- Fatusi heads State Inter-ministerial Committee Against COVID-19
By Banji Ayoola
Following the death of Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has directed his Special Adviser on Health, Dr Jibayo Adeyeye, to take charge of the ministry.
A statement on Saturday by the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Ojo Oyewamide said that Akeredolu also appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, UNIMED, Prof Adesegun Fatusi, as the new chairman of the State Inter-ministerial Committee Against COVID-19.
Adegbenro held both positions until his passage on Thursday. His remains were buried on Friday.
According to the statement: “Governor Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN has approved that the Special Adviser on Health, Dr Jibayo Adeyeye takes overseeing responsibilities of the Ministry of Health.
“This development follows the death of the substantive Commissioner, Dr Wahab Adegbenro.
“Dr Jibayo, a two term lawmaker at the Lagos State House of Assembly is a consummate medical practitioner. He is a product of the prestigious College of Medicine, University of Lagos.”
In another statement, Oyewamide said: “Following the unfortunate demise of the Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN has appointed Professor Adesegun Fatusi as the new Chairman of the State Inter-ministerial Committee Against COVID-19.
“Until his death, Dr Adegbenro was the Chairman of the State Inter-ministerial Committee where he served diligently to the admiration of all.
“Fatusi is the current Vice Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo and he is expected to continue from where our late Medical Hero, Adegbenro stopped. His appointment is aimed at preventing a vacuum as the State experiences a disturbing spike of repeated cases of COVID-19.”
Fatusi is a professor of Community and Public Health and past Provost of the College of Health Sciences at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
He has previously served as the Director of the OAU’s Institute of Public Health and worked with the UNFPA as reproductive health advisor. He is the chair of Nigeria’s National Technical Working Group on Adolescent Reproductive Health and Development.
He has also served as the Lead Consultant for the development of Nigeria’s national policy on the health and development of adolescents and young persons, national reproductive health policy, and national policy on HIV/AIDS.
He had served previously, on the Ministerial Committee on Health Sector reform as well as on the Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC) of Nigeria.
