Sunday, January 01, 2012
NIGERIA’S ELUSIVE PEACE AND AFRICA’S LOOMING REFUGEE CRISES
- By
DR. UZODINMA ADIRIEJE
P.O. Box 8880, Wuse, Abuja, Nigeria
Ph: +234 803 472 9505
Blog: http://uzodinma-adirieje.blogspot.com
Email: uaadirieje@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, tenth largest in the world, and home to
about 20% of Africa’s population. In her 51 years of post-independence life, the
country has witnessed scores of violent agitations and conflicts with the
attendant morbidity and mortality, and devastating toll on the barely existing
infrastructure. The unresolved struggle for the control of political and
economic power or ‘resource control’ among Nigerian elite is tearing the
country apart, and has deliberately incapacitated/impoverished the civil
society. Need one re-state that the greatest threat to peace and security is a
hungry, deprived and impoverished citizenry? Nigeria’s socioeconomic and
security situations have continental implications for the rest of Africa. The
imperative of peace as an essential ingredient for democracy and overall
development can never be overemphasized. The last opportunity to take
appropriate actions is about to be lost.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
From the incessant kidnapping of oil workers and citizens in Niger-Delta, to brutal
murder of a 70-year-old woman and her 74-year-old husband alongside their
grandchildren in Plateau; from the rape and defilement of a 60-80 year-old
grandmother by a 17-year-old boy in Opi-Enugu, to the planting and detonation
of bombs in three churches in Mubi Adamawa; and from the several bomb attacks
and deaths of thousands in Yobe and Borno, to the bomb attacks in Mogadishu
Army Barrack and Nigeria Police Headquarters in Abuja; the Nigerian landscape
has in the last ten years, witnessed monumental increases in violence, conflicts
and extra-judicial murders, even though the country is not officially at war.
Peace, in every sense of the word, has become increasingly elusive for the
government and citizenry.
Peace – for the purpose of this piece – is a state of mutual harmony between people
or groups, manifesting as the normal freedom from civil commotion and violence
of a society…a state of public order and security.
As a reminder, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, tenth largest in
the world2, and home to about 20% of Africa’s population, but
occupies only about 3% of the continent’s surface area. Her development indices
as reported by the World Bank3, include a literacy rate of 60% among
her population of 155 million estimate in 2009, life expectancy of 47 (male)
and 48 (female), income per capita $1,140, while 83.9% of the citizens live on
below $2 daily. Our indices3 on the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) include: 27.2% prevalence of under-5 malnutrition, 138 per 1,000
under-five mortality rate; 840 Maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births,
3.1% HIV prevalence, a tuberculosis (TB) incidence of 300 per 100,000 while
only 32% have access to improved sanitation facilities. Our oil continues to
boom, but the citizens continue to groan under poverty, unemployment, drastic
recession and lowered standards of living for the majority of the citizens.
With a total area of 923,768km2, Nigeria's national boundaries result from her
colonial history and cut across a number of cultural and physical boundaries.
North-south distance within the country could reach 1,040km while its east-west
counterpart stands at about 1,120km.
WHEN THERE IS NO PEACE
In her 51 years of post-independence life, Nigeria has witnessed a 30 months
fratricidal civil war, long-drawn years of military coups and imposed
rulership, years of political agitation by the national Democratic Coalition
[NADECO] and pro-democracy groups, persisting agitations by the Movement for
the Survival of Ogoni people [MASOP], violent agitations by various Niger-Delta
groups including the infamous Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta
[MEND], agitations by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State
of Biafra [MASSOB] , and lately the Boko Haram insurgence in the North. Along
with these, violent agitations frequently violent inter and intra-communal
feuds have become commonplace, with the attendant morbidity and mortality, and
devastating toll on the barely existing infrastructure in the affected
communities.
It has been noted that violence of various forms - robbery, hostage taking,
kidnapping, murder, rape, even political, ethnic, religious - are presently
threatening the very existence of our country, and assuming scary dimensions. A
very small portion of the national earnings are available to governments at the
local and state levels where the majority of the citizens dwell, as reflected
in revenues sharing formula. As a result, sub-national struggles for equity
have become possible avenues to perpetrate the activities of organized criminal
syndicates that deal in oil and arms, and kidnap oil workers. Gradually but
steadily, Nigeria has become a theatre of insecurity, featuring widespread
criminal and group/gang violence, and unrestrained corruption and compromised
vigilantism; which are readily scripted through low capacity and accountability
of relevant national institutions, security apparatus and relevant stakeholders
in the combat of violence. Nigerian governments, political parties, security agencies, judicial establishments, vigilante groups, civil society leaders, perpetrators of crimes/violence, their
victims and citizens constitute the theatre audience.
The World Bank3 reports that an estimated 250,000–300,000 barrels of Nigeria’s
oil, valued at more than US$3.8 billion, are stolen each year through “oil
bunkering”. Due to the lucrative nature of these violent activities and
laisser-faire situation, local gangs and political groups have become
increasingly drawn into them. The recent arrest and arraignment of a serving
Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in connection with the bombings and
destructive activities of Boko Haram, is a case in point. It is believed that similar
implications exist across the length and breadth of the country. Even in some
places where conflict has ended, recovery and creation of resilient
institutions have not been given due attention, while the weakness of
governance in post-conflict environments has attracted trans-regional violence.
The spread of the bombing activities of Boko Haram from Borno to other
regions/zones in Nigeria is a good example.
It is believed in many circles, that political, ethnic and religious obstacles
continually emerge to impede diligent law-making against these heinous acts,
and investigations and prosecution of identified/reported violence and crimes;
while the overall capacity of the judicial system to successfully and
conclusively prosecute these cases in a timely manner, leaves much to be
desired. In its Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessment for West Africa3,
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has also alluded that “law
enforcement officials can be offered more than they could earn in a lifetime
simply to look the other way”, in the face of these threats to peace. Each of
Nigeria’s estimated 360 ethnic groups is a culturally distinct society
characterised by unique dialect/language, value systems, normative behaviour,
and expectations from the Nigeria Project. Each brandishes a peculiar way of
life, mode of dress, values, food and food habits, cultural predispositions and
mechanisms or patterns of socialising among its members; with own systems of marriage and family organization. Good thing is, that continuous cross-ethnic interactions have led to exposures to different social, politico-economic and environmental circumstances, and are
now gradually narrowing our primordial differences in culture, language, gender
and religion.
In the opinion of this writer, Nigeria’s persisting crises are political and
economic. The unresolved struggle for the control of political and economic
power or ‘resource control’ among Nigerian elite is tearing the country apart.
This struggle has consistently been sustained through deliberate deployment of
the many roadblocks to a strong democracy in Nigeria, including conflicts
triggered by political competition and resource utilisation; official corruption
that is usually treated with kid-gloves; the weakening of civil society through
marginalization and deprivations of the capacity and resources to effectively
engage with government and advocate for change; government institutions that refuse
to established meaningful partnerships with citizens or the private sector and
lack the capacity to carry out their own mandates; and increased militarization
and monetization of politics. By consistently deploying anti-poor socio-economic
policies and practices, the government ensures a regime of persisting poor
social and economic indicators across the country, in order to continue to
undermine the civil society’s capacity to positively engage the democratic
process at the levels.
MAKING PEACE POSSIBLE AND WORKABLE
The Nigerian government’s understanding/concept of and effort at ensuring peace in
the country is reflected in the 2012 annual budget recently presented to the
National Assembly by His Excellency President Goodluck Jonathan. In sectoral
allocations, the government allocated about 20 per cent of the total budget to
‘security’. This amount is higher than the total/combination of the sums allocated
to Education, Health, Agriculture, Transport, Housing, Science and Technology,
and Communication and ICT, in the same budget.
In the opinion and understanding of this writer, a government that allocates more
of its budget to security than social sector, is technically in a state of war…,
and in the absence of external aggressions, is at war with its own people. It
is when a country is at war that it allocates less of its resources to directly
impact on the socioeconomic needs of its citizenry. Nigeria’s 2012 budget
includes an increase of 100-150 per cent in cost of fuel heaped on the citizens,
without any provision for higher earnings or more social services for the
workforce. Need one re-state that the greatest threat to peace and security is
a hungry, deprived and impoverished citizenry? Have we forgotten so soon, that
it is poverty that compels citizens to give up their lives and embark on
suicide bombings for mere hundreds of thousands of naira? Governments must stop
playing the ostrich, and get bothered by the immense lack of trust from the
citizenry, extreme poverty among the majority of our people, mutual suspicion
among the leadership at the highest levels, and consequent violence of
destructive proportions engendered on the polity.
As noted by Pope Paul VI in one of his encyclicals4, “it is not hard to see that (violence and conflicts are) often due to the lack of far-sighted official policies or to the pursuit
of myopic economic interests, which then, tragically, become a serious threat
to creation”. To combat this phenomenon, economic (policies) need to consider
the fact that “every economic decision has a moral consequence”. In apparent
recognition of the importance of peace, the Roman Catholic Church in 1967
introduced the commemoration of the World Day of Peace on January 1, the feast
of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It is a day when the Popes make
magisterial declarations relevant to the social doctrine of the Church, and important
statements on the United Nations (UN), human rights, women's rights, labor
unions, economic development, the right to life, international diplomacy, and
peace in the Holy Land, globalization and terrorism. The UN also commemorate
same day as Global Family Day.
NEXT STEPS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR NIGERIA
The imperative of peace as an essential ingredient for democracy and overall
development can never be overemphasized. The Nigerian Government needs to deliberately
and systematically engage in genuine dialogue with all disgruntled groups, with
a view to providing honourable solutions to their grievances. The country will
benefit from addressing the critical needs of the poor, who constitute a
majority of the citizenry, but remain maginalised and uncared-for in the conception
and implementation of government’s sociopolitical and economic agenda/policies.
It is time to systematically promote genuine integration and harmonious co-existence of our people and (re)introduce civic education and moral instructions in schools to instill discipline as a way of curbing social vices in the society. Government is urged to ensure transparency
in all its dealings, and routinely assess the quality of services rendered by
those entrusted with the responsibilities of public offices. An equitably
forthright justice system, a fair distribution and allocation of economic and
social amenities/resources/opportunities, and sincerely implemented massive
re-orientation of the inhabitants of our multicultural society towards
nationalism as against ethnic nationalism, shall reduce the chances of
conflicts associated with the persistent do-or-die struggle for political and
economic power among the elite.
The country should establish strategies and processes to deliberately empower the civil
society, political associations and the private sector to participate in national,
state, local government and community planning and budgeting, monitor financial
flows, and engage in stronger and broader collaboration with the government and
development partners; so as to reduce sources of tension, conflict and violence
in the national life, as well as engender a robust early-warning conflict
resolution systems. This will also empower the civil society to hold elected
officials accountable at all times, and be at the head of the vanguard for conflict
mitigation across the land.
CONCLUSION AND LAST-LINE
In Nigeria, institutionalized socioeconomic inequities and man’s inhumanity to man have given rise to numerous and persistent threats to peace and authentic integrated national
development. Following a recent conflict in Nigeria’s Adamawa State, Brigadier General Y.N. Nwaoga, the Brigade Commander of 23rd Amour Brigade Yola, led heads of security agencies in the state on Christmas homage to the State Governor, where he noted that “there is no peace where there is suspicion and mistrust”. It is time for the global world to note that
the conflict and violence due to suspicions, mistrust and corruption in Nigeria
can blossom into full-scale national conflict and create continental refugee
crises for Africa, if not justiceably, urgently and effectively
controlled/stopped.
But…as this piece was being put together, Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for
exploding a bomb in St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madala, near Abuja; where Christians
were praying for Nigeria in worship on Christmas Day of 2011; killing scores of
worshippers, possibly wiping out whole families and generations, and keeping in
the fore, the challenge of achieving peace in the world’s largest black
democracy. Same day, two other bombs exploded in Jos and in office of the State
Security Services in Damaturu. His Excellency President Goodluck Jonathan has
already given his now-regular/usual verbal assurances for the security of
everyone through the media.
Nevertheless, peace and security still remain elusive in Nigeria; and in the words of one Nigerian who listened to the President’s assurances, this is still the case of “they talk, we die”.
REFERENCES
1. The World Bank. World Development Report 2011
2. The Library of Congress. Nigeria - The Society and Its Environment, Country Studies
Program, http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_studies/nigeria/SOCIETY.html,
accessed on 24.12.2011
3. The World Bank. World Development Report 2011
4. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation;
message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace, 1 January 2010
Labels: Africa, Development, Nigeria, Peace, Security
Friday, December 23, 2011
Rio+20 Count me in
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
DEMOCRACY AND THE CRISES IN NIGERIA’S HEALTH SECTOR
DEMOCRACY AND THE CRISES IN NIGERIA’S HEALTH SECTOR
By
DR. UZODINMA ADIRIEJE
P.O. Box 8880, Wuse Abuja, Nigeria
Ph: +234 803 472 9505;
Blog: http://uzodinma-adirieje.blogspot.com/
Email: uaadirieje@yahoo.com
BACKGROUND
After the failures and collapses of previous efforts at enthroning democracy, Nigeria once more embraced the government of the people by the people and for the people, in the twilight of the20th century. May 2010 marked ten years of unbroken democracy in the country, the longest period of civilian rule since the country was granted political independence by the British on the first day of October 1960. These last ten years have witnessed relative peace, with changes in the economy occasioned by steady growth, a large reduction in external debt, and structural reforms of the financial and telecommunications sectors. That these changes have significantly rubbed off positively on the standard of living of the majority of the citizens is quite debatable. As the world marks the international democracy day on 15 September and Nigeria prepares to roll out the drums to commemorate her fiftieth independence anniversary, it is worthwhile to discuss the country’s health situation over the last decade.
