2nd September, 2021
Governor Hope Uzodimma has lauded the appointment of Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as the Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Ihekweazu will be in charge of WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, based in Berlin.
Uzodimma described the appointment as most fitting for the NCDC DG who is an indigene of Imo state.
In a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Oguwike Nwachuku, the governor said he was not surprised by the appointment.
Dr Ihekweazu, he said, has always demonstrated capacity and exhibited professional competence as DG of NCDC.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros on Tuesday announced that Dr Ihekweazu will, effective 1 November 2021, work as Assistant Director-General of the new WHO hub in Berlin.
The Governor noted that Dr Ihekweazu is one of Imo state’s best and brightest and that the State is proud to be part of the human capital contributing towards the wellbeing of the global family.
The WHO hub, which Ihekweazu will head is a collaboration between WHO and Germany.
Germany is providing $100m for the centre.
Despite decades of investment, COVID-19 has revealed the great gaps that exist in the world’s ability to forecast, detect, assess and respond to outbreaks that threaten people worldwide,” said Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergency Programme.
“The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence is designed to develop the data access, analytic tools and communities of practice to fill these very gaps, promote collaboration and sharing, and protect the world from such crises in the future.”