The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria has warned that Nigeria may struggle to sustain gains in HIV prevention if adolescents and young people are not prioritised in the design and implementation of harm reduction programmes.
   
IHVN’s Lead for Prevention and Key Populations, Comfort Ochigbo, who stated this in Abuja, said while interventions targeting adults remain important, greater attention must be given to young people facing growing risks linked to drug use, HIV infection, stigma and limited access to care.
   
According to her, harm reduction focuses on protecting the health and safety of young people rather than punishing them for drug use.

“Harm reduction services such as clean needle programmes, HIV testing, counselling and medication-assisted treatment help reduce these risks and prevent overdose deaths,” she said, adding that medicines like naloxone can reverse opioid overdose and save lives.
   
Ochigbo noted that increasing drug use among young Nigerians has exposed the need for broader prevention strategies beyond conventional HIV testing and counselling services.
   
Citing findings from the 2018 World Drug Use Survey, she said more than 14 million Nigerians use drugs, with young people accounting for a significant proportion.
  
She observed that age-related barriers, stigma and discrimination continue to prevent many young people from accessing life-saving services. “At IHVN, we are advocating to ensure that no one is denied harm reduction services because of age, stigma or identity,” she said.
   
Ochigbo explained that the organisation is promoting integrated service delivery through the Minimum Package of Prevention Interventions (MPPI) to ensure coordinated and comprehensive prevention services across national institutions.
   
She also called for increased investment in prevention programmes, noting that prevention funding accounts for only about nine per cent of total health investments in the country.
  
The IHVN official stressed the need for structured rehabilitation systems through stronger collaboration among Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including the Ministries of Youth and Sports as well as Women Affairs.
   
According to her, IHVN is expanding economic empowerment, education and skills development initiatives while strengthening gender-based violence prevention and response systems to support the reintegration of people who use drugs into society.
  
“We cannot end HIV without protecting young people, and we cannot protect young people without scaling up harm reduction interventions,” she said.
   
Ochigbo added that harm reduction should not be viewed as encouraging risky behaviour but as an opportunity to expand access to care, support and healthier choices.
   
She disclosed that over 300 clients have enrolled in the institute’s Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) programme since it began as a pilot initiative in Gombe State.
   
The intervention, she said, targets young people and other vulnerable groups exposed to higher risks of HIV, hepatitis and other health complications.
   
To strengthen the response, IHVN integrated additional interventions into its harm reduction programme, including the Needle and Syringe Programme (NSP), Opioid Substitution Therapy and the use of naloxone for overdose reversal.
   
Ochigbo described behavioural change among beneficiaries as one of the programme’s major achievements, noting that many young people now enrol voluntarily or through peer referrals.
   
She added that although some beneficiaries may not stop drug use immediately, the programme helps them adopt safer behaviours, access treatment and support, rebuild family relationships and gradually return to productive lives.