In ‘Democracy and Mental Health: the Idea of Postpsychiatry’ (7), Pat Bracken explained democracy as being about ordinary people having control of their lives and that this is a bigger issue than who is allowed to vote; when, where and for whom. In 1918 - some one hundred years ago, while addressing a meeting of the American Public Health Association on the subject of ‘Democracy and Public Health Administration’, the then President of the Association Dr. Charles J. Hastings said, “under our present public health administrations, we require people to conform to certain regulations. We endeavor to teach them how to live. We tell them that plenty of nutritious food, fresh air and sunshine are the best and only reliable remedies for tuberculosis and other wasting diseases. We insist on mothers nursing their babes, assuring them that by doing so they give their infants ten chances to one that they would have if artificially fed... What our nations require is a fitter race, and what every individual is entitled to is the development of the best, mental and physical, of which he is capable; and no government is worthy of being called a democracy that does not make this possible (8). The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (3). Therefore, improving the health of the worst-off can improve a country's aggregate performance in health, and her health and development indices. Democratic institutions are expected to affect health positively through policies and actions that translate to universal access to high quality health services and products that improve the lives of the citizenry (2).
Health care provision in Nigeria is a concurrent responsibility of the three tiers of government in the country. However, because the country operates a mixed economy, private providers of health care also play visible roles in the country’s health care delivery. The federal government's role is mostly limited to coordinating the affairs of the university teaching hospitals, while the state government manages the various general hospitals and the local government focus on primary health care and dispensaries.
This paper takes a look at how the actions and inactions of the players in Nigeria’s present democratic set-up have impacted on the country’s persistent health crises in the last ten years. Certainly, a country's democratic structure affects virtually every aspect of society, including health (1).
POOR BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS TO HEALTH AND POOR HEALTH INDICES
A review of the 2010 and 2005 World Health Statistics published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that although Nigerian government’s general expenditure on health as a % of total government expenditure has marginally increased over the years, from 4.2% in year 2000 (12), down to 3.2% in 2002 (11), and up to 6.5% in 2007 (12), this has consistently fallen short of the 15% that was recommended by the African Union in the Abuja Declaration of 2001 (15). This picture is replicated in most of the Federal Capital Territory, the thirty-six States of the Federation, and their Local Government Areas. On the other hand, during the same period, the governments of Ghana and South Africa allocated well over 10% of their annual expenditure to health.
Nigeria’s health indices and those of Ghana and South Africa also reflect very similar trends. As revealed by the WHO, in 2003, these three countries had under-five or U-5 mortality rates of 198, 95 and 66 respectively (11), while the same index was 186, 76 and 67 respectively in 2010 (12). The U-5 MR is the probability of a child born in a specific year or period dying before reaching the age of five, and is usually expressed per 1,000 live births. Over the same period also, Nigeria’s averaged life expectancy increased from 47.5 years in year 2000 (11) to 49 years in 2008 (12). Life expectancy is the number of years a person is expected to live as determined by mortality in a specific geographic area. The country’s adult HIV prevalence also improved from 5.4% in 2003 (11) to 3.1% in 2007 (12).
Although no single factor can be attributed with improvement in health of the country, Nigeria’s marginal improvements can be largely attributed to the increase in health expenditure over the preceding years. These improvements would surely increase if the expenditures on health are increased to the level recommended in the Abuja declaration.
Unfortunately, the country’s maternal mortality ratio or MMR – a critical measure of the state of health of every country – took a leap for the worse during this period, increasing from 800 in year 2000 (11) to 1,100 in 2010 (12). The MMR represents the annual number of deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births. Sadly too, both the boost given to primary health care by the late Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, and the impetus given to health sector reforms by Professor Eyitayo Lambo, appear to have run into mucky waters. Indisputably, the tenures of both men as Ministers of Health in Nigeria had been our most glorious in the last twenty-five years.
POOR DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND MANAGEMENT MECHANISMS
The relationship between democracy and health outcomes was also the focus of recent research interest (9). With an estimated 158 million people in 2010 (16), Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. In the health sector, progress has been slow and many challenges remain: from weak health systems to tackling HIV/AIDS; from improving immunization coverage (which in the past has impeded the global goal of eradicating polio) to implementing the new International Health Regulations (IHR); from achieving the Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs) to preparing for pandemic flu. In many communities of the country, critical infrastructure that support health e.g. water, good sanitation and electricity are still lacking; while health facilities remain dilapidated…waiting for GAVI, the Global Fund, Bill and Melinda Gates, PEPFAR, World Bank and other donors and multilateral/bilateral partners. At the same time, workers in many government health institutions occasionally ‘down tools’ over unpaid entitlements. Yet, we are just five years away from 2015; the magical year for the MDGs. Government officials still readily go to health institutions in other countries for their health care needs at the expense of tax payers. Shouldn’t we do better?
Just as this essay was being prepared, it was reported on ‘Aljazeera’ television that eight hundred persons have been killed by Cholera in Nigeria. According to Ihekwazu and Anya (9), in northern Nigeria in 2003, concerns about vaccine safety, i.e. rumours that the polio vaccine caused sterility, led to a halt in polio immunization. This led to the resurgence of the disease in Nigeria, and the re-infection of several neighbouring countries, setting back the entire global eradication programme. While the last two years have witnessed a renewed response with reinvigorated vaccination campaigns, the disease has persisted and Nigeria remains one of four countries in which the circulation of the wild poliovirus has never been interrupted, recording very high numbers of confirmed polio cases in 2006 and 2007. Routine immunisations for other vaccine preventable diseases remain unsatisfactory. Outbreaks of measles, for which a cheap, safe and easily administered vaccine has been available for two decades, continue to occur with unacceptable mortality rates.
When the avian influenza hit some birds in Nigeria in 2006, it was a panicky country and confused health system that we all saw. Anxiety mounted the air as explanation and information were not readily provided. It took a whole five weeks for the disease to be confirmed, after several avoidable losses of birds had occurred. As the disease spread, our health system found it difficult to cull thousands of chickens and responded too late. The persisting weaknesses in our health system came to the fore all too soon.
THE RIGHT TO HEALTH
In the words of Professor Michael Reich in ‘Democracy and Health’, democratization involves a process of political change that increases the degree of peaceful competitive political participation in the governmental system and enhances political and civil liberties at the same time (5). After more than a decade of continuous democracy in Nigeria, citizens are not yet assured of the right to health which is a civil liberty. Indeed, one of the several causes of increased mortality and morbidity among the citizenry is lack of access to basic health care.
One of the reasons for this situation is that the National Health Bill which was introduced in the national assembly about five years ago in order to bridge the constitutional lacuna created by the absence of a valid provision for health in Nigeria’s current constitution, is yet to be passed into law by the parliament and submitted to the President for accent. In fact, a recent Nigerian Tribune newspaper report quoted the Chairman of the Health Committee of the Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives as having said that that the Health Bill is yet to go through a third reading in the House (6). The Senate had only passed it in May 2010. That this Bill is still hovering in the chambers of the National Assembly five years after its introduction, speaks volumes of the importance our democracy attaches to the citizens’ wellbeing. As it is now, nobody yet knows when it will become law and benefit the majority of Nigerians. Similar things can be said of other legislative instruments and actions required to provide better health for all Nigerians. The anti-stigma Bill designed to end stigma and discrimination against persons living with and or affected by HIV and AIDS has been lying within the legislative houses for years now…un-passed! The right to basic health care as envisaged in the draft bill, is still denied the citizens.
ACCESS TO BASIC HEALTH CARE
The World Health Organisation (WHO), in its 2008 World Health Report emphasized that the fundamental step a country can take to promote health equity is to move towards universal coverage, and provide universal access to the full range of personal and non-personal health services they need, with social health protection. Even the National Health Insurance Scheme has been established to enhance the pooling of pre-paid contributions collected on the basis of ability to pay, and using these funds to ensure that services are available, accessible and produce quality care for those who need them, without exposing them to the risk of catastrophic expenditures (14). Even this has its limits as to what health care services are accessible to various shades and levels of subscribers within the scheme. It still does not promise or offer access to health care needs for all citizens.
Looking at the Nigerian situation, one may be compelled to agree with Franco A et al (10) when they posited that the level of inequality within a country may be an important determinant of health, and therefore that the potential confounding effect of wealth and its distribution within a country should be taken into account in assessing the impact of democracy on health. The differential access to health care in Nigeria, even in public health institutions like the National Hospital and various teaching and specialist hospitals, is a ready example. Majority of the citizenry cannot afford the cost of services in these hospitals, and die as a result of lack of care.
Writing in African Security Review journal, David Zounmenou opined that in almost all constitutions across the world, one of the most important requirements for any candidate in a presidential election is a clean bill of health delivered by a competent and honest medical institution (4). Zeroing in on Nigeria, the most recent event is the prolonged illness of our former President, his trip to Saudi Arabia for treatment and most embarrassingly, the inability of the Nigerian health system to sustain his health upon return, despite that fact that his health condition was already known, and Nigeria has the resources to provide the best care possible. One does not need to dwell on all the tissues of lies, contradictions and confusions that characterized his sickness and unfortunate death. While it lasted, neither the government officials, nor health care managers could tell Nigerians the truth about the President’s health condition. Nigerians had to rely on the cable news network for updates on the health of their leader. The wonder is: what will be the fate of the next Nigerian of any status who comes down with the same illness as the former President? Even with the experience of the former President’s illness, can our health system handle a similar case now? Will the next person who comes down with the same illness die?
WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING
Franco A, Álvarez-Dardet C and Ruiz MT report that welfare state policies have been associated with health benefits in people from countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (10). There are countries in our region and in the developing world with fewer resources than Nigeria, but have managed to build health systems that guarantee universal and equitable access, that are collective and participatory, and at the same time ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and quality. As we celebrate our 50th independence anniversary and World Democracy Day, Nigeria, with its huge population – projected to be 326 million people and fifth largest in the world by 2050 (16), cannot afford to continue to pay lip service to the provision of universal health care for all its citizens/inhabitants.
The following demands have become pertinent:
1. that the National Health Bill for an act to provide a framework for the regulation, development and management of a national health system and set standards for rendering health services in the Federation, and other matters connected therewith, be passed and signed into law forthwith; and States should subsequently domesticate this law for timely implementation of its provisions;
2. that Nigeria should lead other African countries in allocating at least 15% of her annual budget to health at Federal, State and Local Government levels; and set immediate, medium and long term targets for her health and development indices, with an effective monitoring and evaluation mechanism in place;
3. as the January 2011 elections approach, stakeholders in Nigeria’s health and development sector should rally to put health strongly on the political agenda, and receive firm commitments for health, from the candidates and political parties; and
4. the Honourable Minister of Health should lead in giving fresh impetus to Health Sector Reforms and freely accessible universal primary health care in the country.
Ultimately, it is only a healthy population that can ensure the economic development in a stable democratic environment that we all hope for, and should seek.
REFERENCES
1. Ruger JP. Democracy and health, QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, Vol. 98, Issue 4, pp. 299-304
2. Mashaw JL, Marmor TR. Can the American state guarantee access to health care? Ruger JP. Democracy and health, QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, Volume 98, Issue 4, pp. 299-304
3. WHO. Constitution of the World Health Organization- Basic Documents, Forty-fifth edition, Supplement, October 2006
4. Zounmenou D. Nigeria: Yar'Ardua's Health and the Agony of Nigeria's Democracy, African Security Review, Vol 19 No 1; Online publication date: 22 March 2010
5. Reich M. Democracy and Health: An Overview of Issues Presented in Four Papers, Data for Decision Making Making Project, Harvard School of Public Health, January, 1994
6. Oguntola S. House of Reps to hold hearing on residency training, Tribune Newspaper (Nigeria), Thursday, 19 August 2010
7. Bracken P, Thomas P. Democracy and Mental Health: the Idea of Postpsychiatry, BMJ 2001; 322:724
8. Hastings CJ. Democracy and Public Health Administration, Am J Public Health, Vol. IX, No. 2, February 1919, pp 81-86
9. Anya I, Ihekweazu C. Democracy in Nigeria: the challenge of infectious disease control, J Infect Developing Countries 2008; 2(2):151-153.
10. Franco A, Álvarez-Dardet C, Ruiz MT. Effect of democracy on health: ecological study, BMJ 2004; 329 : 1421 doi: 10.1136/bmj.329.7480.1421 (Published 16 December 2004)
11. World Health Organization (WHO). World Health Statistics 2005, pp. 9-40
12. World Health Organization (WHO). World Health Statistics 2010, pp. 20-40
13. UNAIDS. AIDS Epidemic Update 2009, p. 19
14. WHO. Primary Health Care – Now More Than Ever, World Health Report 2008, p. 25
15. African Union. Abuja Declaration on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and other Related Infections, http://www.un.org/ga/aids/pdf/abuja_declaration.pdf, accessed on 13 September 2010
16. Population Reference Bureau. 2010 World Population Data Sheet, p.2
By
DR. UZODINMA ADIRIEJE
P.O. Box 8880, Wuse Abuja, Nigeria
Ph: +234 803 472 9505;
Blog: http://uzodinma-adirieje.blogspot.com/
Email: uaadirieje@yahoo.com
BACKGROUND
After the failures and collapses of previous efforts at enthroning democracy, Nigeria once more embraced the government of the people by the people and for the people, in the twilight of the20th century. May 2010 marked ten years of unbroken democracy in the country, the longest period of civilian rule since the country was granted political independence by the British on the first day of October 1960. These last ten years have witnessed relative peace, with changes in the economy occasioned by steady growth, a large reduction in external debt, and structural reforms of the financial and telecommunications sectors. That these changes have significantly rubbed off positively on the standard of living of the majority of the citizens is quite debatable. As the world marks the international democracy day on 15 September and Nigeria prepares to roll out the drums to commemorate her fiftieth independence anniversary, it is worthwhile to discuss the country’s health situation over the last decade.
In ‘Democracy and Mental Health: the Idea of Postpsychiatry’ (7), Pat Bracken explained democracy as being about ordinary people having control of their lives and that this is a bigger issue than who is allowed to vote; when, where and for whom. In 1918 - some one hundred years ago, while addressing a meeting of the American Public Health Association on the subject of ‘Democracy and Public Health Administration’, the then President of the Association Dr. Charles J. Hastings said, “under our present public health administrations, we require people to conform to certain regulations. We endeavor to teach them how to live. We tell them that plenty of nutritious food, fresh air and sunshine are the best and only reliable remedies for tuberculosis and other wasting diseases. We insist on mothers nursing their babes, assuring them that by doing so they give their infants ten chances to one that they would have if artificially fed... What our nations require is a fitter race, and what every individual is entitled to is the development of the best, mental and physical, of which he is capable; and no government is worthy of being called a democracy that does not make this possible (8). The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (3). Therefore, improving the health of the worst-off can improve a country's aggregate performance in health, and her health and development indices. Democratic institutions are expected to affect health positively through policies and actions that translate to universal access to high quality health services and products that improve the lives of the citizenry (2).
