Meet Chioma Ejikeme, the new PTAD executive secretary

The Pension Transitional Arrangements Directorate (PTAD) has unveiled its new Executive Secretary Chioma Ejikeme recently appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to take over the affairs of the agency. Ejikeme’s appointment followed the appointment of the former Executive Secretly, Barrister Sharon Ikeazor as Minister of State, Environment by the President.

A trained medical doctor, Ejikeme is a two- time Commissioner for Health in Anambra state.

She was a member of the 2019 Presidential Campaign Council for the South East.

She is expected to continue the reforms starred by Ikeazor.

According to her profile released by PTAD, she was born on the 31st Of August 1958 to the family of the Late Ukachi Ikemba, an educationist and political secretary to the Premier of the Defunct Eastern Nigeria, M I Okpara.

Ejikeme started her Primary School education at the All Saints School, Enugu in 1964. She attended Queens School, Enugu and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where she obtained a Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MB.BS) degree in 1982.

She holds a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Lagos 2002.

Over her 36-year career, Ejikeme has been a Medical Practitioner an Administrator and an Entrepreneur. Her career started as a House Officer at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba in 1983.

She served the mandatory National Youth Service with the Ministry of Defence (Nigerian Airforce Medical Services Onikan Lagos) and was retained after NYSC where she rose from Senior Medical Officer II to Principal Medical Officer II (GL 15) until the year 2004.

As a Medical officer in the Nigerian Air Force Medical Services for close to 20years, she was part of a team that, coordinated, improved and facilitated Health care delivery services within the Nigerian Airforce Medical space.

In 1997 Ejikeme took a leave of Absence from the Ministry of Defence to take up appointment as Commissioner for Health in Anambra State. Ejikeme was part of the team that handed over to the current Political dispensation in 1999.

As Commissioner, she led the Ministry in policy formulation and implementation while also coordinating health-related programs within the State, between the State and other states in the Federation and the state and the Federal Ministry of Health.

She also formulated, coordinated, supervised and evaluated donor agency sponsored health programs for implementation throughout the state. These agencies include UNICEF, UNFPA and the WHO.

Some of her achievements as Commissioner for Health Anambra State include the establishment of a Central Drug Revolving Fund for the State Ministry of Health, the establishment of a Traditional Medicine Board in the State which was the first to be established in the history of Anambra State.

She also re-organised the existing revenue collection procedure to ensure an effective and affordable health care delivery system.

She embarked on the infrastructural rehabilitation of State-owned hospitals with refurbishment of wards, provision of bore holes etc.

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