First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has appointed the wife of the Vice-President, Dolapo Osinbajo and wives of some state governors as Tuberculosis (TB) champions, to strongly lead the fight against TB in Nigeria.
The First Lady who is also a global TB champion and ambassador, said the appointment will add additional strength and support to the fight against TB in Nigeria.
The investiture ceremony was held in collaboration with Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, at the conference room, Office of the First Lady at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Executive Director, Global Stop TB Partnership based in Geneva, Switzerland, Dr. Lucica Ditiu, who spoke at the event mentioned that Nigeria has one of the highest burdens of TB in the World.
She specifically said that Nigeria rank number one in Africa and sixth globally. She mentioned the importance of ending TB in Nigeria, its significance to Africa and the world, and solicited increased support of global leaders to tackle the disease.
She stated that more than ever before, leaders from various sectors in Nigeria are needed to lead the fight against TB, hence, the investiture was highly significant and commendable.
In her presentation, the TB Team Lead, USAID Nigeria, Dr. Temitayo Odusote,
emphasised the role of the new champions which mainly are to work with other stakeholders at all levels to create more awareness about TB and advocate for more domestic resources to support TB programmes and services.
First Lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari, in her remarks, commended the new champions for their work under the Governors’ Wives Advocacy Coalition (GWAC) and enjoined them to use their vintage position to support efforts to end TB in their respective states and Nigeria as a whole.
She noted that severity of the disease especially on children and women makes it a priority for influencers like the wives of state governors.
Collectively, the wives of state governors promised to support the effort of the First Lady to end TB in Nigeria and improve the health of women and children.
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