LAGOS, Feb. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The Nigerian government has initiated a drive to treat 250,000 persons living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) by June 2006, local newspaper The Guardian reported Monday.

    Nigerian Health Minister Eyitayo Lambo was quoted as saying that Nigeria "will be able to treat 250,000 persons living with AIDS (PLWHA) by June 2006" with grants from Global Funds, President Bush Relief Project for AIDS in Africa (PEPFAR) and the Nigerian government.

    According to an initial plan, the government plans to treat 100,000 PLWHA by June 2005.

    However, he admitted that this was far from the World Health Organization (WHO) target of treating 400,000 infected persons by the end of this year.

    WHO, through its "3 by 5" initiative, hopes to provide 3 million AIDS sufferers in developing countries with life-prolonging anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs by the end of 2005, with Nigeria billed to cater 400,000 of the infected persons.

    Nigeria is able to treat only 15,000 PLWHA out of the 400,000 that are eligible for treatment under the highly subsidized schemeof 1,000 naira (about 7.5 US dollars) per patient monthly for anti-retroviral drugs under the National AIDS Treatment Program.

    According to Babatunde Osotimehin, chairman of Nigeria's National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA), plans have been worked out to establish a Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centers (VCTC)in the nation's 774 local councils.

    "We are now using Cross River State as a test case," he said, adding that "we believe that by the end of this year, every local council in Nigeria should have at least one VCTC."

    A report from the Global Fund, a multilateral international organization established in 2002 by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, shows that India, South Africa and Nigeria top the AIDS table, with 41 percent of their nationals needing ARV drugs.

    The Global Fund, with support from Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and other African leaders, is to mobilize large scale funds for prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries.

    The Global Fund has so far approved 201 million dollars as grants to Nigeria in the next five years to combat HIV/AIDS and malaria, which kill some 300,000 Nigerians a year. Enditem