The Akwa Ibom Agency for the Control of AIDS (AK-SACA), says it is training about 85 orphans and vulnerable children on the acquisition of skills for sustainable living.
The AK-SACA Programme Manager, Dr Nkereuwem Etuk, made the disclosure in Uyo on Tuesday at the meeting of the state working technical group on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and AIDS (PMTCT).
Etuk said the training was in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, adding that the beneficiaries were trained on skills such as hairdressing, fashion design and catering.
He said that the training was supported by the World Bank and the trainees would be equipped with starter packs at the end of the training in February.
Etuk said that AK-SACA had formed eight youth-friendly clubs in collaboration with the state Ministry of Youth and Sport on how to stay safe from HIV and AIDS infection.
He explained that the collaboration with the ministry was targeted at the out of school youths.
Etuk said that similar partnership with the state Ministry of Education was directed at youths and young people in schools.
He said that the agency was also working in collaboration with some civil society organisations on the uptake of ante natal services by pregnant women in some local government areas.
The HIV and AIDS Programme Manager, state Ministry of Health, Dr Ibia Ibia, called for effective engagement of the clergymen and opinion leaders in the prevention of HIV and AIDS infection in the state.
Ibia noted that the clergymen, especially in the rural areas have great influence on their members and collaboration with them could help in behaviour change.
He said that the 2014 national survey on HIV and AIDS prevalence in Nigeria had placed the state at 10.8 per cent.
He said the state would conduct its own AIDS indicator survey soon and pleaded with all stakeholders to collaborate to scaledown the prevalence rate of the scourge.
NAN
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
