Nigeria is soon to begin free distribution of antiretroviral drugs to its HIV positive soldiers. Announcing the plan, Nigeria's defence minister, retired general Theophilus Danjuma, said it was imperative for the Nigerian military to do everything it could to prevent the rise in HIV cases among the soldiers.

“Unless this is done, you have an army, navy, and air force that are invalids,” he warned. He said that many of the soldiers contracted HIV during peacekeeping missions in countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone.

“These soldiers were deployed to operational areas and they were there for a long time without their wives,” he said.

The plan has a supporter …