President Tinubu Appoints Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa as New NIMR Director-General.
President Bola Tinubu has announced the appointment of Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa as the new Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR). This decision was made shortly after President Tinubu’s return from Accra, Ghana, where he attended an ECOWAS meeting as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government.
Ejes Gist News reports that Professor Obafunwa will succeed Professor Babatunde Salako, whose term ends on July 23, 2024. The new appointment will take effect from July 24, 2024.
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President Tinubu has expressed his gratitude to Professor Salako for his dedicated service to the nation.
Professor Obafunwa brings extensive expertise to his new role. He graduated in medicine from the University of Lagos in 1980 and specialized in Anatomic Pathology in 1987. He furthered his specialization in Forensic Pathology in Scotland in 1991 and later obtained a law degree in England in 2004.
Prior to this appointment, Professor Obafunwa served as a Professor of Forensic Pathology at the Lagos State University College of Medicine, Chief Medical Examiner for Lagos State, and Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University. He also held the position of International Regional Advisor for the Royal College of Pathologists (UK) for Sub-Saharan Africa.
His areas of interest include anatomic and forensic pathology; he is currently involved in studies on forensic entomology and taphonomy at the University of Nebraska, USA. Professor Obafunwa has a large number of scientific publications to his credit, with contributions to several textbooks.
According to Ajuri Ngalale, the presidential spokesperson, President Tinubu expects Professor Obafunwa to bring his vast experience and qualifications in moving the mandate of NIMR forward. This comprises leading research into diseases of public health significance in Nigeria, improving dissemination of the research findings, and promotion of collaboration with Federal and State Health Ministries.
