In a bid to eradicate the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome in Nigeria, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari has launched the trust fund worth N62 billion.

Buhari’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, made the disclosure on Tuesday via his verified Twitter handle.

The Cable reported that the trust fund is championed by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS and is driven by the Nigeria Business Coalition Against AIDS.

Ahmad noted that the N62bn project dubbed HIV/AIDS trust fund of Nigeria will “help Nigeria end AIDS as a public health threat and place more people living with HIV on treatment annually.”

Speaking during the launch at the State House Abuja., Buhari “pledged that the govt would continue to prioritize health interventions to address killer diseases,” Ahmad added.

“Ending AIDS as a public health threat in Nigeria will require increased domestic funding. We have continued to make good our commitment of placing more people living with HIV on treatment annually using national resources.

“However, strong domestic resource mobilisation with an enduring partnership and shared responsibility is required to sustain the response to HIV and other emerging public health emergencies.

“Going forward, I hope the HTFN will galvanise partners towards the goal of eliminating HIV transmission in the next five years,” Buhari said at the launch.

Meanwhile, the president commended NACA and the NiBUCAA and expressed optimism that HTFN will secure the future of several generations to come.