From Ikeja, officials and advocates confront the quiet exclusions that keep people living with HIV hidden, untreated and unheard.
By Bunmi Yekini
In Lagos, discrimination against people living with HIV rarely announces itself loudly. It shows up when a tenant is asked to leave without explanation, when a job offer is withdrawn after a medical test, or when silence replaces support at home. These everyday acts, often unreported and normalised, continue despite laws meant to stop them.
It is this gap between policy and practice that the Federal government, through the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and GEDRITE Nigeria Limited, set out to confront in Ikeja with the launch of the Zero Stigma Campaign, in partnership with the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) and the Improved Sexual Health and Rights Advocacy Initiative (ISHRAI).
Flagged off on February 3 with the declaration of Ikeja Local Government Area as the starting point, the two-day sensitisation drive pushes the fight against HIV stigma out of conference rooms and into communities, where discrimination is experienced most sharply and where accountability, organisers say, must begin.
“This flag-off is actually long overdue,” said Dr Folakemi Animashaun, Chief Executive Officer of LSACA. “Lately, people have been stigmatising and discriminating against people living with HIV in Lagos State, even though there is a law that frowns at this action.”
Laws exist, and penalties apply
For Dr Animashaun, the campaign is not just about awareness; it is also about accountability. Lagos State already has legal and policy frameworks designed to protect people living with HIV, including the gender-based violence and HIV stigmatisation intersectional guidelines, a first of its kind in Nigeria.
“Since we launched these guidelines, we have mediated over 20 cases,” she said. “Culprits have been fined and paid duly. Where mediation fails, we go to court.”
She explained that financial penalties, currently ranging between ₦50,000 and ₦100,000, are under review. “The law was passed in 2007, and the penalties reflected that time. We are reviewing it upward to reflect today’s realities. It will go through the House of Assembly and other processes before a final figure is announced.”
She also reiterated that the penalties do not exclude employers of labour, landlords, or institutions found culpable of the act: “Once we get the wind of discrimination, something will happen. I advise the public to report such cases to LSACA. We will fight the case.”
“If we must end AIDS, we must first end stigma”
For Patrick Akpan, Lagos State Coordinator of the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), the stakes could not be higher. Speaking from lived experience, he described stigma as the hidden engine driving the epidemic.
“If we must end AIDS, then we must first end stigma, because stigma drives the epidemic,” Akpan said. “People are afraid to come out, afraid to test, afraid to take their medication.”
He warned that stigma does not only come from society but can also be internalised. “Self-stigma is another big problem. When you stigmatise yourself, you won’t even take your drugs. And treatment is part of prevention. If people don’t treat, transmission continues.”
Akpan called on NACA and partners to deepen engagement with people living with HIV to address internalised stigma. “If we truly want to end AIDS by 2030, Nigerians must stop stigmatising people living with HIV.”
A national concern with local action
Representing the Director-General of NACA, Dr Temitope Ilori, Mr Abdulrahman Mohammed, Deputy Director of Special Duty, said stigma remains a major national concern despite heavy investments in HIV response.
“No matter what the government does, if stigma and discrimination continue to increase, people will be discouraged from testing and accessing treatment,” he said. “That puts the 95-95-95 targets at risk.”
He noted that Lagos State has taken the lead by domesticating national anti-stigma laws and is now reviewing them to address emerging challenges. The Zero Stigma Campaign, he said, will move across four local governments, Alimosho, Ikeja, Surulere and Eti-Osa, to take the message directly to communities.
“What we want to achieve is simple,” Mohammed added. “To eliminate myths and misinformation and help people understand that HIV is no longer a death sentence. People can live normal, healthy lives.”
At the heart of the campaign is the need to replace fear with facts. Olubiyi Oludipe, Executive Director of ISHRAI, stressed that misinformation fuels exclusion.
“People think hugging someone with HIV or eating from the same plate will infect them. That is not true,” he said. “We want people to show empathy, love and care, so people living with HIV can navigate life with dignity.”
Grassroots education, lasting impact
At the local level, health educators are working to ensure the message sticks. Mrs Rashida Sanni Afolabi, Health Education Officer for Ikeja Local Government and Manager of the Local Action Committee on AIDS, said community engagement remains key.
“HIV is not a death sentence,” she said. “People can live long, healthy lives and even have HIV-negative children through prevention of mother-to-child transmission.”
She highlighted the role of mentor mothers, peer educators and skilled birth attendants in supporting families, adding that when viral load becomes undetectable, “it cannot be transmissible.”
Building collective ownership
Beyond speeches, the campaign brought together a broad coalition of stakeholders, from the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Ikeja market women, to faith leaders, NEPWHAN, ASHWAN, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Council of Imams. Their presence, organisers said, was critical for community entry and long-term ownership.
As advocacy activities, awareness sessions and community engagements rolled on, one message rang clear: ending HIV is possible, but only if stigma is confronted head-on.
“By the time stigma is reduced,” Mohammed said, “we are good to go. The goal of ending HIV by 2030 is achievable.”