More than 81 million naira has been disbursed by the World Bank to 96 Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) in Nigeria's northern Bauchi State to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in the state, the News Agency of Nigeria reported on Tuesday.

Rilwanu Muhammad, chairman of Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Malaria (BACATMA), stated this during the disbursement in Bauchi on Monday.

Muhammad said that the amount was disbursed to 18 line-ministries, 24 NGOs and 54 Community Based Organizations under the World Bank-assisted HIV/AIDS Fund (HAF) project.

According to him, more than 61 million naira was disbursed to the affected organizations for various HIV/AIDS responses as well as care support activities in the past three years.

Muhammad said that 19 million naira had been earmarked for disbursement to about 10 other organizations to facilitate completion of the projects already initiated under the first phase of the program.

"HAF is aimed at reducing the spread of HIV and AIDS through strengthening multi-sectoral response to the pandemic," Muhammad said.

The chairman urged the benefiting organizations to ensure effective utilization of the fund, warning that the agency would not condone misuse of the funds.

According to local media reports, Nigeria has more than 2 million people living with HIV/AIDS, but only small part of the infected are receiving Ante-Retroviral Treatment (ARV).