By Chioma Umeha
The National Coordinator, National Malaria
Elimination Programme (NMEP), Dr Audu Bala Mohammed has said that one of his cardinal
objectives in office is to increase the drive for productivity and hard work in
the national Malaria response system.
According to a statement, jointly signed by Mrs.
Itohowo Uko, Deputy Director and Head, Advocacy Communication and Social
Mobilization (ACSM), NMEP and Mrs. Adaolisa Ezechukwu, Media Focal Person,
Mohammed said this just as he rolled out his agenda to journalists as the new
NMEP boss.
He stressed: “We will strive for the highest level
of excellence in staff performance within the National Malaria system to
achieve best practice in programming and outcomes.
“We will also aim for the best deployment of
services and resources for optimum impact on beneficiaries.”
Dr Audu who resumed earlier this year as the new
NMEP National Coordinator had served as Director, Medical service Ministry of
Health, Yobe State then transfer of his service to Federal Ministry of Health
in 2008. He serves as Deputy Director and Head of Case Management at NMEP for
three years. He was also a member of WHO Case Management Working Group.
The new National Coordinator was for another three
years the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at NMEP before assuming the
position of a full Director and Head of Programme Management, a portfolio that
made him the defacto second in command at NMEP.
In view of this, Dr Audu says he will bring all
these experiences to bear on his leadership to “achieve excellence” in the
operations of NMEP.
He further said that he will inculcate in staff of the agency
“engineered self-confidence and innovation.”
According to him, he will do this by raising their
“ability to bring analytical, critical and creative thinking to their work;
flexibility and openness to new ideas and ways to achieve goals.”
According to him, his ultimate plans properly
align with NMEP aims to free Nigeria from the scourge of malaria through
leadership and coordination in developing policies, strategies and guidelines
that would ensure the delivery of high impact malaria intervention equitably
with a high sense of accountability.
Dr Audu attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
and graduated in 1988 with an MBBS in Medicine.
After ABU, he proceeded to the prestigious West
African College of Surgeon at the Korle – Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra Ghana,
for his specialization.
He later returned to Ghana for a Diploma in
Monitoring, Evaluation (M&E) and Health Planning; Diploma in M&E,
Planning and Surveillance and Certificate in Health Accounts.
Dr Audu also attended Moscow Institute of Tropical
Medicine for a Diploma in Surveillance, Monitoring, Evaluation and Health
Planning; University of Iran School of Medicine where he bagged a Diploma in
Malaria Planning and Control.
He is currently member of WHO Malaria Policy
advisory Committee.
A native of Potiskum in Yobe state, he is married
and has six children. Two of his female daughters are studying Medicine such
emulating their father in the medical Profession.
