SUJUD: Redefining the Battle Against AIDS

By

Abubakar Jika

jikaab@yahoo.com

Before April 18th 2001 they were unknown to the general public. Perhaps only their patients were privy to their activities. Less than a year, they are not only reckoning with but appear set to redraw the battle line in humanity’s battle against the killer disease AIDS.

They crept into public consciousness when on April 18^th, last year they came out with an unprecedented bang, laying claims to cure for AIDS. They were not the first to lay such claims, even within their country. Infact even within their immediate community – Kano – in northern Nigeria’s commercial center, it was surfeit with dozens of claimants of cure for the dreaded disease.

What stood them out was the legitimacy given to them by the Kano State government. Theirs was the first claim authenticated by a legislature in Africa’s most populous country. SUJUD FOUNDATION was born in Kano(sujudfoundation@yahoo.com)

According to legends, which was confirmed by Mallam Auwal Haruna, Chairman Board of Trustees of the Foundation, the history of their therapy began in 1997.  Two good friends, based on the Islamic declaration, that there is no disease without cure organized a group of Islamic Scholars to research for an effective cure against the feared AIDS.

After about one year, their strenuous efforts bore fruits as they got the curative combination for AIDS. Their therapy was first tested in March 1998. The result was stunning. According to investigations carried out by journalists, which SUJUD staff also confirmed, three orthodox hospital independently carried clinical trial and verification of the therapy.

About 200 patients who under took the test were confirmed with AIDS and were treated. Three hospitals were involved in investigating the initial claims of SUJUD. These were: Salem Hospital in Gombe, North Eastern Nigeria, Infectious Diseases Hospital Kano in North Western Nigeria, reputed to be the largest in West Africa and Wuse clinics and Maternity in Abuja, North Central Nigeria. When SUJUD first publicly named these credible hospitals as referees many expected swift denial. When none came, SUJUD Foundation located at the serene Nassarawa GRA in Kano became a “Mecca” of sorts as patients’ stream from across Nigeria. According to SUJUD officials, the Foundation expended over N1million on cost of tests for indigent patients alone.

What further gave credibility to the Foundation’s claims was its endorsement by the Kano State House of Assembly. This followed series of tests by the State Ministry of Health, which corroborated the claims of SUJUD. The Kano State House of Assembly indeed passed a resolution endorsing the claims of the Foundation. Two other states, Niger and Sokoto invited the Foundation to open offices in these areas.

It became obvious that the SUJUD Foundation can longer be ignored. Its therapy can no longer be dismissed as crude. According to its Chairman, Mallam Auwalu over 2000 patients were successfully treated by them. He was ready to defend this claim. In fact he had evidence to back up their position. There are some noticeable observable clinical supports for their claims. There were patients who were bedridden but on reaching there start walking after a few weeks. There were physical reversals of signs and symptoms of many opportunistic AIDS related infectious by their patients. According to their records, such patients gain 2.8kg weekly.

Many of their patients publicly corroborated these claims. They spoke on local radio, BBC Hausa Service, VOA Hausa Service, and Radio Deutsche Welle in addition to credible national publications such as THIS DAY & NEWSWATCH..

Moreover Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital owned by the Federal Government has carried repeated CD4 cell count tests for their patients most of who recorded improve CD4 cell count beyond 600 from levels below 300. Above all they are yet to record relapse cases. All these attracted tremendous public interest to their activities.

When I asked Mallam Auwalu Haruna what moves they making to secure Federal government endorsement, he told me that since August 1^st September 2000 they have staked their claims before Professor Idris Muhammad Federal Government Committee of Experts. He also said they made representations to the Federal House of Representatives Committee on HIV/AIDS Cure Verification. Both committees are yet to make public their reports.

Mallam Auwalu however disclosed that NAFDAC, the Federal government Agency on Food, Drugs, Administration and Control was billed to visit them this February to carry tests. In fact in the United States, the Food, and Drugs Agency certify drugs and foods.

NAFDAC should have long ago taken initiative on all AIDS cure claimants. Indeed states ministries of health appear to have taken wind off the Agency’s sail.

What however attracted sympathy for SUJUD is its benevolence. All children below five years are treated free. Those who are totally down are given some rebates and concessions. Money appears not to be the determinant factor in its activities. I asked the SUJUD Chairman their motivation. He told me that “SUJUD is an Islamic group established by some Muslims mainly to support government efforts in health care through Islamic unorthodox medications”.

What however stood them out was the universality of their patients. Many of their patients are in fact non- Muslims. I spoke to a couple of them, who do not want their names in print. They however confirmed that they are Christians and patients of SUJUD. That when they first came, they could not even walk. That was some few weeks’ back. But they looked quite chubby cheeked now.

The Obasanjo regime has recently ordered for 240 million condoms for safe sex. Many were baffled at this apparent misplacement of priorities. The millions, perhaps billions of naira sunk into this could have been channeled to proven organizations with credible therapies.

The Obasanjo regime still toes the lines of western powers that they are no cure for AIDS. Its Agencies however appear reluctant to test the claims of numerous claimants, waiting for cure from western countries. Ministry of Health statistics says that 70 percent of sudden deaths could be traced to AIDS virus, many of whose carriers are ignorant of their status.

Ishaya Kenneth, a medical doctor and a Christian who runs Salem Hospital in Gombe colloborated the claims of SUJUD. He spoke of several volunteers and patients who were successfully treated using the SUJUD therapy. He disclosed that he uses the federal government owned University of Jos for all his tests. It is obvious that the Obasanjo regime which was said to have spent 3 million dollars (over N320 million) to host an African Summit on AIDS needs to look inwards. Nigeria and Nigerians can no longer look up to the west to find cure for this dreaded disease. All claims and initiatives needs to be verified as Zimbabwe and Uganda are doing

JIKA teaches at the Dept. of Mass Communications, Bayero University, Kano.