PLACA distributes materials to combat HIV scourge.

PLATEAU Aids Control Agency (PLACA), has procured and distributed items worth over Forty Million (40m) Naira, with cheques disbursement of over three hundred and sixty seven thousand, seven hundred naira each, to the seventeen local government Aids Control Agencies (PLACAs) across the state to further enhance effective HIV Counseling and Testing Programe in every nook and cranny of the state.
The occasion took place at the PLACA conference hall last Friday, in Jos, where the Acting Executive Director, Mr. Markus Koka, presented both the items and cheques to the program-officers of various LGAs.
While presenting the cheques, Koka said, “This is the third time I have issued cheques to LGAs since my assumption as the Acting executive Director. I am saying this vividly because of transparency and accountability. In programme implementation, once you hide the envelop, it means you are not transparent.

“We want to thank the present government for graciously giving us part of budgetary counterpart contribution. You would recall when the Governor came on board, he approved ninety million (90m) naira for us and as I am talking to you, out of the ninety million, he has given us 65 million (sixty five million). We were also given a budget of five hundred and fifty five million naira, but wrote a request of two hundred and twenty million and it is presently in his office and we look forward to his response. We thank him very much,” he stressed.
He warned the program officers on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) to consolidate on the government’s efforts by being proactive and ensure they make good use of the items and money judiciously as he would be in the field to monitor all they would do in no distant time.
SUNDAY STANDARD reports that Mr Koka, was also at the Joint Non Health Sector monthly M&E meeting, held at Green Valley Suites, where he intimated them of World Bank involvement of strong civil society organization in the fight against HIV/AIDS, stressing on the need for them to collaborate for Plateau State to achieve a HIV/AIDS free state.
There were words of caution and encouragement by PLACA Project Manager, Mr. Garus Bature, Community Mobilization Officer, Mrs. Martha Swoemen and Mr. Wukatda Beben, who is the Director Strategic Knowledge Management as there were questions and answers session respectively.
Meanwhile, items distributed included, 34,000 pieces of determine kits each, 3,400 pieces of uni-gold kits each, 2,700 pieces of start pack kit each, 293 760 latex male condom, 24,480 latex female condom, 85 Gallons of spirit each, 270 bags of bio-hazard bag, 1700 pairs of face mask; 34 packets of detergent each, 34 bottles of dettol; 170 rolls of cotton wool and 170 rolls of gloves respectively, to each LACA in the state.
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