1. INTRODUCTION
It is pertinent and truth that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation and
a healthy society is a wealthy society. No country ever made
progress while being ravaged by an endemic. It then goes to
suggest that every country should think health first, then wealth
following, because only the living and healthy can create and enjoy
wealth.
Nigeria is a country that has witnessed a lot of events, a lot of
historical trends in terms of health relatedissues with life threatening
complications, passing through one health challenge after the other.
Successive governments in Nigeria has spent a lot of resources trying
to curtail or control the spread of epidemics which are life
threatening in most cases.
The story of ”HIV/AIDS” and the havoc it has wreaked in most
societies of the world, Nigeria inclusive can only better be imagined
than to experience.
It isa pathetic situation that despite the huge resources being
expendedin the search for remedies, the world is yet to come to
terms with the way out. “No answer has come to the fight to kill
“HIV/AIDS”. Many orphans are there trying to survive, some infected
with “HIV” by their late parents and yet left to struggle with life trying
to live. It is no more news that “HIV/AIDS” has joined the list of those
endemic that are not curable but can only be managed pending
when death call at the door of the victim.The mention of the name

2. “HIV/AIDS” sends cold to the spines of many people especially in
adeveloping society like ours which is a result of poor information
dissemination among the people. Several myths and superstitious
belief exists among the people as ways through which one can get
infected with HIV that leads to “AIDS” which results into death. Since
no one wants to collide with death, people are careful enough to
those things that could lead to contracting of “HIV/AIDS”| even
though they are not properly informed. This leads to the case of
stigmatization against the victims of “HIV”. The level of stigmatization
and victimization being meted out to those suffering with “HIV” in our
societies has made some of the victims to take the decision to take
their lives, end the reproach and denials which in most cases started
with their immediate families. It was also discovered that most of the
infected population fell within the age of 15-29 years which made it
a disturbing situation, due to the fact that the youths which form the
future of any society are being affected most. It therefore portends
a grave danger for the survival of any nation bedeviled by the
scourge of “HIV/AIDS”.
This pathetic situation forced the government of every nation around
the globe to apportion a large part or chunkof their annual budgets
to the fight against “HIV/AIDS” and other child killer diseases. It got to
the level that it became obvious that the battle against this dreaded
enemy of human lives cannot be left in the hands of government
alone, therefore, the interventions of Non-governmental
organizations (NGO’s) and other well-meaning individuals. This battle

3. or war against “HIV/AIDS” came in different strategies and
dimensions. Beginning with information dissemination using various
mediums to properly get the masses informed and educated about
the true picture of “HIV/AIDS”, how it can be contacted or
contracted, the prevention methods, living with people who are
already victims and how to manage the case when one is infected
already.
This was also backed up with the provision of antiretroviraldrugs for
the management of the endemic with the hope of getting the cure
for it in the nearest future. These drugs in most cases are given either
free or sold at subsidized rates in most government hospitals and
clinics.
The involvement of the “NYSC” in the campaign against “HIV/AIDS”
came as a result of thoughts on how best the youths could be
reached and properly sensitized especially the teenagers in the
secondary schools and those that are out of school due to one
reason or the other. The wisdom here is in the believe that the best
way to catch these children of school age to preserve the next
generation of Nigerians is the deployment of trained corps members
who will in return train other secondary school students for the proper
sensitization through the peer groups and “cohort” system or
arrangement.
The result of these efforts has been outstanding going by the great
decline in the percentage of the population being infected by the

4. dreaded disease/virus. To this end, the Federal Government of
Nigeria through “NYSC” has done a lot in this aspect even though
more needed to be done.
ATTEMPTS AT TRACING THE ORIGIN OF HIV & AIDS.
One thing that has remained elusive to man especially this
generation of scientists is the trace of the real source of “HIV”. The
history of “HIV” is therefore a vague one. Because of the conflicting
findings and results in establishing the true history of this dreaded
virus no one can actually say with proven facts that he/she has
succeeded in getting to the roots of this great enemy of mankind.
Below are some findingsabout the facts of HIV & AIDS.
The best accepted theory about the origin of “HIV” is that it is a
descendant of a closely related virus, Simian Immunodeficiency Virus
(SIV), which infects monkeys. Researchers have known for a long
time that certain viruses can pass from animals to humans, a process
that is called “Zoonosis”; HIV may have crossed over from
chimpanzees as a result of a human killing a chimp and eating it for
food.

