Buhari Picks Ifedayo Adetifa as New NCDC DG

President Muhammadu Buhari has given approval for the appointment of Ifedayo Adetifa as the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The presidency made the announcement via a statement on Monday.

Ifedayo replaces Chikwe Ihekweazu, who recently got an appointment as Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in charge of health emergency intelligence.

Ifedayo’s profile on the website of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine showed that the pediatrician and infectious diseases epidemiologist obtained his first degree from the University of Ilorin in Kwara state.

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“I received my undergraduate medical training at the University of Ilorin, Kwara, Nigeria and completed residency training in Paediatrics at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria for which I was awarded the Fellowship of the West Africa College of Physicians in Paediatrics,” the profile reads.

“I studied for the MSc in Epidemiology at the School and got my PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.”

According to the statement by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, Adetifa has also been named a member of the health sector reform committee, which will be chaired by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the setting up of a Health Sector Reform Committee to commence the development and implementation of a Health Sector Reform programme for Nigeria in collaboration with the State Governments and the FCT administration,” the statement reads.

“This is sequel to a Health Sector Diagnostic Review Report developed by a consultant, Vesta Healthcare Partners and the Federal Ministry of Health.

“The committee will undertake a review of all healthcare reforms adopted in the past two decades and lessons learnt and factor them into the development of the new Health Sector Reform Programme.

“Meanwhile, President Buhari has also approved the appointment of Dr Ifedayo Morayo Adetifa as the new Director General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). The President has named him as a member of this important committee.”