Nigeria's Ministry of Youth and Social Development, on Saturday in Abuja called for increased sensitization of youths on HIV and AIDS and drug-related issues, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.
Rabi Jimeta, a Director in the ministry, made the call when represented Youth and Social Development Minister Akinlabi Olasunkami at a seminar on Saturday over HIV and AIDS and drug-related issues.
The director said the seminar was a pre-field training on the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) program on HIV and AIDS as well as drug-related issues as they affected youths.
She said an increased campaign against HIV and AIDS targeted atthe youth was necessary to save them from the scourge.
The scourge among the youth, she said, was becoming alarming, noting that about 80 per cent of new infections affected mainly the youth.
Jimeta said the trend was not encouraging for the future generations and needed to be stemmed.
She blamed the increased infection rate of the virus among youths to their use of hard drugs which, she said, exposed them to risky behavior.
"By the time one is under the influence of drugs, he would not know what to do and in such times he takes irrational decision," she said.
The director said the ministry had taken it as its responsibility to contribute to the fight against the scourge in order to save the youth.
Jimeta also said that the ministry had been able to access grants from the MDGs' Debt Relief Fund to focus on youths and their challenges.
Source: Xinhua
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