Health care provision in Nigeria is a concurrent responsibility of the three tiers of government in the country. However, because the country operates a mixed economy, private providers of health care also play visible roles in the country’s health care delivery. The federal government's role is mostly limited to coordinating the affairs of the university teaching hospitals, while the state government manages the various general hospitals and the local government focus on primary health care and dispensaries.
This paper takes a look at how the actions and inactions of the players in Nigeria’s present democratic set-up have impacted on the country’s persistent health crises in the last ten years. Certainly, a country's democratic structure affects virtually every aspect of society, including health (1).
POOR BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS TO HEALTH AND POOR HEALTH INDICES
A review of the 2010 and 2005 World Health Statistics published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that although Nigerian government’s general expenditure on health as a % of total government expenditure has marginally increased over the years, from 4.2% in year 2000 (12), down to 3.2% in 2002 (11), and up to 6.5% in 2007 (12), this has consistently fallen short of the 15% that was recommended by the African Union in the Abuja Declaration of 2001 (15). This picture is replicated in most of the Federal Capital Territory, the thirty-six States of the Federation, and their Local Government Areas. On the other hand, during the same period, the governments of Ghana and South Africa allocated well over 10% of their annual expenditure to health.
Nigeria’s health indices and those of Ghana and South Africa also reflect very similar trends. As revealed by the WHO, in 2003, these three countries had under-five or U-5 mortality rates of 198, 95 and 66 respectively (11), while the same index was 186, 76 and 67 respectively in 2010 (12). The U-5 MR is the probability of a child born in a specific year or period dying before reaching the age of five, and is usually expressed per 1,000 live births. Over the same period also, Nigeria’s averaged life expectancy increased from 47.5 years in year 2000 (11) to 49 years in 2008 (12). Life expectancy is the number of years a person is expected to live as determined by mortality in a specific geographic area. The country’s adult HIV prevalence also improved from 5.4% in 2003 (11) to 3.1% in 2007 (12).
Although no single factor can be attributed with improvement in health of the country, Nigeria’s marginal improvements can be largely attributed to the increase in health expenditure over the preceding years. These improvements would surely increase if the expenditures on health are increased to the level recommended in the Abuja declaration.
Unfortunately, the country’s maternal mortality ratio or MMR – a critical measure of the state of health of every country – took a leap for the worse during this period, increasing from 800 in year 2000 (11) to 1,100 in 2010 (12). The MMR represents the annual number of deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births. Sadly too, both the boost given to primary health care by the late Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, and the impetus given to health sector reforms by Professor Eyitayo Lambo, appear to have run into mucky waters. Indisputably, the tenures of both men as Ministers of Health in Nigeria had been our most glorious in the last twenty-five years.
POOR DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND MANAGEMENT MECHANISMS
The relationship between democracy and health outcomes was also the focus of recent research interest (9). With an estimated 158 million people in 2010 (16), Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. In the health sector, progress has been slow and many challenges remain: from weak health systems to tackling HIV/AIDS; from improving immunization coverage (which in the past has impeded the global goal of eradicating polio) to implementing the new International Health Regulations (IHR); from achieving the Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs) to preparing for pandemic flu. In many communities of the country, critical infrastructure that support health e.g. water, good sanitation and electricity are still lacking; while health facilities remain dilapidated…waiting for GAVI, the Global Fund, Bill and Melinda Gates, PEPFAR, World Bank and other donors and multilateral/bilateral partners. At the same time, workers in many government health institutions occasionally ‘down tools’ over unpaid entitlements. Yet, we are just five years away from 2015; the magical year for the MDGs. Government officials still readily go to health institutions in other countries for their health care needs at the expense of tax payers. Shouldn’t we do better?
Just as this essay was being prepared, it was reported on ‘Aljazeera’ television that eight hundred persons have been killed by Cholera in Nigeria. According to Ihekwazu and Anya (9), in northern Nigeria in 2003, concerns about vaccine safety, i.e. rumours that the polio vaccine caused sterility, led to a halt in polio immunization. This led to the resurgence of the disease in Nigeria, and the re-infection of several neighbouring countries, setting back the entire global eradication programme. While the last two years have witnessed a renewed response with reinvigorated vaccination campaigns, the disease has persisted and Nigeria remains one of four countries in which the circulation of the wild poliovirus has never been interrupted, recording very high numbers of confirmed polio cases in 2006 and 2007. Routine immunisations for other vaccine preventable diseases remain unsatisfactory. Outbreaks of measles, for which a cheap, safe and easily administered vaccine has been available for two decades, continue to occur with unacceptable mortality rates.
When the avian influenza hit some birds in Nigeria in 2006, it was a panicky country and confused health system that we all saw. Anxiety mounted the air as explanation and information were not readily provided. It took a whole five weeks for the disease to be confirmed, after several avoidable losses of birds had occurred. As the disease spread, our health system found it difficult to cull thousands of chickens and responded too late. The persisting weaknesses in our health system came to the fore all too soon.
THE RIGHT TO HEALTH
In the words of Professor Michael Reich in ‘Democracy and Health’, democratization involves a process of political change that increases the degree of peaceful competitive political participation in the governmental system and enhances political and civil liberties at the same time (5). After more than a decade of continuous democracy in Nigeria, citizens are not yet assured of the right to health which is a civil liberty. Indeed, one of the several causes of increased mortality and morbidity among the citizenry is lack of access to basic health care.
One of the reasons for this situation is that the National Health Bill which was introduced in the national assembly about five years ago in order to bridge the constitutional lacuna created by the absence of a valid provision for health in Nigeria’s current constitution, is yet to be passed into law by the parliament and submitted to the President for accent. In fact, a recent Nigerian Tribune newspaper report quoted the Chairman of the Health Committee of the Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives as having said that that the Health Bill is yet to go through a third reading in the House (6). The Senate had only passed it in May 2010. That this Bill is still hovering in the chambers of the National Assembly five years after its introduction, speaks volumes of the importance our democracy attaches to the citizens’ wellbeing. As it is now, nobody yet knows when it will become law and benefit the majority of Nigerians. Similar things can be said of other legislative instruments and actions required to provide better health for all Nigerians. The anti-stigma Bill designed to end stigma and discrimination against persons living with and or affected by HIV and AIDS has been lying within the legislative houses for years now…un-passed! The right to basic health care as envisaged in the draft bill, is still denied the citizens.
ACCESS TO BASIC HEALTH CARE
The World Health Organisation (WHO), in its 2008 World Health Report emphasized that the fundamental step a country can take to promote health equity is to move towards universal coverage, and provide universal access to the full range of personal and non-personal health services they need, with social health protection. Even the National Health Insurance Scheme has been established to enhance the pooling of pre-paid contributions collected on the basis of ability to pay, and using these funds to ensure that services are available, accessible and produce quality care for those who need them, without exposing them to the risk of catastrophic expenditures (14). Even this has its limits as to what health care services are accessible to various shades and levels of subscribers within the scheme. It still does not promise or offer access to health care needs for all citizens.
Looking at the Nigerian situation, one may be compelled to agree with Franco A et al (10) when they posited that the level of inequality within a country may be an important determinant of health, and therefore that the potential confounding effect of wealth and its distribution within a country should be taken into account in assessing the impact of democracy on health. The differential access to health care in Nigeria, even in public health institutions like the National Hospital and various teaching and specialist hospitals, is a ready example. Majority of the citizenry cannot afford the cost of services in these hospitals, and die as a result of lack of care.
Writing in African Security Review journal, David Zounmenou opined that in almost all constitutions across the world, one of the most important requirements for any candidate in a presidential election is a clean bill of health delivered by a competent and honest medical institution (4). Zeroing in on Nigeria, the most recent event is the prolonged illness of our former President, his trip to Saudi Arabia for treatment and most embarrassingly, the inability of the Nigerian health system to sustain his health upon return, despite that fact that his health condition was already known, and Nigeria has the resources to provide the best care possible. One does not need to dwell on all the tissues of lies, contradictions and confusions that characterized his sickness and unfortunate death. While it lasted, neither the government officials, nor health care managers could tell Nigerians the truth about the President’s health condition. Nigerians had to rely on the cable news network for updates on the health of their leader. The wonder is: what will be the fate of the next Nigerian of any status who comes down with the same illness as the former President? Even with the experience of the former President’s illness, can our health system handle a similar case now? Will the next person who comes down with the same illness die?
WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING
Franco A, Álvarez-Dardet C and Ruiz MT report that welfare state policies have been associated with health benefits in people from countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (10). There are countries in our region and in the developing world with fewer resources than Nigeria, but have managed to build health systems that guarantee universal and equitable access, that are collective and participatory, and at the same time ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and quality. As we celebrate our 50th independence anniversary and World Democracy Day, Nigeria, with its huge population – projected to be 326 million people and fifth largest in the world by 2050 (16), cannot afford to continue to pay lip service to the provision of universal health care for all its citizens/inhabitants.
The following demands have become pertinent:
1. that the National Health Bill for an act to provide a framework for the regulation, development and management of a national health system and set standards for rendering health services in the Federation, and other matters connected therewith, be passed and signed into law forthwith; and States should subsequently domesticate this law for timely implementation of its provisions;
2. that Nigeria should lead other African countries in allocating at least 15% of her annual budget to health at Federal, State and Local Government levels; and set immediate, medium and long term targets for her health and development indices, with an effective monitoring and evaluation mechanism in place;
3. as the January 2011 elections approach, stakeholders in Nigeria’s health and development sector should rally to put health strongly on the political agenda, and receive firm commitments for health, from the candidates and political parties; and
4. the Honourable Minister of Health should lead in giving fresh impetus to Health Sector Reforms and freely accessible universal primary health care in the country.
Ultimately, it is only a healthy population that can ensure the economic development in a stable democratic environment that we all hope for, and should seek.
REFERENCES
1. Ruger JP. Democracy and health, QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, Vol. 98, Issue 4, pp. 299-304
2. Mashaw JL, Marmor TR. Can the American state guarantee access to health care? Ruger JP. Democracy and health, QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, Volume 98, Issue 4, pp. 299-304
3. WHO. Constitution of the World Health Organization- Basic Documents, Forty-fifth edition, Supplement, October 2006
4. Zounmenou D. Nigeria: Yar'Ardua's Health and the Agony of Nigeria's Democracy, African Security Review, Vol 19 No 1; Online publication date: 22 March 2010
5. Reich M. Democracy and Health: An Overview of Issues Presented in Four Papers, Data for Decision Making Making Project, Harvard School of Public Health, January, 1994
6. Oguntola S. House of Reps to hold hearing on residency training, Tribune Newspaper (Nigeria), Thursday, 19 August 2010
7. Bracken P, Thomas P. Democracy and Mental Health: the Idea of Postpsychiatry, BMJ 2001; 322:724
8. Hastings CJ. Democracy and Public Health Administration, Am J Public Health, Vol. IX, No. 2, February 1919, pp 81-86
9. Anya I, Ihekweazu C. Democracy in Nigeria: the challenge of infectious disease control, J Infect Developing Countries 2008; 2(2):151-153.
