Nigeria reported a total of 20,838 new HIV infections between January and March 2026, with Lagos and Benue states emerging as the most affected, according to figures from the National Data Repository.
Lagos recorded the highest number of cases at 2,298, while Benue followed closely with 1,949. Akwa Ibom ranked third with 1,159 cases, trailed by Rivers with 1,137 and Anambra with 1,013.
In the northern region, Kaduna posted 842 cases, while Kano recorded 476. Other states with notable figures include Delta (803), Oyo (763), Ogun (751), Plateau (662), Imo (640), and Nasarawa (615).
The Federal Capital Territory logged 579 cases, while Abia and Edo reported 527 and 512 cases respectively. Ebonyi recorded 253 cases, Gombe 252, and Borno 238. Ekiti had 129 cases, Sokoto 110, and Yobe reported the lowest figure at 100.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government recently announced a commitment of $346 million in co-financing for 2026 to boost HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria interventions.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, made this known during the national rollout of Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable used for HIV prevention.
“In the context of this major bilateral funder, the co-financing for 2026 is almost 346 million dollars additional.
“Mr President has already directed the Budget Office of the Federation to ensure that it is captured in the 2026 budget,” Pate said.
He noted that the funding would support key areas such as medical supplies, laboratory surveillance, reagents, expansion of primary healthcare, and financial protection for citizens.
“That means that some of the commodity costs, the laboratory surveillance costs, the reagents, primary health care, expansion of financial protection should be included,” he said.
Pate added that the investment signals Nigeria’s growing focus on domestic funding as global health financing becomes more constrained.
“The global space is changing right in front of our eyes. Financing has become limited globally and constrained in many countries, including Nigeria.
“While we have had tremendous success over the last 25 years thanks to global partnerships, the headwinds we are facing in terms of the changing global landscape force us to think differently,” he said.
He further stressed the importance of innovation and efficiency, noting that advancements such as Lenacapavir would strengthen ongoing efforts to control HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria in the country.