Centre for Citizens

Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) is the winner of Special Recognition Award for 2008 Red Ribbon Awards on HIV/AIDS. The Award was presented to the Executive Director of CCD, Mr. David O. Anyaele fortnight ago at The Balmoral, Oregun, Lagos. The Award is in recognition of the efforts of CCD in Championing for the mainstreaming of persons with disabilities in the National Response to HIV/AIDS pandemic in Nigeria.

In 2001, Journalist Against AIDS (JAAIDS) in collaboration with then National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA), now National Agency for the Control of AIDS, UNAIDS, and other local organisations instituted the annual Red Ribbon Awards competition to identify, honour and document outstanding media and community responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria. According to JAAIDS, the challenge of responding to the epidemic calls for innovative and effective ways of reaching the public with prevention and treatment information and empowerment of the public with appropriate knowledge and skills to stop the virus.

Globally, the Red Ribbon Award has become a worldwide recognised symbol of HIV and AIDS awareness and solidarity with people living with HIV. This is why the organisers have chosen to name this annual Awards project after this important symbol.

The first edition of the Awards was held on Saturday December 1, 2001 (World AIDS Day) in a colourful ceremony at the Lagoon Restaurant, Victoria Island, Lagos. Subsequent editions held March 8, 2003 at the Coliseum, Opebi, Lagos, and December 13, 2003 at the Excellence Hotel, Ogba, Lagos, and December 4, 2004 at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel. In 2005, the Red Ribbon Awards was held for the first time in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on the Dec 3, before the commencement of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA). The 2006 edition held at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island on the 5th of December. Last year’s edition was held on December 8, 2007 at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja. This year 2008, the Ribbon

Awards marks its eight anniversary of promoting best practices in the National response to HIV and AIDS in Nigeria.

Other winners of this years Red Ribbon Awards includes; Collins Nwaeze of Broad Street Journal for the Best Feature Award, Mr. Victor Oteri of Eko 89.75 FM for the Best Radio Feature, Mr. Deji Badmus of Channels Television and Anthony Forson of NTA Kaduna shared the Best Television Feature. For the Outstanding Informed Commentary on HIV and AIDS was won by Kunle Hamilton of Daily Independent, Gift Chukwu of Bond Fm for Best Local Language Report on HIV and AIDS, The Punch Newspaper for the Best Editorial, while the Breaker of Silence: Individual and Breaker of Silence Organisation was won by Ibrahim Umoru and Woman Kind Organisation respectively.

The Special Recognition Award is for organisation whose contribution to the AIDS response is exemplary, and deserves encouragement and commendation. The Award will applaud the initiatives of such organisation while encouraging them to keep the flag flying. The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), with support from Ford Foundation is currently working on a pilot project on HIV/AIDS Prevention Education among Persons with Disabilities in Lagos State.

Recently, CCD joined other Disabled People’s Organisations (DPO) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Dakar, Senegal for this year’s International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) to promote the mainstreaming of persons with disabilities in the Continental responses to HIV/AIDS epidemic and for greater funding for local Civil Society Organisations working on HIV/AIDS in Africa. CCD is a member of Africa Campaign on Disability and HIV and AIDS Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Coalition of Disability Organisations, International Campaign Against Impunity, Nigeria Coalition on International Criminal Court (NCICC), Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) among others.

For further information contact:

Ms. Tolu Adedeji

Programme Officer

Centre for Citizens with Disabilities [CCD]

#13, Soji Adepegba Close, [3rd flr.] off

Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos - NIGERIA.

Tel: +234 1 874 5979 234 805 1977 606