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In The Guardian of March 30, 2004, the representative of the United Nations in Nigeria, Mr. Ololandi was quoted as saying "The UN does not preach condom use in the fight against HIV/AIDS. I repeat, we do not preach it, the UN is a strict advocate of abstinence and faithfulness to a relationship" This was in response to a question from an AIDS patient recently at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Lagos. It's interesting to know this piece of information from one Mike Okonofua in his letter to The Guardian sometimes ago. In effect the UN representative has answered well. My understanding of his answer is that UN and its agencies: UNAID, UNICEF, USAID do not subscribe to the use of condoms for the prevention of AIDS, but if after this warning, one foolishly wants to use it, then one is doing so at one's own risk.

That simply is the implication of that response, and as the saying goes a word is enough of the wise. Let's further examine the implication of that response and see, how credible it is. Condom is made from Latex rubber. The Latex rubber condom was first manufactured about 160 years ago as a contraceptive for the prevention of pregnancy by preventing the human sperm passing through to fertilise the egg and not against the HIV virus which only appeared in 1981 and is many times much smaller than the human sperm. "The condom is like a fence built to keep out cows while rats go in and out freely", says Mr. Albert Ngwana in his book titled: Population Development. Besides, a study by the group called the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States in 1981 showed delectable leakage of HIV-sized particles in one-third (33 per cent) of the condom tested.

In 1992, Dr. C.M Roland, editor of the Journal Rubber Chemistry and Technology wrote the Washington Post on June 25 to say as follows, "Latex condoms have tiny intrinsic holes called "Voids". The AIDS virus is 50 times smaller than these tiny holes which make it easier for virus to pass through them, about as easy as a dime through a basketball loop". A 1994 Study at University of Texas, found that even with condoms, the risk of HIV transmission can be as high as 31 per cent. Emily. C. Moore, writing in the British Medical Journal- The Lancet, says "condoms have a substantial failure rate against pregnancy: 13-15 per cent of women whose male partners use condoms as the sole method of contraception become pregnant within a year. This failure rate is significant when assessing the chances of condom against the deadly HIV virus for two reasons: The human sperm which causes pregnancy is 50 microns in diameter which the HIV virus is only 0.1 micron in size. Pregnancy is possible only on the few fertile days in the woman's menstratural cycle whereas infection is possible every time one has sex with an HIV-infected person. The Lancet journal published in January. 2000 showed the results of a research by the London University Medical School, which showed that condom promotion could lead to an increase in AIDS. "Promoting condom as a sure way escape or prevent AIDS had lead many people to engage in riskier sexual behaviours than they otherwise might have". Condoms create a false sense of security (they are not fool proof and have shown a failure rate of 10 per cent to 20 per cent and many cause an increase in sexual activity" says Peter Plumley. The possible consequences of condom failure when one partner is HIV infected are serious enough and the likelihood of failure is sufficiently high that condom use by risk groups should not be described as "Safe Sex."

The above quotations are just a few of the numerous warnings and comments issued over the years on the condom by rubber technology experts and renowned institutions. The biggest condom manufacturers called Durex, has now stated clearly on its web site that condoms do not stop the spread of AIDS. To promote the use of condoms is another way of promoting promiscuity. And promiscuity by its very nature promotes the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Once a sexually transmitted pathogen entersa promiscuous population, infection spreads like wildfire because according to a Lagos-based NGO called the Project for Human Development (PHD) "If you sleep with someone who slept with someone who has slept with someone, you have slept with all". More importantly, the presence of S.T.Ds increases the risk of HIV transmitted up to ten fold. The presence of another STI facilitates both the transmission and acquisition of HIV. Both partners are at greatly increased risk during intercourse if either has an STI" AIDS Epidemic (Update Dec 1998 UNAIDS Geneva).

In 1998 UNAIDS stated "The future of the HIV epidemic especially in Africa lies in the hands of young people. The behaviours they adopt now and those they maintain through out their lives will determine the course of the epidemic for decades to come. Young people will continue to learn from one another, but their behaviours will depend largely on the information, education and skills that the current generations of adults choose to equip their children with". Therefore, condom information, adverts and free distribution is a simplistic and wrong answer to the guidance of the youth on HIV/AIDS. According to the PHD, AIDS formation, not AIDS information, is needed. The basic though long-range answer to the control of AIDS is primary prevention, says the PHD. The prevention method, which is 100 per cent efficient against the genital spread of HIV, is abstinence from sex before marriage and fidelity in marriage. Uganda, which used to be number one on the AIDS league table is now down to number 17. Thanks to Abstinence from Sex. But other Sub-Saharan African countries that have persisted in the use of condoms to fight HIV/AIDS are continually ravaged by AIDS. A good example is South Africa.

In Uganda also safer behaviours have helped immensely. For example, young people increasingly abstain from sex in the face of HIV. In 1995 over half of the men and 40 per cent of the women aged 15-19 said they had never had sex, a rise of 75 per cent since 1989 for both sexes. (UNAIDS discussion document. The magic that worked for Uganda was that their the people of Uganda heeded the advise of their cardinal called Cardinal Wamala, who told them that: "The way to avoid the disease is by conduct not by condom."

With this information available to us on the ineffectiveness of Condom in HIV/AID prevention, what should we do in Nigeria? First, the use of condom should be discouraged. The regulatory authorities should control the advertisement of condom for the prevention of HIV/AIDS infection. on every packet of condom, the following warning should be printed; "That condom is not safe for the prevention of HIV/AIDS". APCON and NAFDAC should investigate claims made by various companies selling condoms that condoms are efficient against HIV/AIDS. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) should ban condom adverts on radio and Finally, the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Health should stop promoting the condom business in Nigeria. Instead the government should encourage the teaching of abstinence and fidelity in marriage, as the most effective way of preventing HIV/AIDS in schools. Up till now the government only pays lip service to abstinence. It does not fund pro-abstinence NGOs. It only funds pro-condom NGOs. This is unfair. Abstinence and fidelity have succeeded in Uganda, the Philippines and other countries where they were given a chance. Everybody should join hands to promote abstinence education in Nigeria. The Nigerian government should give abstinence a chance. The United Nations is now in support of abstinence. Is this not interesting? I agree with the PHD that abstinence is wisdom and that the fear of HIV/AIDS is the beginning of sexual wisdom.

Mrs Ehilawa is a member of the project for Human Development (PHD)