The time has come for us to appreciate what we have. It is generally believed that we have nothing in the form of technology to offer the world; that we are a third world country and as such have nothing of value to give than to gain from the developed world.
I would not blame those who hold this view, what with the caliber of leaders we have had in the past, who, because of greed and corruption, were unable to covert the rich human and natural resources that our good country is endowed with, into wealth and development. But there is one thing we have that our good corrupt leaders in the past were not able to take from us; something that has helped our society, that we can teach the world. That is, our rich moral values and respect for the family institution.
When we talk about fundamental vales, we can not help but make reference to the family institution. You cannot divest one from the other; they are interwoven. It is in the family that we discover our past, where traditions are handed on; where we learn that the past lives on in us and through us to our children. It is here that values are imparted to our children.
Now this rich moral values and family institution which is our only original export is in grave danger. It is being seriously threatened and Nigerians are being inadequately used for this purpose. The condom campaign and advertisement is one clear way that this conspiracy is being carried out and all those that are party to this will answer to posterity. Condom cannot stop HIV/AIDS spread
This piece and the need to once again alert the population on the looming danger confronting us were informed by an incident that happened sometime ago. It was a media/NGO conference on the Nigerian youth and the problem of HIV/AIDS at the United Nations Information Center (UNIC). A white lady, Dr. Seera Ara of UNICEF, gave a talk on condom as the only spread in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. After her presentation, a colleague of mine stood up and debunked her claim. She said the based on the scientific facts available to us, to the extent that the latex barrier of the condom has intrinsic pores, it cannot and does not stop HIV virus passing through. She went further to advocate our remedy which is the need for people to change their sexual behavior from what it is presently to a new one of abstinence from sex until marriage, faithfulness to one’s spouse in marriage as the only full-proof means in the absence of a cure to check the HIV/AIDS spread.
After my colleague’s presentation, Dr. Serra Ara, who was visibly livid, took back the microphone and declared that my colleague has no right to advocate abstinence; that she and her colleagues had decided in New York that the condom was the only solution to the HIV/AIDS spread in sub-Saharan Africa.
What really got to me outside the untruth about the condom that was being forced down our throat, was the statement that she and her colleagues had “decided in New York” that the condom use was the only way out. Most condoms used in Nigeria are made from latex rubber, a milky fluid from a rubber plant. Latex has intrinsic holes called pores or void. If latex does not have pores, how can a blown-up balloon tightly tied, deflate after a period of time?
The condom pores are 5 micron in diameter (25,000micron=1 inch), whereas the HIV is only 0.1 microns in size. The pores are present regardless of the method of processing the latex or manufacturing the condoms or where it was made. The University of Miami Medical School (USA) study on 10 HIV infected women whose husbands were HIV positive found three who were always using a fresh condom for each intercourse to have developed Aids Related Complex (ARC) after 18months which translates into an infection rate of 11.2% per year, 21% in 2 years, 30% in 3 years, 45% in 5 years and 70% in 10 years
Years ago, University of Texas study found that with condoms, the risk of HIV transmission could be as high as 31%. There are still a lot more. Statistics has shown almost 15 failures per 100 sexual acts “protected” by condoms, and here we are referring to pregnancy. How then can the same condom stop the HIV virus, which is almost 500 times smaller than spermatozoa?
Defective condoms abound and condom failure is worldwide. Now back to again to Dr. Seera Ara and her colleagues “in New york”. On the issue of morality, decency and values, I do not think we have much to gain from the developed world in this 21st century. Rather, they have more to learn from us. Homosexual practice is not encouraged by open acceptance of their cohabitation, legislation of their marriage, and ability to legally adopt children here in Nigeria as is done abroad? The list is endless. So I do not know how she (Dr. Serra Ara) and her colleagues in New York can decide for us issues bordering on values and immorality, because the HIV/AIDS issue is about these, pure and simple.