10. Franco A, Álvarez-Dardet C, Ruiz MT. Effect of democracy on health: ecological study, BMJ 2004; 329 : 1421 doi: 10.1136/bmj.329.7480.1421 (Published 16 December 2004)
11. World Health Organization (WHO). World Health Statistics 2005, pp. 9-40
12. World Health Organization (WHO). World Health Statistics 2010, pp. 20-40
13. UNAIDS. AIDS Epidemic Update 2009, p. 19
14. WHO. Primary Health Care – Now More Than Ever, World Health Report 2008, p. 25
15. African Union. Abuja Declaration on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and other Related Infections, http://www.un.org/ga/aids/pdf/abuja_declaration.pdf, accessed on 13 September 2010
16. Population Reference Bureau. 2010 World Population Data Sheet, p.2
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Resume of Dr. Uzodinma ADIRIEJE
Resume
DR. UZODINMA (Uzo’) ADIRIEJE
April 2008
Acronyms/Abbreviations/Keys:
FMoH: Federal Ministry of Health
UNAIDS: United Nations Aids Control Programme
CIDA: Canadian International Development Agency
DfID: UK Department for International Development
UNICEF: United Nations Children’s Fund
UNDP: United Nations Development Programme
HERFON: Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria
PATHS: Partnerships for Transforming Health Systems
NHSF: Nigerian Health Systems Forum
NHC2006: 2006 Nigeria National Health Conference
WHO: World Health Organisation
ILO: International Labour Organisation
NACA: National Agency for the Control of AIDS
ENHANSE/USAID: Enabling National HIV/Aids Response in the Social Sector/ United States Agency for International Development
ICASA: International Conference on Aids and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) in Africa
NHIS: National Health Insurance Scheme
PPP: Public-Private Partnerships
EC: Delegation of European Commission
NMA: Nigerian Medical Association
PSN: Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria
NANNM: National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives
NACHPA: National Association of Community Health Practitioners
NESG: National Economic Summit Group
HMCAN: Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria
CCMDs: Committee of Chief Medical Directors of Federal Teaching and Tertiary Hospitals
AGPMPN: Association of General and private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria
AN: Advocacy Nigeria
CAN: Christian Association of Nigeria
NSCIA: Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs
NCWS: National Council of Women Societies
NURTW: National Union of Road Transport Workers
NASCP: National AIDS Control Programme
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIENCES AND EXPERTISE/COMPETENCES
EXPERIENCES
Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje is a primary health care practitioner, professional programs/projects manager, writer/columnist and community leader. He is involved in Health Systems Research, Advocacy, Communications, Documentations and Community outreaches; including policy analyses and assessments/M&E. His areas of active work include Public-Private Partnerships, HIV/AIDS, Maternal & Child Health, Blindness Prevention, Nutrition, Health Sector Reforms, Conferences, Aging, Human Rights & Community Development. He has received post-graduate trainings/courses in Managing Organisational Change for Strategic Transformation, Basic Health Economics, Leadership Skills Development, Health Care Financing and Health Insurance Systems, Projects Planning and Proposal Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Programmes Management, Evidence-based Health Writing, and Cyberwar, Netwar and the Revolution in Military Affairs - Real Threats and Virtual Myths. He is the Advocacy & Communications Manager and HIV/AIDS Specialist/Adviser at Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (www.herfon.org), and sSecretary of the 2008 Nigerian National Health Conference. He has participated in varying capacities in several projects/programmes including Project Coordinator, ‘Study of Impact, Challenges and Long-Term Implications of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Programme in Nigeria [2007]’; Report writer/Documentation consultant, Nigeria HIV/AIDS Summit (2007); Secretary, Nigeria National Health Conference 2006 and 2008 (www.ngnhc.org); Principal Investigator and UNAIDS/ILO/UNDP consultant on 'PPP and HIV/AIDS in Nigeria' (2004); Principal Investigator, Study of Diabetic Retinopathy in Lagos, Nigeria (2000-2002); etc. Dr. Adirieje is a Key Correspondent, Health and Development Networks (2002-present); Country Focal Point and member International Advisory Board of AIDS-Care-Watch Campaign (2006-present); Columnist, Daily SUN newspaper (2004-present) and Founder/moderator, icasa2005forum online (2004-present). He was Editor-in-chief, Orsu LGA Directory and who’s who; President General, Imo State Towns Development Association Lagos (2005-2008), President, ISTDA Cooperative Ltd, and governing council/life member, Nigeria-Britain Association. Uzo’ was Resource Centre Manager (2005-2007), HERFON; Programs Manager, 14th Int’l Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2005); Programs Director/Secretary General, Afrihealth Optonet Association (1995-present); Executive Director, Optonet International (1995-2005); Executive Coordinator, Afrihealth Information Projects (1995-2004), and Clinical Services Director, Adirivision Clinics Ltd (1990-2004). Uzodinma is a member of a handful of local and international professional bodies including Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria [CIPMN], The Impact Alliance, American Diabetes Association, International AIDS Economics Network, etc. He has more than 40 (forty) articles/essays/publications to his credit, most of which are available on the Internet. He has received a handful of honours and awards including the chieftaincy title of Ahaejiejemba of Amaruru (2005), Presidential Recognition for Membership Growth from the President of Rotary International [worldwide] (1996), Distinguished Service Award from the Governor of Rotary International District 9110 (1994), Merit Award from Iganmu and Council of Chiefs Lagos State (1996), among others. Email: uaadirieje3@gmail.com; Mob: +234 803 472 5905
COMPETENCES/ EXPERTISE
Professional Manager, Experience in working with International Development Partners/Funders and Multilateral and Bilateral International agencies including UK Department for International Affairs [DFID], World Bank, Canadian International Development Agency [CIDA], ENHANSE/United States Agency for Int’l Dev (USAID), Japanese International Development Agency (JICA), Partfinder Int’l, Family Health Int’l, Society for Family Health (SFH), Federal Ministry of Health, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), etc.
Itinerary Planning and Management, Arrangement and Covering/Reporting of Meetings, Speechwriting and Drafting of Correspondence, Handling Travel Arrangements and Protocol, Secretarial Functions
Proficient in the use of MS word, PowerPoint and Excel; Have excellent typing skills and comfortable speed with accuracy; mostly work/type straight on the computer without written drafts
Health System & Development Projects Management specialist involved in Research, Mobilization/Advocacy, Communications & Documentation/Writing, Reviews, Policy Analyses and Assessments/M&E;
Focus on Public-Private Partnerships, HIV/AIDS, Health Sector Reforms, MCH, Blindness Prevention, Nutrition, Conferences, Aging, Human Rights and Community Development;
Electronic dissemination of information on research, programs, publications, etc through mass e-mails and listserv postings;
PERSONAL INFORMATION AND CONTACT ADDRESSES
Full names: ADIRIEJE, Uzodinma Akujekwe [Dr.]
Date of Birth: 25 February 1964
Place of Birth: Amaruru 473123, Orsu LGA, Imo State, Nigeria
Nationality: Nigerian
Sex: Male
Marital Status: Married
Postal address: P.O. Box 8880, Wuse Abuja, Nigeria
Residential address: House 29, FHA Estate, Lugbe, Abuja
Phone: 0803 472 5905
E-mail: uaadirieje3@gmail.com
Blog: http://uzodinma-adirieje.blogspot.com
CAREER OBJECTIVE
To passionately and continuously contribute to the sustainable improvement of the standards of living of persons and communities affected by or at risk for diseases, disasters, ignorance, underdevelopment and or poverty; years of continuous post-graduate experience (1990-present).
PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE AND COMPETENCES
Professional Manager, Health System & Development Projects Management specialist involved in Research, Communications & Documentation/Writing, Reviews, Mobilization/Advocacy, Policy Analyses and Assessments/M&E; with focus on Public-Private Partnerships, HIV/AIDS, Health Sector Reforms, MCH, Blindness Prevention, Nutrition, Conferences, Aging, Human Rights and Community Development. Electronic dissemination of information on research, programs, publications, etc through mass e-mails and listserv postings. Itinerary Planning and Management, Arrangement and Covering/Reporting of Meetings, Speechwriting and Drafting of Correspondence, Handling Travel Arrangements and Protocol, Secretarial Functions. Proficient in the use of MS word, PowerPoint and Excel; Have excellent typing skills and comfortable speed with accuracy; mostly work/type straight on the computer without written drafts
QUALIFICATIONS
MPH (in view), MBA HRM (in view), MNIM (2001), ACIPM (1996), O.D. [Doctor of Optometry] (1988)
EDUCATION, COURSES AND TRAININGS
§ 2007 – Managing Organisational Change for Strategic Transformation, Nigerian Institute of Management, Abuja, Nigeria, 5-9 November 2007
§ Masters of Public Health (MPH), University of Staffordshire, UK [ongoing]
§ Master of Business Administration (MBA), National Open University of Nigeria [ongoing]
§ 2007 – Basic Health Economics Course, May-June 2007, World Bank Institute Washington
§ 2006 – Leadership Skills Development Training for the Revitalisation of Immunisation Services in Nigeria, Abuja Nigeria, 31 July - 1 August 2006
§ 2006 - Health System and Health Insurance Schemes Study/Capacity-Building Workshops/Tour of Brazil, Sao Paulo and Brasilia, 13-21 May 2006
§ 2006 - Project Planning and Proposal Development Course, Abuja, Nigeria, 24-28 April 2006, Management Strategies for Africa (MSA)
2006 - Monitoring and Evaluation using Peer participatory Rapid Health Appraisal for Action (PPRHAA), a Training of Trainers’ Course, Jos, Nigeria, April 4-12 2006, DFID/PATHS
2005 - Programmes Management Training, Abuja, Nigeria; by Shocklogic Global (UK) Ltd, 2005
2004 - International Health Writing Course on Evidence-Based Health Care, Lagos, Nigeria, BMJ West Africa and AMREF, 2004
2002 - Cyberwar, Netwar and the Revolution in Military Affairs - Real Threats and Virtual Myths, Trento, Italy, 3-13 August, International School of Disarmament and Research on Conflict (ISODARCO), 2002
1992-2001 - Nigerian Institute of Management: Professional Manager (MNIM)
1992-1996 - Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria: Associate (ACIPM)
1982-1988 - Imo State University, Okigwe: O.D. (Doctor of Optometry), 1982-1988
1982 - Federal School of Arts and Sciences, Ondo: Lower Six, 1982
1976-1981 - Eziachi Secondary School, Eziachi: General Certificate of Education (GCE), O’ Level, 1976-1981
1971-1976 - Community Primary School 1, Amaruru: First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), 1971-1976
Representative Projects Management Experiences (most recent, then backwards):
Position in Team & Dates
Organisation(s)/
Group(s) / Person(s) Assisted
Financing Organisation(s)/ Group(s)/Person(s)
Brief Description of Project/Assignment
National Consultant, Final Documentation of Nigeria HIV/AIDS Summit 2007, Jun ‘07
NACA; LOC Nigeria HIV/AIDS Summit 2007
World Bank/National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA)
1. Provide support in rephrasing and editing of various print and electronic materials (including all scientific documents) on issues presented at the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Summit
2. Develop strategies and co-ordinate activities that promote the documentation and packaging of the activities of the summit in a format acceptable to NACA
3. Support in the production of the final Summit report.
Member, Editorial Board, June 2007-present
Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
P. Cappuccinelli
Salih Hosoglu
David J. Kelvin
Peter Mason
Iruka Okeke
Salvatore Rubino
Abiola Senok
John Wain
1. Writing research papers, research notes, state-of-the art review articles, manuscripts, articles and opinions
2. Writing state-of-the-art review on the research field
3. Editing research papers, research notes, state-of-the art review articles, manuscripts, articles and opinions
4. Participating in Board meetings and other assignments
Project Coordinator, Study of Impact, Challenges and Long-Term Implications of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Programme in Nigeria [2007]
HERFON, DFID, NASCP, CSOs, GoN
HERFON
Coordination of the study of the massive roll-out of ARVs in Nigeria in order to:
1. Under-study the Nigerian ARV program structures and processes
2. Ascertain the number of persons on the ART and the services rendered to them
3. Identify gaps that are specific to the planning, procurement, distribution and usage of ARVs across the country
4. Ascertain the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of service of the program
5. Study the long term financing implication of the Nigerian ARV scale-up and identify strategies for the suitability of the National ART program
Secretary, Nigeria National Health Conference, Sept 2006 – Jan 2007
Nigeria National Health Conference (NHC2006)
DFID, ENHANSE-USAID, HERFON, CIDA, WHO, UNICEF, FMOH, etc
1. Coordinating the activities of the NHC2006 secretariat, liaising with and supporting stakeholders, managing the implementation of the conference activities and secretariat/staff, developing the conference program and monitoring its implementation, and providing technical and secretarial support to the conference’s subcommittees and participants/clients
2. Serve as Secretary of the Conference’s national Steering Committee
3. Provide technical support to subcommittees of the NHC2006
Conference Coordinator; August – September 2006
The Partnership (PPP) for the Nigerian National Health Conference [NHC2006]
National Assembly, HERFON, DfiD, FMoH, CIDA, ENHANSE-USAID, Professional Associations and Civil Society Organisations
Coordinating the organization of the NHC2006, liaising with stakeholders and participants/clients during its preparations and activities, managing the implementation of the conference activities and secretariat/staff, developing and monitoring the execution of the conference program, and providing technical and secretarial support to the conference’s subcommittees
Project Coordinator; Dec 2005-July 2006
Federal Government of Nigeria, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and its Stakeholders
Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON)
Coordinating the Health Insurance Capacity-Building and Study tour of the Brazilian Health System and Institutions by Nigerian stakeholders including members of the National Assembly, Representatives of Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Board and management of the NHIS, Change Agents, representatives of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), NHIS Providers, Consumers, Civil Society and media; organizing post-tour conference and writing/producing tour report (published, July 2006)
Team Leader; April 2006
Catholic Archdiocese of Jos, Nigeria
Partnership for Transforming Health Systems (PATHS) and DfID
Conduction of the first-ever monitoring and evaluation (appraisal) of the services of Mandela Clinic, K-Vom, Plateau State, using the Peer participatory Rapid Health Appraisal for Action (PPRHAA) tool; covering patient-care management, internal management, finance and equipments, output and services, and community and client views of the health centre; and provided report and recommendations for the improvement of the services of the clinic
Project Coordinator; November 2005 – Feb 2006
HERFON
UK DFID
Operationalisation of an independent Health Resource Centre at HERFON {Budget: core component of a GBP3.4 million grant}
Project Director;
April 2004
National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Aguda Motor park, Lagos
Afrihealth Optonet Association
Conducted eye health awareness and vision screening exercises in liaison with the World Health Organization [WHO] on ‘Vision Care for Road Safety’ - a World Health Day Project; at Aguda Central Motor Park, Surulere Lagos, for commercial bus and taxi drivers and market persons
National consultant; Dec 2004 - May 2005
National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA)
UNAIDS/ILO/
UNDP
Situational Assessment for a National Framework for
Private Sector Response and Public-Private Partnerships on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, 2005
Moderator/
Founder; 2003-present
International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa [ICASA 2005]
Afrihealth Information Projects/
Afrihealth Optonet Association
ICASA 2005 forum: An email forum for the exchange of HIV/AIDS views and news/information between stakeholders, for the purpose of ensuring that the objectives of the International Conference on Aids and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) in Africa [ICASA 2005], Abuja, Nigeria are completely realised.
Columnist, ‘Current Concerns’; 2004-present
Daily Sun Newspaper, Nigeria
Sun Publishing Company and Afrihealth Information Projects
Writing/producing regular features and/or series of articles in Daily SUN newspaper, with focus on health and development, including letters from readers, answers to readers' queries, etc.
