The Chairman of House of Reps Committee on HIV/AIDS ,Tuberculosis Malaria Control, Hon. Amobi Ogah has said that the House is set to bolster its advocacy for more government interventions in the area of allocating and releasing resources to combat tuberculosis (TB) while reducing reliance on foreign grants and donations.
Ogah said that it has become imperative for the Nigerian government to spearhead the battle against TB by allocating the funds required to drive the initiative aimed at eradicating TB by 2030.
The lawmaker stressed the urgency of the situation, citing Nigeria’s position as the leading country in Africa and sixth globally in terms of TB cases, comprising approximately 4.6 percent of the global TB burden.
He expressed concern that the alarming statistics could be attributed to the fact that out of the $38m needed to combat TB in Nigeria, only 24% was sourced from international funding while a mere 6% came from domestic sources, resulting in a funding gap of 70%.
The lawmaker spoke in Abuja on Monday while kicking off the 2024 World TB Day Road Walk organized by the National Coordinator of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) and other partners as part of the activities marking 2024 Word TB Day.
Noting the worrisome state of TB in Nigeria, he said: “It is imperative that the Nigerian Government assumes a leadership role in combating TB by allocating the essential funds required to facilitate the initiative aimed at eradicating TB by 2030.
