FG to give succour to HIV/AIDS orphans

Clement Idoko, Abuja - 04.02.2008

WORRIED by the increasing rate of orphans and vulnerable children, the Federal Government, at the weekend, announced its renewed commitment to bring succour to the underprivileged children.

Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Saudatu Bungudu, who said this at a press briefing in Abuja noted that government had already concluded plans to undertake a National and indigenous Situation Assessment and Analysis (NSAA) on the orphans and vulnerable children in the country in order to guide its actions.

Bungudu, said the government had, in the past, implemented series of activities towards improving the lives of the orphans and vulnerable group but without sufficient attention coupled with the increase in the number by the day.

According to her, “government has observed that no one has any firm grip on how to handle these millions of frantic children”. She added that the, “World Health Organisation estimates that 11 million children under the age of five die each year from preventable or treatable diseases such as diarrheoa, pneumonia, malaria and measles, and more than half of that number die from malnutrition.

“In Nigeria, orphans constitute about 10 per cent of about 69 million children under age 18 years. About seven million children were orphans in 2003 alone and out of this, about 1.8 million were orphaned by loss of their parents to HIV/AIDS”.

The minister warned that if critical actions were not taken about 8.2 million children would be orphaned by 2010 with its devastating effect on the nation’s economy.