The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) team in Nigeria recently organised a heartfelt farewell dinner to honor the exemplary leadership and dedicated service of the immediate past director-general of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Gambo Aliyu.
The event brought together esteemed colleagues, partners, stakeholders, and friends to celebrate the outstanding contributions of Dr Aliyu in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
At the dinner, heartfelt tributes were paid to the former DG for his transformative leadership, tireless advocacy, and remarkable achievements in the field of public health.
In his remarks, the acting United States Ambassador in Nigeria, David J. Greene said the outgoing DG demonstrated unwavering commitment, vision, and passion in advancing the national agenda for HIV prevention, treatment, and care.
He said “On behalf of the U.S. Mission in Abuja and the PEPFAR, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your leadership and vision during your tenure as the DG of NACA
“Your reputation for quality, science and data-driven approaches preceded your NACA term as the Principal Investigator of the largest HIV/AIDS population-based survey implemented in Nigeria (NAIIS 2018) and remained a critical thread that served the programme well throughout your term.
“As the son of an epidemiologist, I can appreciate your drive and perseverance to make sense of Nigeria’s growing treatment cohort against the estimated HIV prevalence reported from NAIIS,” he said.
Amb. Greene said Dr Aliyu’s leadership over the last five years has propelled Nigeria closer towards the collective goal of ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
“Your championing of the “Getting the Data Right” strategy has improved the quality of Nigeria’s HIV programme and services delivered to clients.
“Your orchestration of National Alignment 2.0 to coordinate donors, improve the capacity of states, and the establishment of the HIV Trust Fund public-private partnership as a way to mobilize resources has advanced Nigeria’s journey towards sustainability,” he said.
The ambassador expressed full confidence that the enduring legacy of the former DG will persist in achieving the objective of eradicating HIV as a public health concern in Nigeria.
The PEPFAR team reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with NACA and its partners to build on achievements made and accelerate progress towards ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria.
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