5. In 1991, researchers confirmed that tissue from a chimpanzee carried
a form of “SIV” that was nearly identical to an aggressive form of
HIV, HIV-1. It appears highly likely chimpanzees were the source of
HIV-1, and that the virus at some point crossed species from
chimpanzees to humans. We cannot say for sure when the virus first
emerged, but it is clear that “HIV” started to infect humans and
became epidemic in the middle of the twentieth century.
There are a number of factors that allowed “HIV” to move from
epidemic to pandemic, one of such is international travel which was
key factor. The first person diagnosed with “AIDS”, and potentially an
early source of “HIV” epidemic in the United States, called “Patient
zero” was a Canadian flight attendant named “Gaetan Dugas”. He
travelled extensively and analysis of several early cases of “AIDS”
showed that these individuals had either direct or indirect (shared
partner) sexual contact with the flight attendant. The early cases
were also traced to several different American cities where these
infected individuals lived, demonstrating a critical role for air travel in
spreading the virus.
Hooper’s Theory.
Not long ago, British author “Edward Hooper” claimed that “HIV”
originated as a product of cross-contamination from an “oral polio
vaccine” administered in Africa in the late 1950’s. The vaccine
called “Chat” was claimed to be derived from chimp kidney cells
and was thought to be contaminated with “SIV”. The vaccine was

6. given to roughly a million people in Belgian Congo, Rwanda and
Burundi. On the surface, Hooper’s claim seemed to have merit
because the oldest known case of “AIDS” occurred in a man from
Kinshasa near the mouth of the Congo River. His blood was drawn in
1959 and tested positive for “HIV”. However, the wistar institute in
Philadelphia which developed the polio vaccine came across an
old vial containing the original vaccine. After careful analysis, it was
proven that the vaccine contained neither “HIV nor SIV”. In addition,
they confirmed that only macaque monkey kidney cells which
cannot be infected with “SIV or HIV” were used to make the chat
vaccine.
Another Postulation.
HIV is part of a family or group of viruses called “Lentiviruses”. Lent
viruses other than “HIV” have been found in a wide range of non-
human primates. These other “lentiviruses” are known collectively as
Simian (monkey) viruses (SIV). It is now generally accepted that “HIV”
is a descendant of Simian (monkey) Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV).
Certain Simian Immunodeficiency Viruses bear a very close
resemblance to HIV-1 and HIV-2, the two types of “HIV”. For
example, HIV-2 corresponds to a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus
found in the sooty mangabey monkey (SIVSM), sometimes known as
the green monkey which is indigenous to West Africa.
In February 1999, it was announced that a group of researchers from
the Alabama University had studied frozen tissue from a chimpanzee

7. and found that the simian virus it carried (SIVCP3) was almost
identical to HIV-1. The chimpanzee came from a sub-group of
chimpanzee known as pantroglodytes, which were once common in
West-Central Africa. It was also made clear by the researchers that
both chimpanzees and human must have been infected from a
third and yet unidentified, primate species because are only rarely
infected with SIVcp2. In either case, at least two separate transfers
into the human population would havebeen required.
Some other rather controversial theories have contended that “HIV”
was transferred estrogenically i.e. via medical experiments. However,
it was discovered that the “polio vaccine” on which this theory was
based do not contain any trace of HIV-1 or 2.
During the last few years, it has become possible not only to
determine whether “HIV” is present in a blood or plasma sample, but
also to determine the particular sub-type of the virus. Studying the
subtype of virus of some of the earliest known instances of “HIV”
infection can help to provide clues about the time of the origin and
the subsequent evolution of “HIV”in humans.
Three of the earliest known instances of “HIV” infection are as follow:
1. A plasma sample taken in 1959 from an adult male living in what is
now known as Democratic Republic of Congo
2. HIV found in tissue samples from African-American teenagers who
died in St. Louis in 1969.

