The National Agency for the Control of Hiv/Aids has given indications that the National Assembly is set to pass the HIV Stigmatisation Bill into law.

It also said over 180,000 Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS were currently receiving treatment in 250 centres across the country.

The Director-General, NACA, Prof Babatunde Osotimehin, stated this at a press briefing to mark the World AIDS Day in Abuja.

He said the passage of the Bill into law would address issues of stigmatisation and discrimination suffered by people living with the disease.

He noted that the bill, when passed into law, would give victims the desired confidence within the confines of the law to fight discrimination at any level.

He stated, “The bill is awaiting passage at the National Assembly so that those who are discriminated against will have a legal backing to object to inhumane treatment.

“At the agency we are working hard to ensure this becomes a reality soon. We know that most of the stigmatisation problems we are having today is as a result of ignorance. But with the eventual passage of the bill, we will overcome this.”

On the number of Nigerians living with HIV, Osotimehin said about 180,000 people were receiving treatment in its various centers across the country.

“With the help of other development partners, the agency is targeting between seven to eight million Nigerians, who must have gone for voluntary counselling and testing by the end of 2008.

“We are also envisaging extending support to more orphans and vulnerable children, as well as the provision of more drugs for pregnant women to prevent Mother to Child Transmission,” he said.

To achieve these, he said, the agency was in the process of conducting the 2007 surveillance survey, which he noted would become available for use in the first quarter of 2008.