Public health advocate Dr Mcphalane Ejah has warned that Nigeria is “sitting on a keg of gunpowder” as rising ignorance among young people threatens to reverse gains made in the fight against HIV.
Ejah, who chairs the Prevention Technical Working Group on HIV in Cross River State, raised the alarm in an interview marking the 2025 World AIDS Day commemoration held annually on December 1.
He said the day remained crucial for honouring victims, supporting people living with HIV, combating stigma and intensifying awareness on prevention. However, he lamented that many young Nigerians were increasingly doubtful about the existence of HIV due to declining visibility of prevention messages.
According to him, young people rarely encounter HIV-related information on radio, billboards, community outreach channels or digital platforms tailored to their demographic.
“There is no deliberate effort to provide youth-friendly HIV information,” Ejah said, noting that despite heavy youth engagement online, HIV messages had virtually disappeared from digital media spaces.
He warned that excluding young people from HIV response planning leaves a vast and vulnerable population exposed to preventable risks.
Ejah also criticised the country’s HIV financing model, saying that although substantial funding is often announced publicly, civil society organisations working at the grassroots receive little to no support.
He cautioned that without urgent corrective action, Nigeria’s HIV response would remain weak, symbolic and largely ineffective.
The advocate identified weak political commitment as a major obstacle, adding that state HIV agencies operate with inadequate budgets, and in many cases, funds approved for implementation are not released.
“Government agencies now depend on foreign partners, making the national HIV response partner-driven rather than government-led,” he said.
He added that agencies struggling to meet basic operational needs cannot coordinate response activities, monitor interventions or deliver equitable prevention and care services.
Ejah concluded that Nigeria, once known for strong commitment to combating HIV, now faces a deteriorating response system weakened by insufficient funding and what he described as “cosmetic” political will.