8. 3. HIV found in tissue samples from a Norwegian Sailor who died
around 1976.
Analysis in 1998 of the plasma sample from 1959 was interpreted as
suggesting that HIV-1 was introduced into humans around the 1940s
or the early 1950s, which other scientists have suggested that it could
havebeen even longer, perhapsaround 100 years or more ago.
In January 2000, the results of a new study presented at the
7thconference on Retroviruses and opportunistic infections,
suggested that the first case of “HIV” infection occurred around 1930
in West Africa. The study was carried out by Dr. Bette Korber of the
Los Alamos National Laboratory. The estimate of 1930 with 20 year
margin of error is based on a complicated computer model of HIV`s
evolution. Many people now assume that because “HIV” has
apparently developed from a form of “SIV” found in a type of
chimpanzee in West Africa that it was actually in West Africa that
“HIV” first emerged in humans, it is then presumed that “HIV” spread
from there around the world. However, as discussed above,
chimpanzees are not necessarily the original source of “HIV” and it is
likely that the virus crossed over to humans on more than one
occasion. So it is quite possible that “HIV” infection emerged at the
same time in both South America and Africa or that it even emerged
in the Americas before Africa.
It is probably not clear when the virus first emerged but what is clear
is that sometimes in the middle of the 20th century, “HIV” infection in

9. humans developed into the epidemic of disease around the world
that we now refer to as “AIDS”.
Other theories exists that put forward about the origin of “HIV”
includes a number of conspiracy theories. Some people suggested
that “HIV” was manufactured by the Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA), while others believe that “HIV” was genetically engineered.
From all the studies so far, it is a known fact that the search for the
source of “HIV” still remain a mirage even as scientists keep battling
to save their face by providing this much needed answer. The
conflicting reports and theories rather make the whole issues more
complicated and complex for the understanding of the lay man on
the street.
Factors Responsiblefor the Speedy Spread of HIV/AIDS.
• International Travel
The role of international travel in the spread of “HIV” was
highlighted by the case of patient zero, patient zero was a
Canadian flight attendant called “Geatan Dugas” who travelled
extensively worldwide. Analysis of several of the early cases of
“AIDS” showed that the infected individuals were either direct or
indirect sexual partners of the flight attendant. These cases could
be traced to several different American cities demonstrating the
role of international travelin spreading the virus.
• The Blood Industry.

10. As blood transfusion became a routine part of medical practice,
this led to a growth of an industry around meeting this increased
demand for blood. In some countries such as the USA paid donors
were used, including intravenous drug users. This blood was then
sent worldwide. Also, in the late 1960 hemophiliacs began to
benefit from the blood clothing properties of a product called
factor VIII. However, to produce the coagulant, blood from
thousands of individual’s donors had to be pooled. Factor VIII
wasthen distributed worldwide making it likely that hemophiliac
could become exposed to new infections.
• Drug Use
The 1970s saw an increase in the availability of heroin following
the Vietnam War and other conflicts in the Middle East, which
helped stimulated a growth in intravenous drug use. This increased
availability together with the development of disposable plastic
syringes and the establishment of shooting galleries where people
could buy drugs and rent equipment provided another route
through which the viruscould pass on.
A peep into Nigeria and HIV/AIDS
The first two (2) cases were discovered in Nigeria in 1985. A year later
it was internationally recognized. Two (2) years later, the Nigerian