Project Coordinator; December 2003 – September 2004
Arewa and Migrant Moslem Community, Isolo Lagos
Afrihealth Information Projects and Arewa Joint Action Committee
HIV/AIDS control and impact mitigation enlightenment/advocacy campaigns in the predominantly Muslim Arewa Community, Isolo Central Mosque, Lagos; 2004
Principal Investigator; Jul 2000-Jun 2002
Optonet International/AOA
American Diabetes Association
Study of the Prevalence, Management Practices and Preventive Strategies of Diabetic Retinopathy in Lagos State, Nigeria
Projects Director; Feb 1997 – Dec 2002
Optonet International/Afrihealth Optonet Association
Task Force Sight and Life, Switzerland
Using Advocacy and Immunisation Opportunity to control Vitamin A deficiency Diseases(VADD): projects featuring VAD talks, IECs, advocacy for using immunisation as opportunity for vitamin A fortification and vitamin A capsule supplementation, in 7 Rural Communities and 8 Children’s Schools in Lagos State; and provision of awareness for the vitamin A rich foods that abound in and around the community (Badagry, Alausa, Kirikiri, Egbe, Isheri Olofin, Ijeshatedo & Aguda)
Principal Investigator; Jan 2002– Dec 2002
Optonet International/Afrihealth Optonet Association
Child Health Foundation (CHF), USA
Developing a food based dietary guideline for the control of vitamin A deficiency diseases (VADD) in Lagos using available and affordable local food materials [study carried out in 5 Rural Communities and 8 Children’s Schools in Badagry, Alausa, Kirikiri, Egbe & Isheri Olofin]
Jan 2000–Dec 2001
Afrihealth Information Projects /
Afrihealth Optonet Association
Thrasher Research Foundation, USA
Developing a food based dietary guideline for the control of maternal anaemia in pregnancy in Lagos State using available and affordable local food materials [study carried out in 5 Rural Communities and 8 Children’s Schools in Badagry, Alausa, Kirikiri, Egbe & Isheri Olofin]
Employment Record (most recent, then backwards):
Dates
From - To
Employer’s name
Position held
Reason for leaving
September 2007 - Present
Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria [HERFON]
Advocacy & Communications Manager, Head of Advocacy & Communications Dept, and HIV/AIDS Advisor/Focal Person
Still on the job
November 2005 – September 2007
Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria [HERFON]
Resource Centre Manager & Head of Resource Centre/Programs Dept
Promoted & re-assigned
July 2005 -October 2005
International Conference on HIV/AIDS and STIs in Africa 2005, Abuja, Nigeria (ICASA 2005)/Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA)
Programmes Manager/Head of Programs Dept
To work as the Manager, Health Resource Centre of DfID-funded Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON)
January 2005 - June 2005
International Conference on HIV/AIDS and STIs in Africa 2005, Abuja, Nigeria (ICASA 2005)/Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA)
Programme Officer
Upgraded to Programs Manager/Head of Programs Dept
Feb 1997 – Dec 2004
Optonet International & Afrihealth Information Projects/Afrihealth Optonet Association (AOA), Lagos
Projects Coordinator
To work as the Program Officer, ICASA 2005
Jan 1991 – Jan 1997
Adirivision Clinics Limited, Lagos
Clinician
To work as the Projects Coordinator of Optonet International & Afrihealth Information Projects, Afrihealth Optonet Association (AOA), Lagos
Jan–Dec 1990
C-Bright Eye Centre, Lagos
Optometrist
To establish a clinical practice
Sept 1988 – Aug 1989
General Hospital, Takum
Optometrist (compulsory National Service)
Completed National Service
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN VARIOUS WORKING, PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICES POSITIONS
October 2007-present: Advocacy & Communications Manager/HIVAIDS Advisor, Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria [HERFON] (in no particular order):
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Planning and managing all the Foundation’s advocacy initiatives/activities with governments, development partners, civil society organisations, etc
Overseeing the information and communications, including the the writing/drafting of correspondences, position papers, press releases, media announcements, speeches, papers, presentations, communiques, etc
Supervising the Foundation’s website and its contents
Producing the Foundation’s bulletins and newsletters
Coordinating the National Health Conferences activities
Managing the membership activities of the foundation, including membership development, policies, briefings, enquiries, etc.
Coordinating and managing the Foundation’s media activities/engagements and working with the media
Serving as the foundation’s HIV/AIDS Adviser/Focal person
August 2006-January 2007: Secretary, Nigerian National Health Conference 2006
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Planning and managing all the programmes and activities of the conference
Mobilising and liaising with Federal Ministry of Health, development partners, local NGOs and other stakeholders for the conference
Supervising and supporting the conference staff and consultants
Providing technical support to the National Steering Committee, as Secretary
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Coordinated the activities related to the 2006 National health Conference
Developed the conference’s programme for the consideration of the National Steering Committee
Managed the Secretariat of the Conference
Served as the Secretary of the National Steering Committee for the Conference
Provided support to the conference’s subcommittees [Technical, Programme, Finance, Communication & Media, and Accommodation, Transport & Security]
November 2005-September 2007: Resource Centre Manager, Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria [HERFON] (in no particular order):
A. MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Managing all the health and technical programmes of the orgnisation
Supervising and supporting the officers in charge of Research, Advocacy & Communication and ICT;
Overseeing the activities of the library
Assisting the Executive Secreatry/CEO in the perfromance of his official internal and external engagements
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS:§ Successfully initiated and secured the donation of a 40-feet container of health and science education books and 50 (fifty) pieces of desktop computers from Books for Africa, USA; for distribution to all the State and FCT Branches of HERFON, and use in the HERFON Resource Centre library§ Successfully initiated and enrolled HERFON into Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI) of the World Health Organisation (WHO)§ Prepared HERFON’s 2006 and 2007 (annual) organizational work plans and budgets, supervised programs/projects staff, monitored and reported on programs/projects activities, achievements and outcomes of the Foundation to the Executive Secretary/CEO§ Drafted and prepared the 2006 organisational annual report§ Drafted, prepared and made the following presentations on behalf of the Executive Secretary:
“Health Sector Reform as It Affects Primary Health Care”; Capacity building workshop for Primary health Care Practitioners in Ondo state to improve their performance and enable them present a position paper to the State government, Association of PHC Practitioners of Ondo State, Akure, 17 May 2007
“Mobilizing Resources for Better Child Health - the Health Sector Reform Approach”; 38th Annual General and Scientific conference of the Pediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN), Nnewi, 22-27 January 2007
“Nigeria National Health Conference – Background and update”; Nigerian Health Systems Forum, Abuja, 6 November 2006; and at the Annual Conference of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Abuja branch, 8 November 2006
“Concept and Tenets of the Change Agent Movement (CAM)”, Birnin Kebbi, 24 August 2006
“The Place of the Doctor in Health Sector Reform (HSR)”; Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Abuja Branch, 3 August 2006
“Leadership in the Nigerian Health Sector: the challenges before the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA)”; Annual General Meeting (AGM)/Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Cross River State, Calabar, 11 August 2006§ Supervised the establishment/take-off of the HERFON Health Resource Abuja and its commissioning by Nigeria’s Hon Minister of Health Professor Eyitayo Lambo on 19 February 2006§ Conducted the first-ever appraisal of the activities of the Mandela Clinic, K-Vom, Plateau State, covering patient-care management, internal management, finance and equipments, output and services, and community and client views of the health centre; and provided report and recommendations for the improvement of the services of the clinic§ Coordinated and participated in the Health Insurance Capacity-Building Tour of Brazil’s Health System by Nigerian stakeholders including members of the National Assembly, Representatives of Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Board and management of the National health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Change Agents, representatives of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), NHIS Providers and media, 12-20 April 2006
Severally represented the Executive Secretary/CEO and the Foundation at internal and external engagements as directed§ Managed and supervised the activities of 5 officers and 3 other members of staff of HERFON’s Resource Centre Dept§ Drafted organizational letters and replies§ Drafted and read the resolutions of HERFON 2005 AGM (in Bauchi) and 2006 Stakeholders retreat (in Abuja)§ Drafted the Communiqué of the 2006 Nigeria National Health Conference (NHC2006)
Drafted and read the Goodwill message of HERFON’s Executive Secretary at the 38th Annual General and Scientific conference of the pediatric association of Nigeria (PAN), Nnewi, 22-27 January 2007
Communicate and disseminate information to members and Change Agents
Prepare Terms of reference (TORs) and other guidelines for HERFON’s consultants and activity protocols
Serve as secretary of HERFON’s BoT subcommittees on the Review of the Constitution, Branding, Curriculum development, etc.
Drafted HERFON’s IEC materials and web homepage information
Represents HERFON and the Executive Secretary at the following external assignments:
i. Member, Technical Committee for the Final Drafting of Nigeria’s Health Systems Strengthening Funding/Support Proposal/Application to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), 2007
ii. Nigeria Health System Forum
iii. PATHS Federal Working Group
iv. National Planning Committee, 50th National Council on Health§ Drafted the following personalities’ speeches for the NHC2006:i. His Excellency President Olusegun Obasanjoii. Honourable Minister for Health professor Eyitayo Lamboiii. Chairman of NHC Steering Committee Senator I.S. Martyns-Yelloweiv. Chairman, Board of Trustees, HERFON, HRH Dr. Haliru Yahayav. Executive Secretary HERFON, Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe
2005 - Programs Manager, International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) 2005 (January-October 2005)
§ Maintained an excellent working relationship with counterparts within the Federal Ministry of Health, UNAIDS, UNIFEM, WHO, World Bank, SACAs, USAID, JICA, Pathfinder International, CDC, and other implementing partners, local groups/organizations and stakeholders to ensure effective coordination, support and management of ICASA 2005 programs§ Communicated effectively with plenary speakers, session chairs/co-chairs, roundtable, skills-building and satellite meetings participants and abstract submitters and all presenters§ Maintained communication and cooperation with abstract reviewers§ Defined conference’s abstract categories and poster groupings§ Downloaded abstracts and other conference data, captured abstract submissions, allocated reviewers to abstracts and communicated with abstract submitters§ Organized and supported meetings of the International Scientific Committee and the local Scientific sub-committee and the final abstract selection meetings; including the presentation of top abstracts for oral sessions or posters§ Created conference sessions
1995-2004 - Executive Coordinator (Research & Development), Afrihealth Information Projects/Afrihealth Optonet Association, and Executive Director, Optonet International
Successfully implemented a UNAIDS/ILO/UNDP-funded ‘Study/Situational Assessment of Public Private Partnership (PPP) for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria’ 2004-2005; as a consultant
Coordinated an enlightenment/advocacy campaign and delivered a moving speech delivered at an HIV/AIDS control campaign for the predominantly Muslim Arewa Community, Isolo, organized jointly by Afrihealth Optonet Association and Arewa Joint Action Committee (AJACOM), at the Isolo central Mosque, Lagos; 2004
Conducted eye health awareness and vision screening exercises in liaison with the World Health Organization [WHO] on ‘Vision Care for Road Safety’ - a World Health Day Project; at Aguda Central Motor Park, Surulere Lagos, for commercial bus and taxi drivers and market persons, 2004
Investigated the ‘Prevalence, Management Practices and Preventive Strategies of Diabetic Retinopathy in Lagos State, Nigeria’; with a US$117, 000 grant from the American Diabetes Association, 2000-2002
Organised 3 Vitamin A Deficiency Control/Prevention outreaches/Projects in Isheri-Olofin, Lagos; including the distribution/administration of Viatmin a capsule and provision of awareness for the vitamin A rich foods that abound in and around the community, 2000
Organised 4 Vitamin A Deficiency Control/Prevention outreaches/Projects in Kirikiri, Lagos; including the distribution and administration of Viatmin a capsule and provision of awareness for the vitamin A rich foods that abound in and around the community , 2000
Developed a Food-Based Dietary Guideline for the Control of Maternal Anemia in Pregnancy in Urban Poor and Rural Communities in Lagos, 1999-2001
Implemented 3 Eye Care and Community Health Development Programmes in Egbe, Lagos, 1999
Organised 2 Family Health, Population Education, and Nutritional Blindness Outreaches, Orile-Iganmu, 1998
Facilitated/organized 1 Vitamin A Deficiency Control/Training workshop for community leaders, patent medicine dealers, local government personnel and community health workers in Badagry, Lagos , 2001
Organised 4 Vitamin A Deficiency Control/Prevention outreach Projects in Badagry, Lagos; including the distribution/administration of Vitamin a capsule and provision of awareness for the vitamin A rich foods that abound in and around the community , 1997-2002
Organised 2 Population Education, family planning Awareness and Eye Care Campaigns, in Egbe, Lagos, 1998
Organised 3 Family Health, Environmental Awareness and Blindness Prevention Projects in Alausa, Lagos, 1998
Organised 3 Child Health/Nutritional Blindness Prevention Programme for the Pupils and Staff of Sanya Primary School Ijesha-tedo, Lagos State, 1998
Coordinated 2 Public Health Intervention/Education Programme at the Yaba Old People’s Home, Lagos State, 1997
1991-2004 - Clinical Services Director, Adirivision (Clinics) Ltd, Lagos
Provided eye care [clinical], blindness prevention and family health services for 4500 persons at Adirivision (Clinics) Ltd, Aguda-Surulere, Lagos, 1991-2004
Provided in-factory/onsite occupational and industrial Vision/Health services for 150 persons (staff and family members) at Nigeria Breweries PLC factory, Iganmu Lagos, 2004
Provided eye care and blindness prevention services for 95 persons at Felin Hospital, Olodi - Apapa, Lagos State , 1995-1998
Provided eye care and blindness prevention services for 79 at Larry’s Clinic, Ebute - Metta, Lagos State , 1995-1997
Provided eye care and blindness prevention services for 200 persons at Rees Hospital, Olodi - Apapa, Lagos State, 1994-1998
Provided eye care and blindness prevention services for 56 persons at Adeb Hospital, Coker-Iganmu, Lagos State, 1993-2004
