Osogbo, Dec. 19, 2025 – In a critical move to address a growing public health concern, the Osun State Government has issued a clarion call for intensified and more effective awareness campaigns targeting adolescent youth on the prevention and realities of HIV/AIDS. The appeal, grounded in alarming local statistics, highlights a specific and urgent vulnerability among young girls in the state.
The call was made by Mrs. Omolara Adeleke, Prevention Officer of the State Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS (OSACA), during the 4th quarterly meeting of the Adolescent and Young People’s Development Technical Working Group in Osogbo. The meeting, facilitated by the State Primary Healthcare Board in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), served as a platform to confront the data and strategize a response.
Presenting a stark epidemiological picture, Adeleke revealed that HIV is not a distant threat but a present reality for thousands of young people in Osun. The 2024 data paints a concerning portrait:
- 708 children aged 10–14 are living with HIV.
- 862 adolescents aged 15–19 are living with the virus.
- These numbers swell to 1,277 young adults (20-24) and 1,880 adults (25-29).
Critically, the statistics show a pronounced gender disparity, with more females living with the virus than males—a trend that points directly to underlying socio-cultural and economic vulnerabilities.
Adeleke pinpointed a deeply worrisome behavioral pattern driving this disparity. “The exposure of young girls to early sex in the state is becoming worrisome,” she stated, noting a critical gap in comprehensive sexual education. She provided a poignant example: some secondary-school girls, engaging in transactional sex, prioritize contraception to prevent pregnancy but neglect condoms, demonstrating a dangerous misunderstanding that leaves them unprotected against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This highlights a failure of awareness programs to connect broader sexual health concepts with immediate, practical risks.
Beyond the immediate HIV prevention message, Mrs. Roseline Akinlabi, the Adolescents Health Desk Officer for the Primary Healthcare Board, expanded the scope of necessary intervention. She emphasized that safeguarding adolescent health requires a holistic approach. Akinlabi urged stakeholders—including CSOs, NGOs, the media, and government agencies—to develop “life-changing programmes” for 2026 that also address digital safety and social-media bullying, recognized catalysts for mental health issues that can, in turn, increase risky behaviors.
The path forward, as outlined by the officials, rests on a multi-pronged strategy:
- Comprehensive, Gender-Sensitive Education: Moving beyond abstinence-only messages to practical, non-judgmental education on sexual health, consent, and the correct use of prevention tools like condoms.
- Normalization of Regular Testing: Promoting early detection as a routine and responsible health practice to enable timely treatment, which also prevents further transmission.
- Community and Stakeholder Mobilization: Leveraging partnerships to create supportive environments and programs that address the root causes of vulnerability, including poverty, gender inequality, and lack of opportunity.
- Integration of Mental and Digital Health: Acknowledging the modern pressures on youth and building resilience against online harms that compromise wellbeing.
While appreciating stakeholder efforts in 2025, the meeting’s consensus was clear: the current trajectory is unacceptable. The data from Osun State serves as a microcosm of a broader challenge across Nigeria. Transforming awareness into actionable understanding and behavioral change is the next critical step. The government’s call is not just for more talk, but for smarter, more empathetic, and deeply contextual interventions that meet adolescents where they are—addressing their fears, misconceptions, and realities to truly turn the tide against HIV/AIDS.
Reported by Olajide Idowu for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Edited by Victor Adeoti.
