Dr. Mansur Kabir was named the new Chairman of the board of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control by President Bola Tinubu. Prof. Moji Adeyeye has been reappointed as its Chief Executive Officer.
Additionally, a new Director-General for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Olajide Idris, has been appointed, replacing Prof. Ifedayo Adetifa. Idris will commence his duties on February 19, 2024.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, made the announcement in a statement on Thursday titled ‘President Tinubu approves leadership changes in health and social welfare sector.’
The President has also approved the appointment and reappointment of board chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers for eight agencies under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
They include Prof. Abba Zubairu and Dr. Saleh Yuguda as board chairperson and CEO, respectively for the National Blood Service Commission; Prof. Afolabi Lesi and Dr. Fatima Kyari as board chairperson and CEO, respectively for the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria; Wasilat Giwa and Ibrahim Ahmed as board chairperson and CEO, respectively for the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria and Dr. Babajide Salako and Dr. Tosan Erhabor as Board Chairperson and CEO, respectively, of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria.
Prof. Adamu Bakari has been appointed as the Chief Medical Director of Moddibo Adama University Teaching Hospital, Yola, Adamawa State, and Prof. Reuben Eifediyi has been appointed as the CMD of the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State.
Ngelale stated that these appointments reflect Tinubu’s dedication to bringing world-class standards to Nigerian public health administration and delivering affordable and quality care to all Nigerians under governance and regulatory frameworks that adhere to international best practices.
Dr. Olajide Idris, the new NCDC Chief, received his MBBS degree from the University of Lagos’ College of Medicine, followed by a Master’s degree in Public Health from Yale University in the United States. He served as the Commissioner for Health in Lagos State from 2007 to 2019, after holding the position of Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Health from 1999 to 2007.
The new NBSC Chairperson, Prof. Abba Zubairu, previously served as the Medical Director of the Mayo Clinic in the United States, and underwent a Clinical Fellowship at the Harvard Medical School’s Transfusion Medicine Programme, obtaining a Master’s degree in Clinical Science from the same institution.
Dr. Fatima Kyari, the new MDCN CEO, is an ophthalmologist and Fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Medicine. She obtained an MBBS degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and pursued a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of London’s School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, as well as a Doctorate in Public Health from the same institution.
Ngelale emphasized that the President expects the new leadership to significantly elevate the standards of healthcare service delivery for the benefit of all Nigerians. The President anticipates the immediate and effective implementation of new policy frameworks to reposition the sector under the able leadership of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Pate, to address the consequences of historical underperformance in the health sector.