Provided eyecare and blindness prevention services for 45 persons at Coker Specialist Hospital, Coker-Iganmu, Lagos , 1993-2004
Conducted a research on Eye problems; and provided eye care and blindness prevention services at in Takum Local Government Area of Gongola State, 1988-1989 2005-present – President-General, Imo State Towns Development Association Lagos [ISTDAL] § Produced a 7-page, spiral-bound, full-colour 2007-2008 calendar (the 2nd in the Association’s 21 years existence)§ Produced full-colour season’s greeting cards (the 1st in the Association’s 21 years existence)§ Organised a Poverty Alleviation Project (PAP) for 100 indigent Imo women – mainly widows - resident in Lagos, which has enabled some of them to be owners of small scale businesses today, 2005§ Awarded tuition scholarships to the tune of =N=20, 000.00 each to 9 students of Imo state origin in Lagos schools, 2005§ Increased the nominal attendance to the Associations monthly meetings by 130 percent, causing members to begin to request for an enlarged venue, 2005§ Organised the Association’s annual ‘cultural day’ without borrowing money from any where, as had been the practice, 2005§ Returned accountability and mass participation in the affairs of the Association, and placed it on the part to profitability, 2005§ Established the ISTDA Cooperative, Thrift and Credit Society Ltd as a for the benefit of Imo State people in Lagos, 2005§ Got the ISTDA Cooperative, Thrift and Credit Society Ltd inaugurated by the Governor of Lagos State. , 2006
PUBLICATIONS/WRITINGS
ONLINE RESOURCES
Adirieje, UA. Public-Private Partnerships for Sustainable Community-Based HIV/Aids Advocacy, http://phishare.org/documents/afrihealthoptonet/4313/
Adirieje, UA. Public-Private Partnership and Nigeria’s Development, http://phishare.org/documents/afrihealthoptonet/4267/
Adirieje, UA. XV ‘IAC’: DISCRIMINATION TO SOME OR ACCESS TO ALLhttp://www.procaare.org/archive/procaare/200406/msg00035.php
Adirieje, UA. What Progress Made by 'CCMs' Over the Past Two Yearshttp://www.procaare.org/archive/procaare/200405/msg00007.php
Adirieje, UA. Vitamin A and child deaths in India
http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug/archive/200204/msg00080.php
Adirieje, UA. Alzheimer’s disease on our shores
Adirieje, UA. Stigma, HIV/AIDS and disclosure (1)
http://archives.healthdev.net/stigma-aids/msg00134.html
Adirieje, UA. Stigma, HIV/AIDS and Disclosure
http://archives.healthdev.net/stigma-aids/msg00154.html
Adirieje, UA. Putting ‘access to all’ on the HIV/AIDS agenda
Adirieje, UA. Putting ‘access to all’ on the HIV/AIDS agenda (2)
Adirieje, UA. HIV and AIDS: Ensuring Access to All
http://archives.healthdev.net/af-aids/msg01451.html
Adirieje, UA. Health Options for Road Safety In Nigeria
http://www.phishare.org/documents/afrihealthoptonet/1865/
Adirieje, UA. Patent Door Opens for Generic ARVs in Africa
http://archives.healthdev.net/af-aids/msg01132.html
Adirieje, UA. Current concerns: Thailand’s potpourri for Nigeria and HIV/AIDS
Adirieje, UA. Malaria in Africa: A Continuing Scourge, a Litany of Failed Targets
http://www.phishare.org/documents/afrihealthoptonet/1817/
Adirieje, UA. Opening up on ‘HIV/AIDS’ (1)
Adirieje, UA. HIV and AIDS: Ensuring Access to All
archives.hst.org.za/af-aids/msg01451.html
PRINTS
Adirieje, UA. Public-Private Partnership and Nigeria’s Development (2), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 392, 15 February 2005, p. 31
Adirieje, UA. Public-Private Partnership and Nigeria’s Development (1), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 387, 8 February 2005, p. 31
Adirieje, UA. Taming ‘HIV/AIDS’ in Our Higher Institutions, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 382, 1 February 2005, p. 29
Adirieje, UA. HIV/AIDS: Why ‘ICASA’ and ‘NACA’ Must Succeed, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 377, 25 January 2005, p. 27
Adirieje, UA. Nigeria’s Traditional Health Care in Africa (3), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 372, 11 January 2005, p. 27
Adirieje, UA. Nigeria’s Traditional Health Care in Africa (2), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 378, 4 January 2005, p. 27
Adirieje, UA. Nigeria’s Traditional Health Care in Africa (1), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 378, 28 December 2004, p. 27
Adirieje, UA. Health and Human Rights, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 378, 21 December 2004, p. 27
Adirieje, UA. Nigeria’s Twin-‘Wahala’ (2), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 378, 14 December 2004, p. 27
Adirieje, UA. Nigeria’s Twin-‘Wahala’ (1), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 387, 7 December 2004, p. 27
Adirieje, UA. HIV/AIDS and African Women, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 382, 30 November 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. Does Mr. President Know? Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 377, 23 November 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. Nigeria’s Economic Reforms in Social Context, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 372, 16 November 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. Much Ado About brain Drain, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 367, 9 November 2004, p. 29
Adirieje, UA. Businesses in the Era of HIV/AIDS, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 362, 2 November 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. The Poverty War in Nigeria (2), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 357, 26 October 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. The Poverty War in Nigeria (1), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 352, 19 October 2004, p. 27
Adirieje, UA. Preventable Blindness and National Economic Productivity, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 347, October 12 2004, p. 21
Adirieje, UA. Twelve Blind persons in One Minute, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 342, 5 October 2004, p. 31
Adirieje, UA. HIV/AIDS: Caring as an Obligation (2), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 337, 28 September 2004, p. 2
Adirieje, UA. HIV/AIDS: Caring as an Obligation (1), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 332, 21 September 2004, p. 23
Adirieje, UA. NEPAD: hope or hype? Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 327, 14 September 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. NEPAD: hope or hype? Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 322, 7 September 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. African Woman’s Rough Road (2), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 307, 17 August 2004, p. 29
Adirieje, UA. African Woman’s Rough Road (1), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 302, 10 August 2004, p. 29
Adirieje, UA. Alzheimer’s Disease on Our Shores, Daily Sun, Vol. 1 No. 297, 3 August 2004, p. 31
Adirieje, UA. Diabetes on the Prowl, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 312, 24 August 2004, p. 22
Adirieje, UA. Putting ‘Access to All’ on the HIV/AIDS Agenda (2), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 282, 13 July 2004, p. 20
Adirieje, UA. Putting ‘Access to All’ on the HIV/AIDS Agenda (1), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 277, 6 July 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. Thailand’s Potpourri for Nigeria and HIV/AIDS, Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 272, 29 June 2004, p. 27
Adirieje, UA. Tobacco and the Rest of Us (2), Daily Sun, Vol. 2 No. 267, 22 June 2004, p. 27
Adirieje, UA. Tobacco and the Rest of Us (1), Daily Sun, Vol. 1 No. 262, 15 June 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. The Global Fund and HIV/AIDS Control in Nigeria, Daily Sun, Vol. 1 No. 251, 1 June2004, p. 30
Adirieje, UA. Opening Up on HIV/AIDS (2), Daily Sun, Vol. 1 No. 246, 25 May 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. Opening Up on HIV/AIDS (1), Daily Sun, Vol. 1 No. 241, 18 May 2004, p. 26
Adirieje, UA. Health Attitudes and Road Traffic Problems, Daily Sun, Vol. 1 No. 226, 27 April 2004, p. 28
Adirieje, UA. Seeds for Nigeria’s Health Needs, Daily Sun, Vol. 1 No. 221, 20 April 2004, p. 28
Adirieje, UA. HIV/AIDS and the Abuja Declaration. Medical Digest: July/August 2001, pp. 9-10
Adirieje, UA. Averting a Water Crisis in Nigeria. Medical Digest: March/April 2001, pp. 26-27
Adirieje, UA. A visit to Alma-Ata. Medical Digest: January/February 2001, pp. 18-20
Adirieje, UA. Female Circumcision (Female Genital Mutilation): 40 Dangerous Effects Parents and Relations Must Know. Afrihealth Information Projects, 1999 (catalogued at the Media/Materials Clearinghouse of the Johns Hopkins University, USA, for worldwide distribution, as M/MC ID#: PL NGA 318)
Adirieje, UA. Nutrition for All Ages - A Pocket Guide. Optonet International, 1999 (catalogued at the Media/Materials Clearinghouse of the Johns Hopkins University, USA, for worldwide distribution, as M/MC ID#: PL NGA 398)
Adirieje, UA. Eye Care and Vitamin A Deficiency Prevention in Egbe, Lagos State. Sight and Life Newsletter 4/1999, pp.18-19.
Adirieje, UA. Sanya Primary School Nutritional Blindness Prevention Project. Sight and Life Newsletter, 3/1998, pp. 11-12
Adirieje, UA. Approaches to Reduce Vitamin A Deficiency in Lagos State, Nigeria. SCN News No. 15, United Nations ACC/SCN, 1997, pp. 29-30.
Adirieje, UA. Evidence of Vitamin A Deficiency within Community Populations in Lagos State of Nigeria. Sight and Life Newsletter 1/1997, Task Force Sight and Life, 1997, pp. 18-19.
Adirieje, UA. Anti-leprosy Vaccines. The Guardian Newspaper, Lagos, 1 August 1996.
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS ATTENDED
2006 – National Health Conference (NHC2006), Nigeria; 28-29 November
2006 – The African Human Resource and Health System Challenges: initiating action and sustaining change [Planning workshop for African CSOs and Regional Economic Communities], Akure, Nigeria, 3-5 August
2006 – National Dialogue on the Revitalisation of Immunization services in Nigeria, National Programme on Immunisation, Abuja, 31 July
2005 - Panellist, at the Inaugural Consultative Meeting of the African Women’s Health Initiative (AWHI), USA/Nigeria; Nicon Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria; 11-13 January 2005
2003 XIII International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), Nairobi, Kenya
2003 Building Key Elements of Effective Governance for HIV/AIDS (UNDP), Nairobi, Kenya
2003 West Africa HIV/AIDS Research Symposium (Harvard School of Public Health), Nairobi, Kenya
2003 Accelerating Implementation of National HIV/AIDS Programs: Lessons learnt from the Multi-country AIDS Programme (World Bank), Nairobi, Kenya
2003 Broadening HIV/AIDS Communication Strategies: moving from messages to dialogue (UNICEF), Nairobi, Kenya
2003 HIV Infected Children Care in Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
2003 From Rhetoric to Action: turning UNGASS to Action (UNICEF), Nairobi, Kenya
2003 Human Capacity Development for an Effective Response to HIV/AIDS (USAID), Nairobi, Kenya
2003 National Conference of NGOs working on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Nigeria (Federal Ministry of Health), Abuja, Nigeria
2002 23rd ISODARCO (International School on Disarmament and Research on Conflicts) Summer School on "Cyberwar, Netwar and the Revolution in Military Affairs: Real Threats and Virtual Myths", Trento, Italy
2001 National Workshop on Female Genital Mutilation, Lagos, Nigeria; Federal Ministry of Health/World Health Organisation (WHO)
PAPERS PRESENTED
2005 ‘Controlling HIV/AIDS Among Mobile Populations in Lagos’ – an oral presentation made at the 14th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, Abuja, 4-9 December 2005
2005 ‘The State of Women’s Health and Lives in Nigeria: The Imperative of Complementary Traditional Health Care’ - a position/advocacy paper presented at the Inaugural Consultative Meeting of the African Women’s Health Initiative (AWHI), USA/Nigeria; Nicon Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria; 11-13 January 2005
2004 ‘Controlling HIV/AIDS within the community’ – an enlightenment/advocacy speech delivered at an HIV/AIDS control campaign for the predominantly Muslim Arewa Community, Isolo, organized jointly by Afrihealth Optonet Association and Arewa Joint Action Committee (AJACOM), at the Isolo central Mosque, Lagos;
2003 ‘Education and the Challenge of Regeneration in Orsu Local Government Area’ The inaugural guest lecture at the 2nd ‘Orsu Summit’ held at Orsu Local Government Area (LGA) headquarters, Awo-Idemili, Imo State, Nigeria, 30 December 2003
2001 ‘The Child and the Home’ -a guest speech delivered at the annual general meeting of Parent Teachers Association of Sunshine Nursery/Primary School, Aguda-Surulere, Lagos, 17 November 2001
2001 ‘Philanthropy as a Poverty Alleviation and Development Initiative in Orsu Local Government Area’ – an advocacy paper delivered at the launching of a N2.5million naira Endowment Fund for the Less-privileged, by the Ede-Ukwu Welfare Association, Ajegunle, Lagos, 11 November 2001
2000 ‘Vitamin A as Soldiers of the Human Body’ -a guest speech delivered at the launching of the Vitamin A for Health programme of the Prosuzet Nutrition Foundation, Bariga-Lagos
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING BOARD APPOINTMENTS)
A. Professional Activities
2007-present Business Matters Coordinator, African Network of Professionals (ANoP)
2007-present Editorial Board member, Journal of Infections in Developing Countries (JIDC)
2006-present Publications Reviewer, The Lancet, London
2006-present Member, Advisory Board, AIDS-Care Watch (ACW) http://aidscarewatch.blogspot.com/2006/02/2006-acw-advisory-board.html
2004-present Proposals reviewer, Alzheimers Association, USA
2003-present Key Correspondent, Health and Development Networks (HDN)
2003 One of the 31 “leading African health professionals” who, along with 63 American colleagues, wrote a letter to US President George Bush, urging him to take specific steps to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, suggesting ways in which the United States can help support them in their efforts to address monumental needs created by the AIDS crisis
2003 On-site Reporter, 13th International Conference on HIV/AIDS and STDs in Africa (ICASA) 2003, Nairobi, Kenya; 21st-26th Sept; Health and Development Networks (HDN), Ireland and Thailand
1995-1996 National Publicity Secretary, Nigeria Optometric Association
1993-1994 Secretary, Save Our Sight (S.O.S.) Project; Rotary International District 9110
B. Experience working with/for Federal government, Development Partners and Several Stakeholders:
2007 Represented HERFON in the following committees of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH):
i. Meeting of Experts on Health Trust Fund
ii. Committee on Rapid Assessment of the Nigerian Health System
iii. Nigeria’s GAVI-HSS Proposal Production Committee
iv. Technical Committee for the preparation of the Framework for National Health Investment Promotion [NHIP]
2006-present Member (representing HERFON), Nigerian Health Systems Forum; comprising DFID, WHO, UNICEF, CIDA, HERFON, FMoH, ENHANSE-USAID, PATHS
2006-2007 Member (representing HERFON), National Planning Committee, 50th National Council on Health (NCH), Abuja
2006 Secretary, National Steering Committee, and Head of Conference Secretariat, Nigeria National Health Conference (NHC2006); comprising the Senate and House of Representatives, DFID, WHO, UNICEF, CIDA, HERFON, FMoH, ENHANSE-USAID, PATHS, Delegation of European Commission, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), National President, National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), National Association of Community Health Practitioners (NACHP), National Economic Summit Group, Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN), Committee of Chief Medical Directors of Federal Teaching and Tertiary Hospitals, Association of General and private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Advocacy Nigeria, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), National Council of Women Societies (NCWS).
