Gate - the The development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC)

Small Hotspots
The smaller hotspots are mainly located in the more rural, peripheral areas of the FCT,
particularly at the towns that are LGA centers. For example, here is an excerpt from interviews that
illustrates sexual activity in the town of Kwali:
Question: Let us talk about risk settings in your community. Are there markets
where truck drivers come to for or bring commodities?
Answer Yes there are three big markets – Kwoita, Kwali, and Gada-biyu – which
are active in the interval of 4 days each. Large trucks come to buy
vegetables and food items such as yams, plantains and grains. The truck
drivers don’t stay long. The longest they stay is overnight and most do
same day return.
Q: What about other places where sexual activities can be expected to be
taking place?
A: There are three small hotels which have STSRs (short time service rooms)
for sex available. There are sex workers around these hotels. There are
many drinking joints selling beer, palm wine and other local brews. These
are also meeting joints and can be found along the road you drove into
town on and at the settlement located immediately [nearby].
HIV/AIDS and Military Personnel
Military installations and personnel (including the police) are recognized as an "at risk population"
by HIV/AIDS workers and policy makers. At the Stakeholders' Meeting in Abuja on 15 December,
2004, a representative from the military spoke, urging the FACA policy-makers and active
organizations to participate with the military HIV/AIDS programs.
Information about military organizations and agencies in the FCT were gleaned from interviews
conducted with personnel at the Mogadishu Barracks. Team members talked with Major Irigo
(coordinator) and Captain Ojie (Assistant Coordinator) of the Defense Health Club (DHC), a group
for HIV positive people living at the Barracks. They also talked with a DHC member, Audu 3 , who is
a self described AIDS activist and active duty soldier assigned to the Mogadishu Barracks. He is
HIV positive and is open about his serostatus 4
3 Audu is a pseudonym.
4 At the the time of the Interview, Audu was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt with HIV Positive printed on the
front in big black letters and I am a stigma fighter written on the back.
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