USIA Washington File - 12 March 1999
Jim Fisher-Thompson - USIA Staff Correspondent
According to Jackson, "most people do not realize that as many as six million people may be infected with the disease in Nigeria, which may also be the largest concentration of AIDS-infected people in the world."
Jackson made the remark to reporters on a flight from Abuja to Lagos as he wrapped up his March 8-12 official visit to Africa's most populous nation.
Jackson placed Nigeria's AIDS crisis at the feet of past corrupt military leaders and unscrupulous politicians, whose selfishness not only prevented development of the country's infrastructure and shattered its economy, but also meant that an efficient health care system and "a good information system" to warn about the spread of AIDS and its deadly effects have not been put in place. That, he said, has been bad for Nigeria and for the African continent in general.
While many factors are involved in the spread of AIDS, Jackson emphasized, "the fact is that where there is mass education about how one contracts and spreads the disease -- in other words, prevention and treatment -- we've seen a reduction."
So "there must be a global, international commitment to address" this scourge, he added, "because while AIDS has such a heavy impact on Nigeria, it also affects a number of other countries in Africa."
AIDS is also a problem in America, he said, especially amongst young blacks. And he told the journalists, "You know, 50,000 Nigerians live in Chicago, and we are working with Nigerian physicians and nurses to gather to call attention" to the disease among Nigerians in the United States and back home in Nigeria.
Unfortunately, "we've seen an expansion of the disease in Nigeria," he said, "in contrast to Senegal, Benin, and Uganda, where we see it going down because of government efforts at educating people about the disease."
Jackson said that during his conversations with President-elect Olusegun Obasanjo and with former Finance Minister Olu Falae, who lost to Obasanjo in the most recent election, he urged them to "immediately use their influence to mobilize the resources of the World Health Organization and set up a disease control and education program throughout the country."
He suggested that Nigerians can copy successful campaigns elsewhere that used "billboards, posters, radio, television, and teachers to spread the word of the destructiveness of the disease. There must be a real campaign, almost approaching a wartime effort. After all, if there was a war causing as many casualties as AIDS is doing in Nigeria, all the nation's leaders, institutions, and resources would be mobilized in the struggle."
He added: "I am convinced that as Nigeria moves toward democracy," such an issue of grave importance to the future of the country can and must "be grappled with" -- and he urged the government to do so if Nigeria is to regain its rightful place as a leader in Africa and on the international scene.
990312
US990303
Copyright © 1999 - US Information Agency. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the USIA. ÆGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1990, 1999. ÆGiS & the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. All materials appearing on ÆGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of ÆGIS and the Sisters of Saint. Elizabeth of Hungary, or the party credited as the provider of the content. 
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1999. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.