2006 Member (representing HERFON), National Planning Committee, World Health Day 2006, FMoH, Abuja, Nigeria
2005 Secretary, International Steering Committee , 14th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA 2005), Nigeria
2005 Secretary, National Scientific Committee, ICASA 2005, Nigeria
2004-2005 Member, Communication and Mobilisation sub-committee, National Task Force on ICASA 2005
C. Experience working with/for State government(s):
2005-present President-General, Imo State Towns Development Association Lagos
2002-2004 First Vice President, Imo State Towns Development Association Lagos
1999-2001 Secretary, Scholarship Board, Imo State Towns Development Association, Lagos
1999-2001 Secretary General, Igbo States Development Union Lagos (comprising Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States)
1999-2001 Secretary General, Imo State Towns Development Association Lagos
1988-1989 Chairman, State Immunization Days Planning Committee, Takum Local Government, Gongola State (now Taraba State)
D. Experience working with/for Local Governments:
1995-1997 General Secretary, Orsu LGA Towns Development Union Lagos
1996 Chairman, Constitution Drafting Committee, Orsu LGA Towns Development Union Lagos
1997 Chairman, Planning/Organising Committee for the Launching of the Orsu LGA Towns Development Union Lagos
1998 Chairman, Orsu Cultural Day Celebrations Committee;
1999-2000 Chairman/Editor in Chief, Orsu LGA Directory and ‘who is who’
E. Experience working with/for local NGO sector and other private
institutions:
2006-present President, ISTDA Cooperative, Thrift and Credit Society Ltd, Lagos
2005 Guest speaker, at the Inaugural Consultative Meeting of the African Women’s Health Initiative (AWHI), USA/Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria; 11-13 January 2005
2004-present Chairman, Board of Trustees, Future-Hope Community Project, Orsu LGA, Imo State
2004 Facilitator/Guest Speaker, HIV/AIDS Prevention Workshop for the predominantly Muslim Arewa Community, Isolo, organized jointly by Afrihealth Optonet Association and Arewa Joint Action Committee (AJACOM), at the Isolo central Mosque, Lagos
2001 Chairman, Annual Convocation and Prize Giving Day Ceremony, Sunshine Nursery and Primary School Aguda, Surulere
2000 Guest Speaker at the inaugural/maiden Nutritional Blindness and Vitamin A Deficiency of the Prosuzet Food and Nutrition Centre, Lagos, 16 December 2000.
1995-present Trustee/Secretary General, Afrihealth Optonet Association (a national NGO incorporated in the Federal Republic of Nigeria)
F. Community Service Activities:
2005-present Secretary, Amaruru Council of Chiefs
1992-1995 Secretary, Amaruru Development Union, Lagos Branch
1990-1993 Secretary, Ebenasaa-Amaruru Prograssive Union, Lagos Branch
1988-89 Founding President, Rotaract Club of Takum (CB), Gongola State
1985-1986 Secretary General, Students Union Government, Imo State University, Nigeria
2004-present Columnist [‘Current Concerns’ - writes on HIV/AIDS, Health and Development], Daily Sun Newspaper, , Nigeria www.sunnewsonline.com
2000-present, Principal Consultant/CEO, Afrihealth Information Projects (Projects/Programs Consultants)
2003-present, Programs Director/Secretary General, Afrihealth Optonet Association (inc. - national NGO)
2002-present Active member/participant in the following internet discussion forums on HIV/AIDS: af-aids, icasa2005forum, sea-aids, stigma-aids, procaare, eforum, hnn-aids, hnn-chat, community-research
2001-present Member, Editorial Panel, Health Information Forum/WHO; HIF-net-at-WHO, UK
2004-present Member, Communication and Mobilisation sub-committee, National Task Force on the 14th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) 2005
2004-present Chairman, Board of Trustees, Future-Hope Community Project, Orsu LGA, Imo State
1999-present Chairman, Health and Environment Committee, Amaruru (Autonomous community) Development Union, Orsu LGA, Imo State
2003-2005 e-Forum Moderator/Founder, ICASA 2005 email forum [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/icasa2005forum]
EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND COMPETENCES
i. Program/Projects Management, Health Systems Appraisal (M & E), Health/Development Change Management, Private-Sector Engagement, Research, Policy Analysis, Mobilization/Advocacy, Columnist & Community Leadership
ii. Ability to work in a pressure environment and collaborate/communicate with international organisations and local/relevant stakeholders even in
iii. Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, motivation and capacity to work/act with tact and diplomacy in a multi-sectoral/multi-stakeholder project and working with bureaucracy and some State government(s)
iv. Documented/demonstrated good knowledge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, determinants, impact and technical issues related to care, prevention and access
v. Managerial, organisational, networking and excellent writing/reporting skills
vi. Strong capacity for advocacy and special interest in advancing policy-oriented agenda especially for HIV/AIDS, health and development
vii. Commitment to integrity, hard work, loyalty and respect for diversity
viii. A motivational speaker and team player, with strong ability to communicate, empower people and manage relationships
ix. Excellent capacity for result-oriented strategic thinking and analyses
x. Very extensive experience travelling to, and working with rural and poor urban population/community, with a strong desire/ability to continue to do so
xi. Experience in working in challenging multiethnic environments, adaptability and sensitivity to varying cultures, religious, political and economic issues
xii. Excellent ability to communicate in written and spoken English
xiii. Capacity to deal with conflicting priorities and deliver high quality work on schedule
xiv. Passionate, enthusiastic and strongly motivated to work towards addressing the response to HIV/AIDS in Nigeria and Africa
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
i. Member, International AIDS Economics Network http://www.iaen.org/pronet/index.php?view=detail&id=15113
ii. Full Member, International Ocular HIV Study Group, U.S.A.
iii. Member, Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy, U.S.A.
iv. Member, Nigeria Optometric Association {MNOA}
v. Member, American Academy of Optometry (AAO), U.S.A.
vi. Member, American Diabetes Association (ADA), U.S.A.
vii. Full Member, Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA), U.S.A
viii. Full Member, The International Society for Low-vision Research and Rehabilitation (ISLRR), U.S.A.
ix. Life Member, Nigeria-Britain Association
x. Member, Afrihealth Optonet Association (AOA), Nigeria
xi. Full Member, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA)
xii. Member, Nigeria Institute of Management {MNIM}
xiii. Associate, Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria {AIPM}
xiv. Member, The Impact Alliance http://www.impactalliance.org/ev.php?ID=8055_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
HOBBIES
Social/Community Work, Public Speaking, Writing, Computing, Tennis, Voluntary/International Services
BIOGRAPHIES
2006 Great Minds of the 21st Century, by American Biographical Institute (ABI)
2006 Igbo Icons, Nigeria
2005 Who is Who in Igboland
2004 Orsu LGA Directory and Who’s Who
AWARDS RECEIVED
2007 International Health Professional of the Year, by International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England
2005 Man of Achievement Award, by American Biographical Institute (ABI)
2005 Youth of the Year, by Amaruru Youth Forum, Orsu LGA, Imo State
2005 Honourary chieftaincy title of Ahaejiejemba Amaruru, jointly conferred by His Royal Highness, Eze WO Igwe, Ozuo-omee 1 (traditional ruler of Amaruru), the Eze-In-Council of Amaruru autonomous community, and the Amaruru Development Union, Orsu LGA, Imo State, Nigeria
2004 Great Mind of the 21st Century, by American Biographical Institute (ABI)
2003 National Patron, Federation of Orsu LGA Students Association (FOSA)
2002 Patron, Federation of Orsu LGA Students Association (FOSA), University of Nigeria, Nsukka
2001 Service Award, Imo State Towns Development Association (ISTDA) Lagos
1999 Honourary member, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC),
Orsu Local Government Area
1998 Merit Award; Orsu L.G.A. Towns Development Union Lagos
1997 Merit Award in Community Eye Care, Iganmu and the Council of Chiefs, Lagos
1996 Rotary International Presidential Recognition for Membership Growth, 1995/96
1994 Life Member, Nigeria-Britain Association
1994 Rotary International District 9110 Governor’s Distinguished Service Award, 1993/94
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
AN ADDRESS PRESENTED BY DR. [CHIEF] UZO’ ADIRIEJE, MNIM, ACIPM (Ahaejiejemba of Amaruru) – 5TH PRESIDENT GENERAL, IMO STATE TOWNS DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIAT
AN ADDRESS PRESENTED BY DR. [CHIEF] UZO’ ADIRIEJE, MNIM, ACIPM (Ahaejiejemba of Amaruru) – 5TH PRESIDENT GENERAL, IMO STATE TOWNS DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION LAGOS (ISTDAL); DURING THE SWEARING-IN OF ISTDAL’S 6TH PRESIDENT GENERAL AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON 27 JANUARY 2008
[Protocols]
WELCOME
I am immensely delighted to welcome and address you all at this historic occasion. And it is in that light that I congratulate our brand new President General Mazi Tony Ohakwe and his rejuvenated Executive Committee members, about 90 percent of who also served with me – and indeed virtually ran the Association during my tenure.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
I became a representative of Amaruru Development Union in ISTDAL in May 1996. My tenure as ISTDAL President General officially ended today, 27 January; and I recall that my tenure as Secretary General of ISDTAL also ended on 27 January (2002).
Three years ago this Sunday, I was inducted as the leader of this great Association, along with my Executive members. On that day, our administration gallantly embraced all the assets and liabilities of our predecessor since governance is a continuous exercise, and undertook to harness all the human and material resources possibly available, to provide a compass of development for our members and the large population of Imo people in Lagos and Diaspora. We chose not to cry over any spilt milk, but to focus/concentrate on whatever we could do to improve on what we met on the ground and it paid off.
ON THE MARBLE AND SANDS OF TIME
The following itemize some of our accomplishments within our 3-years tenure:
1. Developed Vision, Mission Statement and core Values for the Association
2. Paid all the debts inherited from our predecessor
3. Awarded the Association’s scholarships to indigenes of Imo State in secondary and tertiary institutions, for the first time in our history (2005 and 2007)
4. Secured financial/material support and empowerment to seventy-two [72] ‘poorest of the poor’ women of Imo state origin, through the provision of sewing machines, grinding machines, clothes, coolers, cash and other valuable household goods that enabled them to start petty businesses of their own, and became job givers instead of job seekers (2005). We acknowledge the support received from Eze Hyacinth Ohazulike, OON, Eze Ndigbo of Lagos State in this regard.
5. Elected Trustees and formally incorporated ISTDAL as a legal entity in perpetuity in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are currently awaiting our certificate of incorporation from the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja (2006-2007)
6. Established the Istda Cooperative, Thrift & Credit Society Ltd which has been registered by the Lagos State Government, and was formally inaugurated by the last Executive Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency Senator Bola Tinubu. ‘Istda Coop’ currently has fifty-two registered members comprising individuals and town unions (2006)
7. Secured more than one dozen luxurious buses from the Imo State government, to convey ISTDAL members and Imo people in Lagos, to and from Imo state during the 2007 Christmas and new year celebrations
8. Produced a six-page spiral-bound all colour calendar (2007)
9. Organised three cultural carnivals/Imo day (2005, 2006 and 2007); the last of which was used to organize a befitting grand civic reception for the Governor of Imo State, His Excellency Chief Ikedi Ohakim (Ochinanwata)
10. Organized a press conference in Owerri, on ‘Progress Report and State of Affairs’ in Imo State (2007)
11. Improved the Association’s relationship with the governments of Imo state, and supported the government’s participation in major activities in Lagos including the international trade fairs
12. Sponsored some members of the Executive Committee to a leadership training/capacity building programme in Otta (2006)
13. Set up a committee to review our constitution which report has been received and is handed over to the new administration for subsequent discussions before adoption by the general meeting
14. Provided a crisis-free environment for the conduct of the Association’s meetings and other activities all years-round
15. Organized joint meetings with our Grand Patrons, Patrons and leaders of member-town Unions
16. Produced annual reports of the Association’s activities (2005 and 2006) for the first time in its history. The 2007 annual report is already being concluded
17. Produced annual financial statements of the Association’s (2005 and 2006) for the first time in its history. The 2007 financial statement is already being prepared
18. Participated in the activities of other Igbo groups in Lagos
19. Set up an audit committee whose report is still being expected
20. Conducted what is arguably the most peaceful election in the history of ISTDAL, where all the candidates emerged by consensus without a single voting done
21. Published ISTDAL’s magazine, the Searchlight
Your Excellency, today also marks the end of the transition period which commenced with the election of a new Executive Committee in September 2007.
YOU MADE IT POSSIBLE
As I step out and march forward/ahead, I must not fail to acknowledge and thank some of the persons and institutions who have contributed in the form of support, encouragement, criticisms and or even outright opposition, which have all made it possible for us to accomplish the above under my leadership. Indeed, when harnessed well, the opposition is one of the greatest assets a leader may have. It is in the opposition that great leaders find growth, while their comfort lies in their supporters.
‘Gidi gidi bu ugwu Eze’, so says the Igbo adage. Grant me your indulgence to convey my appreciations and that of my family and friends and well-wishers, to some of the persons and institutions – in no particular order - who contributed to the successes recorded in the course of my tenure.
I am grateful to my Governor, His Excellency Chief Sir Ikedi Ohakim (Ochinanwata) and Her Excellency Chief Mrs. Ohakim, for all the kindness they showed and good things they did for this Association, and the greater things they continue to do in Imo State; to His Excellency Chief Achike Udenwa (Onwa), who most kindly inaugurated me as leader of this Association on 23 January 2005. I am immensely encouraged by the support received from my ‘Big brother’ and Governor’s Special Adviser and Liaison Officer, High Chief Bonny Ebili (Odokara omee) – the one who made things to happen – for being a pillar of support and our strongest bridge to Government House and our governor’s heart. I appreciate his predecessors – Sir George Egu, Mr. Alfred Uzoaru and Mr. Charles Osigwelem, and other members of the Lagos liaison office. I appreciate the immense supporting team that High Chief Ebili recruited for me in the governor’s office and Abuja. In particular, may I request you sir, to convey my appreciation to Chief Elvis Agukwe, Governor’s Special Adviser/liaison officer Abuja, Chief Ethelbert Okere, Executive Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, Louisa Aguiyi-Ironsi, Special Adviser on Communications and Barrister A.C. Otuokere, Director of protocols, for their help and considerations. I thank my predecessors in office – Chief Barrister L.C. Anucha (Akuruo Ulo 1 of Uvuru) and Chief Barrister George Nnamdi Umunnakwe for their contributions to the growth of this Association and in particular for their contributions to the successes recorded during my tenure.