11. health sector established the National AIDS advisory committee
which was shortly followed by the establishment of the National
Expert Advisory Committee on AIDs(NEACE).
However, the government itself was slow to respond to this
increasing rate of “HIV” transmission. So it wasn’t until 1990s when the
government first assessed the general problem of “HIV” within the
country. This assessment though found 1.8% of the country was
infected by the disease. This rate was again surveyed in 1993 and
1998,showing alarming results of 3.8% and 5.4% respectively.
Upon Olusegun Obasanjo’s rise to presidency in 1999, “HIV”
prevention and treatment became a primary concern. Various
committees were set up; this also led the Organization of African
Unity’s (OAU) first African summit on “HIV/AIDS”, Tuberculosis and
other related infectious diseases to be held in Nigeria.
Despite the effort, (2006) only 10% of “HIV” infected patients were
receiving antiretroviral therapy and only 7% of women were
receiving treatments that reduced the risk of mother-to-child
transmission of the disease.
The government launched a framework which (2010-2015) strives to
have 80% of all sexually active adults and 80% of vulnerable tested
for “HIV”by 2015.
Some 80% of “HIV” infections in Nigeria are transmitted through
heterosexual sex. Factors contributing to this including lacking of

12. information about “sexual health and HIV”, low levels of condom use
and high levels of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as
chlamydia and gonorrhea etc.
Information increases the levels of certainty in any human decision
making process and therefore, Indispensable for human
development.
A recent report from the Director-General of the National Agency for
the Control of AIDS (NACA) during a stakeholders meeting with the
National Steering Committee of Orphans and Vulnerable Children
(DVC) revealed that about one thousand (1, 000) fresh cases of
Human Immune Virus (HIV) is being recorded daily in Nigeria and
that it was prevalentamong the youths.
Nigeria’sEffort Towards HIV/AIDs Control:
Campaign has been mounted by both governmental and
non-governmental organizations to curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS
infection in Nigeria. This campaign focused on the promotion of the
following measures:
• Total abstinence from sex: Sex being a major source of
contacting and contracting HIV” especially for the heterosexuals.
The campaign focused on discouraging the practice of pre-
marital sex especially for the uninformed teenagers and the school
age children who are not properly orientated on the ways of

13. preventing the “HIV” virus. Total abstinence has been preached in
Nigeria using variousslogans like zip-up, stay away,I will wait etc.
It is expected that those who abstain from sex have a 90%
certainty of not contacting “HIV” and serious campaign are
mounted in discouraging sexual practice especially among the
single youths.
• Use of condom: The promotion for the use of condom has
yielded some positive results. The campaign against “HIV/AIDS”
took a different dimension with the populace being encouraged
to practice the correct and consistent use of condoms to prevent
contacting “HIV” virus, this is especially for those who cannot
abstain totally from sex. The uses of condom though still on the
average in Nigeria have contributed in slowing the rate of the
spread of the “HIV” virus in Nigeria. Condoms are in most places
distributed free in Nigeria as a result of efforts of the Nigerian
Government and many other foundations.
• Blood screening before transfusion:Blood being a major medium of
“HIV” transmission must be properly handled and screened
thoroughly. To this end, the campaigns against “HIV” in Nigeria
have awakened the consciousness of the Nigerian public on the
need to avoid blood transfusion without screening.

14. • Keeping to one sexual partner: One of the ways to keep at arm’s
length with ”HIV” is by keeping to a faithful sexual partner. The
public are being sensitized on the very need to be faithful to their
partners and to keep one sexual partner. Keeping multiple sexual
partners exposes to the possibility of being infected with “HIV”virus,
therefore thereis a sustained campaign against such practice.
• Use of sterilized sharp objects: The sharing of sharp objects among
group is discouraged. This is more important especially in this part
of the world where female circumcision and genital mutilation are
still being practiced. The exchanged of blades, knives, syringe &
needles, shaving and barbing instruments are discouraged to
avoid the spread of the virus.
• HIV/AIDS test before marriage: It is now a common place to
see intending couples going for ”HIV/AIDS” test to know their status
before marriage is consummated. This is as a result of sustained
campaign, even among faith-based organizations to curb the
spread of “HIV/AIDS”among the Nigerian public.
It is pertinent to note that the Federal Government of Nigeria has
maintained a sustained campaign against “HIV/AIDS” creating
awareness among the citizens on the best ways to prevent the

