Dr Ihekweazu Hands Over To New NCDC DG, Heads To WHO

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, outgoing Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has handed over to Dr Ifedayo Adetifa.

The health agency made the announcement in a Facebook post.

“As we undergo this transition in leadership, we reflect on our collective efforts in building an effective institution and strengthening capacity for national and global health security”, NCDC noted.

In September, President Muhammadu Buhari tapped Adetifa, an Associate Professor and clinical epidemiologist, as Ihekweazu’s successor.

Adetifa is a member of the Health Sectors Reform Committee chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The team will develop and implement Nigeria’s health reforms in collaboration with states and the FCT.

Regarded as one of the best performers of the Buhari administration, Ihekweazu has received local and international accolades for his management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, the NCDC is a leading parastatal with millions of social media followers.

On November 1, Ihekweazu will resume as the Assistant Director-General, Health Emergency Intelligence at the World Health Organization (WHO).

The UN health body made his appointment public in late August.

Ihekweazu will lead the efforts on strengthening pandemic and epidemic intelligence globally.

The Nigerian will oversee the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin, Germany.

Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus described Ihekweazu as the perfect person to assume the role.

“He brings vision and experience and will be an excellent addition to our WHO leadership team,” Ghebreyesus said.

Born in Germany, Ihekweazu studied medicine at the University of Nigeria (UNN) and obtained a Master’s degree in Public Health from the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf.

He was an epidemiologist at the Robert Koch Institute, and co-director of Centre for Tuberculosis at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg, South Africa.