Nigeria’s HIV community is sounding the alarm: thousands of lives are at risk as TB medicines, diagnostics, and lab supplies vanish from clinics nationwide.
The Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, NEPWHAN, has urged the Federal Government to declare the TB commodity crisis a national public health emergency. National Coordinator Abdulkadir Ibrahim made the call at a press briefing in Abuja, calling the numbers grim.
The Numbers are Grim
NEPWHAN’s Community-Led Monitoring data shows 64.2% of health facilities ran out of at least one essential TB drug, especially first-line Category 1 drugs. 58.2% lacked GeneXpert cartridges and sputum containers for diagnosis. Nearly half of patients, 43% of 921 interviewed, were sent home to “come back later” because drugs weren’t available.
For people living with HIV, the stakes are higher. TB is the leading killer of PLHIV. Delays, Ibrahim warned, “push vulnerable people closer to preventable deaths”. Stock-outs of medicines for opportunistic infections like cryptococcal meningitis are making it worse. Supervisory visits found that only a few clinics in Anambra had OI drugs, while Rivers and Benue facilities reported complete stock-outs.
Money is the Missing Drug
Ibrahim blamed weak financing and broken supply chains. Government counterpart funding for TB is unpaid, and he says no funds are confirmed for 2026 interventions. The $54m commitment remains unreleased.
While praising the Global Fund for treating over 500,000 new TB cases in 2025, Ibrahim said Nigeria can’t depend on donors forever.
Demands
NEPWHAN wants the FG to:
- Declare a national emergency now
- Release funds for TB commodities.
- Fix procurement and supply chains
- Integrate advanced HIV disease care into routine services
- Ensure transparency in HIV, TB, and malaria financing
AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Steve Aborisade backed the call, saying Nigeria needs dedicated funding for TB/HIV or risk losing years of progress.
“Access to life-saving treatment is a fundamental human right,” Ibrahim said. “No Nigerian should die because medicines are unavailable.”