15. spread of the virus. These efforts led to the localization of the state
agencies in all tiers of government. Therefore, at the Federal level,
we have the NACA, the states have the SACA and LACA for the
local government areas, all in effort to get the message passed to
the local rural dwellers that are the most vulnerable because of
lack of access to information.
The effort of government at various levels, the combined efforts of
other well-meaning Nigerians and other global partners in
confronting the monster called “HIV/AIDS” are yielding good
results and therefore should be encouraged and sustained.
The involvement of “NYSC” members is also another step in the
right direction. It provided opportunity for people like me to be
involved in the campaign against “HIV/AIDS” especially among
the school age children. The use of youths in getting or reaching
the youths with the message of awareness creation, enlightment
and sensitization campaign about the scourge of “HIV/AIDS” is
wisdom on the part of the Federal Government of Nigeria and
other development partners. With schools as the target, this
programme has a multiplier effect as those students trained as
“Peer Educators” (PEs) carry this message back to their little groups
called “Cohorts” and among other peers who are out of school

16. environments. This will go a long way in securing the future of the
most sensitive age bracket (the Youths) among the population.
PROBLEMS OR CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED
Youth Corps members are products of the societies they are meant
to serve despite their level of education and exposure in life. Taking
up the message of change back to the society is a task on its own. It
is a society so much enmeshed in corruption that no one virtually
believes in humanitarian serviceanymore.
• As a corps member, one perception that most people have is
that you are a government property and therefore enjoys a huge
financial reward from Federal Government. It is to the extent that
some people believe that being involved in “PET” programme
gives you access to funding from NYSC and global development
partners. An average PET is wrongly perceived to be enjoying
direct financial support from NYSC and other development
partners.
• One other challenge encountered is adopting a school. Getting
school management convinced to accept the “PET” programme
in their school was a herculean task. In fact, some schools out-
rightly rejected the programme to be run in their schools. In most
cases, no good reasons are adduced for this rejection.It is

17. disappointing to see school authorities turning down the request
to carryout PE training in their school
A training or programme that has been approved by the Federal
Government of Nigeria and conducted at no cost for the benefit
of the Nigerian public yet are rejected or discouraged in some
schools
• Time Allocation: Knowledge can only be impacted in a
conducive atmosphere and within a time limit. The struggle with
the school trying to balance the school academic activities and
still creating a space for the “PE” training was a big struggle. PE
training was seen by some, even among the authorities as a
distraction on both the students and the school. Accommodating
the “PE” training in the school calendar was seen as unnecessary
and therefore cannot be considered.
• Financial Constraints: It is a fact that money plays important role in
all human endeavors. Corps members depend on the monthly
stipends called “Allowee” for survival throughout the period of
their service. This allowance is grossly inadequate to be expended
in the effort to conduct the “PE” training programme. There are
other logistics and materials required for the proper conduct of
the training that PET`s cannot access because of financial
constraints. And being left alone, the quality and thoroughness of
the training are greatly hampered.

18. • There is also the issue of wrong perception: The wrong perception
by some people, especially the school management that the PE
training is a personal programme of the PET for community
Development Service (CDS) and therefore it is the sole
responsibility of the PET involved. PE training is never a personal
programme of any corps member, but that of the Nigerian
government and development partnersthrough NYSCmembers.
• Poor Access to Data: Nigeria is still one of the countries with poor
data bank. Access to data in Nigeria is one of the most difficult
tasks to engage on. Most of the data on government bank are
not recent and therefore, cannot be relied upon to base any
report with certainty. HIV/AIDS moves in trends, so up to date
information is required for anyone involved in any Anti-HIV/AIDS
activities
• Myths and superstitious beliefs: There is also the issue of wrong
perceptions about the virus “HIV” by the members of the public,
and the students in particular. Some of the students did not
participate in the training because of the stigma of identifying
their mates in school with the name “HIV”, this made some of
them though interested in the training, but were forced to stay
away due to the stigmatization from their fellow students. This case
extended to the general public, because of mis-information,

