Senate asks agency to verify Ezeibe’s claim on HIV/AIDS cure

Panel queries minister over poor revenue from culture, entertainment sectors

The Senate Committee on Primary Healthcare, Communicable and Non Communicable Diseases has asked the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to verify the claim of Prof. Maduike Ezeibe that he had found a cure for Human Immuno Virus (HIV).

Chairman of the committee, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa (PDP, Abia) made this request yesterday during the budget defence of the agency in Abuja. Ohuabunwa expressed misgivings over the manner the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) dismissed Ezeibe’s claim.

According to the senator, “Coming out with a disclaimer immediately is not the right thing,” Ohuabunwa said.However, Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, said they were satisfied with the stand taken by NACA and the Centre for Disease Control.

Shuaib said anyone announcing cure for any disease must follow some rigorous steps to test the findings. “That process has not been followed by the professor. It is strange.”

The Senate also yesterday subjected the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed to intense questioning over poor revenue generation from the culture and entertainment sector.

At a budget defence session with the minister and other officials of the ministry yesterday, the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism declared that it was unfortunate that the ministry presented only N620, 000 as total revenue generated in 2016.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, noted that the budget should not only be about expenditure, but also about the revenue profile. He said the Senate frowns at the said amount of N620, 000.00, saying it was too low.