NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PUBLIC POLICY ON HIV/AIDS IN NIGERIA, 1986-2006

The rapidity of the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which is the causative agent of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is posing one of the greatest public health problems in Nigeria. In an effort to mitigate the impact and avert the consequences of a possible run away epidemic, Nigeria has evolved various intervention strategies to control and contain the problem. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are in the forefront of this campaign. Since HIV/AIDS has been posing essentially as a medical/health problem, inadequate attention has been paid to the public policy implications of the disease. Moreover, many scholars do not adequately explore the role of NGOs in public policy on the HIV/AIDS problem because public policy is regarded principally as the domain of government. This paper examines the role of economic reform measures in Nigeria and argues that these reform measures have created capacity gaps, which NGOs are filling in public policy making and execution on HIV/AIDS. We made use of multiple methods of data collection and analysis such as questionnaire, interviews and documents for data collection and descriptive statistical techniques such as frequency tables and chi-square test. It also offers a theoretical assessment of NGOs and public policy in Nigeria. The shortcomings of both the state-led and market led development have created a capacity gap that NGOs are filling. The paper concludes that public policy is no longer the preserve of government alone and NGOs are at present being involved in formulating and implementing public policy in Nigeria.