19. people have different beliefs and perceptions that are contrary to
the real truth about HIV/AIDS.
SUMMARY
The scourge of “HIV/AIDS” is a threat to humanity and therefore
requires the involvement of all well-meaning Nigerians in fighting this
common enemy. The training of “Peer Educators” (PE) through the
NYSC is a step in the right direction. When the youths who are the
most productive part of the population are preserved, then the
futureof the country is secured.
CONCLUSION
Based on the findings at the course of my involvement in the “PET”
programme, I therefore conclude that NYSC involvement in the fight
against “HIV/AIDS” has gone a long way in stemming the tide of the
scourge. The power of information dissemination through the
awareness creation and sensitization activities has lended great
support in the war against “HIV/AIDS” in Nigeria. The training of the
secondary school students has armed these young generations of
Nigerians with required information on “HIV” prevention and control
thereby securing their future.

20. RECOMMENDATIONS:
Because of the need to improve on the programme and achieve
more results, i thereforerecommend the following:
• That NYSC should give special attention to the “HIV/AIDS”
Community Development Service (CDS) group. It is a CDS whose
activities should be streamlined in order to get the best result.
• There is need for absolute supports for PETs to enable them
achieve the required or desired results. PETs should not be left
alone in this task. There is need for government to provide financial
and logistic supports for those involved in PET activities.
• School managements should give every necessary support and
cooperation to the PETs who approached their school to carry out
the training of their studentsin Peer Education (PE).
• PETs should focus more on impacting knowledge and affecting
lives positively than the certificate that will be issued to them at the
end of their service year.

21. • There is urgent need for “sex education” in secondary schools.
Most of those who fall victims of “HIV/AIDS” among the teenagers
lacked basic knowledge or information about “sex” therefore they
were easily deceived and abused.
• The laws should be strengthened and made stringent against
rapists and those who take advantage of ignorance of the girl
child to abuse them sexually. This call for synergy among the
stakeholders in this case.
vii. Girl child education should be made compulsory in Nigeria. It is
observed that the girl child are always at the receiving end in our
society and therefore are made the most vulnerable. An educated
child is an empowered child.
• The campaign against gender discrimination and segregation
should be sustained and made more intense. The traditional
practices against the female child and women in Nigeria should
be revisited again with a view to make it reflect current trends and
global practices.

22. • Peer Education Training Programme should be made on integral
part of school academic curriculum through the Federal Ministry of
Education in partnership with NYSC and other global partners.
• Stigmatization against the victims of “HIV/AIDS” is alarming in
Nigeria. Campaigns should also be mounted against such
practices. This is because once someone is diagnosed of positive
HIV, such person are rejected right from the family and in such
case they are left to die without support.
• More awareness on the method of “HIV” transmission and
prevention. Most of the people erroneously believe that any “HIV”
carrier contacted it through sex, without considering other sources
through which HIV can be contacted. Therefore, these victims are
taken to be promiscuous by the society, and should not be
sympathized with nor supported.
• There should be a mechanism for the monitoring and supervision of
the activities of the PETs in the schools they adopted for the PE
training programme, to enforce control and ensure compliance
and quality delivery.

23. • The judicious use of funds meant for the “HIV/AIDS” prevention and
control based activities should be the watchword of the
stakeholders involved in the project.
• The Federal Government should strengthen various institutions
saddle with the responsibility of the war against “HIV/AIDS” to
make them more effectiveand result oriented.
References;

24. • Cold spring Harbor perspectives in medicine: Origin of HIV and the
AIDSpandemic.
• Adesoji A.A and Olalekan A.A (2012); Analysis of HIV/AIDS
information Awareness and effectiveness Among Artisans in
Ogbomosho, OyoState Nigeria.
• The origin of HIV/AIDS:www.foundcare.org.
• HIV in Nigeria-college Essay.
• F. Gao, E Bailes, DL Robertson, Y Chen et al, (1999) Origin of Hiv -1
in the chimpanzee pan troglodytes nature.
• P. M sharp, DL Robertson, F. Gao, B Hahn (1994)Origins and
diversity of human immune deficiency virusesAIDS.
• Zhu, Tuofu, Bette Korber, Andre J. Nahinias (1998). An African Hiv -1
sequence from 1959 and implications for the origin of the
epidemicnature.