Tinubu sacks NCDC DG, re-appoints NAFDAC DG

President Bola Tinubu has sacked the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Ifedayo M. O Adetifa.

Dr. Olajide Idris, a former Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, has been appointed the new DG/CEO of NCDC.

Adetifa, a paediatrician and epidemiologist, was appointed in September 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

NCDC is the national public health institute with the mandate to lead the preparedness, detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.

Meanwhile, Tinubu has renewed the appointment of Prof. Moji Adeyeye as Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The President has approved the appointment and reappointment of the Board Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers in the health and social welfare sector.

Dr. Mansur Kabir is the new chairperson of NAFDAC Board.

The National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) is now chaired by Prof. Abba Zubairu while Dr. Saleh Yuguda is the Chief Executive Officer.

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has Prof. Afolabi Lesi as Board Chairperson and Dr. Fatima Kyari as Chief Executive Officer.

For the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), the Board Chairperson is Wasilat Giwa and Chief Executive Officer, Ibrahim Ahmed.

The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) has the Board Chairperson as Dr Babajide Salako and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tosan Erhabor.

The Moddibo Adama University Teaching Hospital, Yola (MAUTH), has Chief Medical Director/CEO as Prof. Adamu G. Bakari.

Prof. Reuben Eifediyi is the Chief Medical Director/CEO of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua (ISTH).

Dr. Idris received his MBBS degree from the University of Lagos College of Medicine, after which he obtained a Master’s degree in Public Health from the Ivy League’s Yale University in Connecticut, United States of America.

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He also served as the Commissioner for Health in Lagos State from 2007 to 2019, after serving as the Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Health from 1999 to 2007.

The new NBSC Chairperson, Prof. Zubairu, has served as the Medical Director of the world-leading Mayo Clinic in the United States of America.

The new MDCN CEO, Dr. Kyari, is a renowned ophthalmologist and Fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Medicine (FNAMed).

She obtained an MBBS degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as well as a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of London’s School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine before she obtained a Doctorate degree in Public Health from the same institution.

The President expected that the new leadership across this critical human development sector would raise the standards of healthcare service delivery for the exclusive benefit of all strata of the Nigerian population.

The President also anticipated 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 Ali Pate.

The Star