Thank you very much, members of the ISTDAL Executive Committee who always held forth, officers of our women wing, representatives of member-Town Unions, our Life Patrons, Grand Patrons and Patrons; and Chairmen and Secretaries of the member-Town Unions, including their women wings. Permit me to single out for appreciation, the tremendous support received from Grand Patrons Eze Hyacinth Ohazurike, OON, Eze Mkpume, Eze Ndigbo of Lagos State; Chief (Dr.) M.I. Okoro (Ohia Ndigbo), Chief A.E. Anozie (Oduenyi of Imenyi) and Chief Dr. Sam Opara.
‘Oku ahunyere nwata n’aka a naghi eregbu ya’. I am very thankful to the leadership of my local government Orsu and community Amaruru for standing solidly by me during my tenure: the former Chairman of Orsu LGA Chief Charles Okeke (Odiukonamba) who sent a representative during my inauguration, my traditional ruler His Royal Highness Eze W.O. Igwe, Ozuo omee I of Amaruru, President General of Amaruru Development Union Chief Okpara D. Okpara (Omereoha) and members of the Amaruru Council of Chiefs and Ndi Ichie, for the chieftaincy title conferred on me, for traversing the length of the East and West of this country to witness my inauguration, and for blessing me, in 2005.
But could this have been possible without a Lagos base? Not at all! Which is why I am grateful to the Chairman of Amaruru Development Union (ADU) Lagos Branch - Mr. Vincent Dimanozie and his executive members; former Chairmen of the branch including Chief Ezeifeadigo F.E. Ezeh who sent me to ISTDAL, late Nze Jason Okpara and Mr. Okechukwu Ogbuehi, and indeed all Amaruru sons and daughters and friends, for taking pride in my responsibilities and accomplishments. I am indebted to my friend and brother, Honourable Chief Dr. Geff Chizee Ojinika (Emezioha) - former member of the Federal House of Representatives and his amiable wife Chief Mrs. Comfort Ojinika for their incredible support during this period.
Oh! I am forever thankful to God for his grace during this period and always, for my wife and best friend Chief Mrs. Edith UzoAdirieje (Eziadaukwu) and our children, and for all the resources, strength and spirit which enabled them to cope with the lonesomeness that the exigencies of my service period brought upon them. My darling wife and jewel of inestimable value, I thank and love you.
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, ndibe anyi si na onye amaghi ebe mmiri bidoro maa ya, a naghi ama ebe okwusiri a. One great man ‘brought’ me to Lagos in 1990, and encouraged me to enroll and participate in my town union, from whence I was sent to ISTDAL. His name is Chief Eddor E.C. Dimanozie (Onyechimere eze). Unfortunately, he did not live to see me become the leader of this Association. I want to continue to thank and appreciate him. In his honour, my wife and I have instituted an annual award in ISTDAL - the Chief Eddor E.C. Dimanozie prize for the Best Overall Performing Town Union in ISTDAL, at a value of N20, 000.00 (Twenty Thousand naira only) yearly. This award shall be presented during every Imo Carnival and it is my wish that the ceremony brochures will reflect it accordingly. Mr. President General Sir, here is a first cheque for N60, 000.00 (sixty thousand naira only) to cover this award during your first tenure/three years in office. You are at liberty to set out any modalities for choosing the winner(s).
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE GONE
Across the length and breath of this country, we lost some of our representatives, patrons, town union leaders, relations, friends and statesmen during this period. In their honour, may I request you to observe a minute silence…. May their souls rest in perfect peace! Amen.
Long live ISTDAL
Long live Imo State
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria
Thank you and God bless you all. Good bye!
Uzo’ Adirieje
President General, 23 Jan. 2005 – 27 Jan 2008
1st Vice President, 27 Jan. 2002 – 23 Jan. 2005
Secretary General, Jan. 1999 – 27 Jan. 2002
Mob: 0803 472 5905
Email: ahaejiejemba_amaruru@yahoo.com
Blog: http://uzodinma-adirieje.blogspot.com/
Mails: P.O. Box 8880, Wuse Abuja (from 1 February 2008)
[Protocols]
WELCOME
I am immensely delighted to welcome and address you all at this historic occasion. And it is in that light that I congratulate our brand new President General Mazi Tony Ohakwe and his rejuvenated Executive Committee members, about 90 percent of who also served with me – and indeed virtually ran the Association during my tenure.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
I became a representative of Amaruru Development Union in ISTDAL in May 1996. My tenure as ISTDAL President General officially ended today, 27 January; and I recall that my tenure as Secretary General of ISDTAL also ended on 27 January (2002).
Three years ago this Sunday, I was inducted as the leader of this great Association, along with my Executive members. On that day, our administration gallantly embraced all the assets and liabilities of our predecessor since governance is a continuous exercise, and undertook to harness all the human and material resources possibly available, to provide a compass of development for our members and the large population of Imo people in Lagos and Diaspora. We chose not to cry over any spilt milk, but to focus/concentrate on whatever we could do to improve on what we met on the ground and it paid off.
ON THE MARBLE AND SANDS OF TIME
The following itemize some of our accomplishments within our 3-years tenure:
1. Developed Vision, Mission Statement and core Values for the Association
2. Paid all the debts inherited from our predecessor
3. Awarded the Association’s scholarships to indigenes of Imo State in secondary and tertiary institutions, for the first time in our history (2005 and 2007)
4. Secured financial/material support and empowerment to seventy-two [72] ‘poorest of the poor’ women of Imo state origin, through the provision of sewing machines, grinding machines, clothes, coolers, cash and other valuable household goods that enabled them to start petty businesses of their own, and became job givers instead of job seekers (2005). We acknowledge the support received from Eze Hyacinth Ohazulike, OON, Eze Ndigbo of Lagos State in this regard.
5. Elected Trustees and formally incorporated ISTDAL as a legal entity in perpetuity in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are currently awaiting our certificate of incorporation from the Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja (2006-2007)
6. Established the Istda Cooperative, Thrift & Credit Society Ltd which has been registered by the Lagos State Government, and was formally inaugurated by the last Executive Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency Senator Bola Tinubu. ‘Istda Coop’ currently has fifty-two registered members comprising individuals and town unions (2006)
7. Secured more than one dozen luxurious buses from the Imo State government, to convey ISTDAL members and Imo people in Lagos, to and from Imo state during the 2007 Christmas and new year celebrations
8. Produced a six-page spiral-bound all colour calendar (2007)
9. Organised three cultural carnivals/Imo day (2005, 2006 and 2007); the last of which was used to organize a befitting grand civic reception for the Governor of Imo State, His Excellency Chief Ikedi Ohakim (Ochinanwata)
10. Organized a press conference in Owerri, on ‘Progress Report and State of Affairs’ in Imo State (2007)
11. Improved the Association’s relationship with the governments of Imo state, and supported the government’s participation in major activities in Lagos including the international trade fairs
12. Sponsored some members of the Executive Committee to a leadership training/capacity building programme in Otta (2006)
13. Set up a committee to review our constitution which report has been received and is handed over to the new administration for subsequent discussions before adoption by the general meeting
14. Provided a crisis-free environment for the conduct of the Association’s meetings and other activities all years-round
15. Organized joint meetings with our Grand Patrons, Patrons and leaders of member-town Unions
16. Produced annual reports of the Association’s activities (2005 and 2006) for the first time in its history. The 2007 annual report is already being concluded
17. Produced annual financial statements of the Association’s (2005 and 2006) for the first time in its history. The 2007 financial statement is already being prepared
18. Participated in the activities of other Igbo groups in Lagos
19. Set up an audit committee whose report is still being expected
20. Conducted what is arguably the most peaceful election in the history of ISTDAL, where all the candidates emerged by consensus without a single voting done
21. Published ISTDAL’s magazine, the Searchlight
Your Excellency, today also marks the end of the transition period which commenced with the election of a new Executive Committee in September 2007.
YOU MADE IT POSSIBLE
As I step out and march forward/ahead, I must not fail to acknowledge and thank some of the persons and institutions who have contributed in the form of support, encouragement, criticisms and or even outright opposition, which have all made it possible for us to accomplish the above under my leadership. Indeed, when harnessed well, the opposition is one of the greatest assets a leader may have. It is in the opposition that great leaders find growth, while their comfort lies in their supporters.
‘Gidi gidi bu ugwu Eze’, so says the Igbo adage. Grant me your indulgence to convey my appreciations and that of my family and friends and well-wishers, to some of the persons and institutions – in no particular order - who contributed to the successes recorded in the course of my tenure.
I am grateful to my Governor, His Excellency Chief Sir Ikedi Ohakim (Ochinanwata) and Her Excellency Chief Mrs. Ohakim, for all the kindness they showed and good things they did for this Association, and the greater things they continue to do in Imo State; to His Excellency Chief Achike Udenwa (Onwa), who most kindly inaugurated me as leader of this Association on 23 January 2005. I am immensely encouraged by the support received from my ‘Big brother’ and Governor’s Special Adviser and Liaison Officer, High Chief Bonny Ebili (Odokara omee) – the one who made things to happen – for being a pillar of support and our strongest bridge to Government House and our governor’s heart. I appreciate his predecessors – Sir George Egu, Mr. Alfred Uzoaru and Mr. Charles Osigwelem, and other members of the Lagos liaison office. I appreciate the immense supporting team that High Chief Ebili recruited for me in the governor’s office and Abuja. In particular, may I request you sir, to convey my appreciation to Chief Elvis Agukwe, Governor’s Special Adviser/liaison officer Abuja, Chief Ethelbert Okere, Executive Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, Louisa Aguiyi-Ironsi, Special Adviser on Communications and Barrister A.C. Otuokere, Director of protocols, for their help and considerations. I thank my predecessors in office – Chief Barrister L.C. Anucha (Akuruo Ulo 1 of Uvuru) and Chief Barrister George Nnamdi Umunnakwe for their contributions to the growth of this Association and in particular for their contributions to the successes recorded during my tenure.
Thank you very much, members of the ISTDAL Executive Committee who always held forth, officers of our women wing, representatives of member-Town Unions, our Life Patrons, Grand Patrons and Patrons; and Chairmen and Secretaries of the member-Town Unions, including their women wings. Permit me to single out for appreciation, the tremendous support received from Grand Patrons Eze Hyacinth Ohazurike, OON, Eze Mkpume, Eze Ndigbo of Lagos State; Chief (Dr.) M.I. Okoro (Ohia Ndigbo), Chief A.E. Anozie (Oduenyi of Imenyi) and Chief Dr. Sam Opara.
‘Oku ahunyere nwata n’aka a naghi eregbu ya’. I am very thankful to the leadership of my local government Orsu and community Amaruru for standing solidly by me during my tenure: the former Chairman of Orsu LGA Chief Charles Okeke (Odiukonamba) who sent a representative during my inauguration, my traditional ruler His Royal Highness Eze W.O. Igwe, Ozuo omee I of Amaruru, President General of Amaruru Development Union Chief Okpara D. Okpara (Omereoha) and members of the Amaruru Council of Chiefs and Ndi Ichie, for the chieftaincy title conferred on me, for traversing the length of the East and West of this country to witness my inauguration, and for blessing me, in 2005.
But could this have been possible without a Lagos base? Not at all! Which is why I am grateful to the Chairman of Amaruru Development Union (ADU) Lagos Branch - Mr. Vincent Dimanozie and his executive members; former Chairmen of the branch including Chief Ezeifeadigo F.E. Ezeh who sent me to ISTDAL, late Nze Jason Okpara and Mr. Okechukwu Ogbuehi, and indeed all Amaruru sons and daughters and friends, for taking pride in my responsibilities and accomplishments. I am indebted to my friend and brother, Honourable Chief Dr. Geff Chizee Ojinika (Emezioha) - former member of the Federal House of Representatives and his amiable wife Chief Mrs. Comfort Ojinika for their incredible support during this period.
Oh! I am forever thankful to God for his grace during this period and always, for my wife and best friend Chief Mrs. Edith UzoAdirieje (Eziadaukwu) and our children, and for all the resources, strength and spirit which enabled them to cope with the lonesomeness that the exigencies of my service period brought upon them. My darling wife and jewel of inestimable value, I thank and love you.
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, ndibe anyi si na onye amaghi ebe mmiri bidoro maa ya, a naghi ama ebe okwusiri a. One great man ‘brought’ me to Lagos in 1990, and encouraged me to enroll and participate in my town union, from whence I was sent to ISTDAL. His name is Chief Eddor E.C. Dimanozie (Onyechimere eze). Unfortunately, he did not live to see me become the leader of this Association. I want to continue to thank and appreciate him. In his honour, my wife and I have instituted an annual award in ISTDAL - the Chief Eddor E.C. Dimanozie prize for the Best Overall Performing Town Union in ISTDAL, at a value of N20, 000.00 (Twenty Thousand naira only) yearly. This award shall be presented during every Imo Carnival and it is my wish that the ceremony brochures will reflect it accordingly. Mr. President General Sir, here is a first cheque for N60, 000.00 (sixty thousand naira only) to cover this award during your first tenure/three years in office. You are at liberty to set out any modalities for choosing the winner(s).
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE GONE
Across the length and breath of this country, we lost some of our representatives, patrons, town union leaders, relations, friends and statesmen during this period. In their honour, may I request you to observe a minute silence…. May their souls rest in perfect peace! Amen.
Long live ISTDAL
Long live Imo State
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria
Thank you and God bless you all. Good bye!
Uzo’ Adirieje
President General, 23 Jan. 2005 – 27 Jan 2008
1st Vice President, 27 Jan. 2002 – 23 Jan. 2005
Secretary General, Jan. 1999 – 27 Jan. 2002
Mob: 0803 472 5905
Email: ahaejiejemba_amaruru@yahoo.com
Blog: http://uzodinma-adirieje.blogspot.com/
Mails: P.O. Box 8880, Wuse Abuja (from 1 February 2008)
