, LSACA has mediated over 20 cases of HIV-related discrimination, with offenders fined accordingly.
“There are penalties, including financial penalties,” she added. “The 2007 Anti-Stigma Law is currently under review because the fines are no longer sufficient. We are working towards stronger sanctions that reflect today’s realities.”
Speaking on behalf of NACA Director-General Dr Temitope Ilori, Mr Raheem Mohammed, Deputy Director of Special Duties, said the Zero-Stigma Campaign is a national priority driven by the urgent need to meet global HIV targets.
“No matter how much the government invests in HIV treatment and prevention, stigma will discourage people from testing and accessing care,” Mohammed said. “This threatens our ability to achieve the 95-95-95 targets and to end HIV by 2030.”
He noted that Lagos State has already domesticated the national anti-stigma law and is now reviewing it to address emerging challenges. Following the Lagos flag-off, the campaign will extend to Alimosho, Surulere, and Eti-Osa local government areas.
Adding the voice of people living with HIV, Patrick Akpan, Lagos State Coordinator of the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWAN), urged both society and PLWHIV themselves to confront stigma.
“If we want HIV to end, we must stop stigmatising people living with HIV,” Akpan said. “But we must also stop self-stigma. When people are afraid to take their medication because of stigma, treatment suffers—and treatment is prevention.”
He called on NACA to deepen collaboration with NEPWAN to address internalised stigma through targeted sensitisation.
The Civil Society Organisations also reinforced the message. Olubiyi Oludipe, Executive Director of the Improved Sexual Health and Rights Advocacy Initiative (ISHRAI), stressed that fear-driven myths continue to fuel discrimination.
“You cannot get HIV by hugging, touching, or eating with someone living with HIV,” Oludipe said. “Stigma thrives on misinformation, and education is the antidote.”
At the grassroots level, Mrs Rashida Afolabi, Lagos State Education Officer for Ikeja Local Government and Manager of the Local Action Committee on AIDS (LACA), emphasised that HIV is no longer a death sentence.
“Science has shown that people living with HIV can live long, healthy, and productive lives,” she said. “With proper treatment, HIV can become undetectable and untransmissible. A woman living with HIV can give birth to an HIV-negative child through PMTCT.”
As the Zero-Stigma Campaign takes root across Lagos, organisers say the message is simple but powerful: reducing stigma saves lives, improves public health, and brings Nigeria closer to ending HIV—once and for all.
