President Bola Tinubu has appointed Temitope Ilori the new director-general of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), positioning her as the first female director in the organisation’s 24 year history.
Ilori took over office in February 2024 for a four-year term, succeeding Gambo Aliyu, the former DG, Toyin Aderibigbe, NACA’s head of Public Relations and Protocol stated in an official statement released Thursday.
Read also: Delta to include persons living with HIV/AIDS in empowerment programmes
Ilori worked as a senior lecturer in the Department of Community Medicine at the University of Ibadan and a consultant family physician in the Department of Family Medicine of the same university.
She obtained her MBBS degree from the University of Ibadan and completed her residency training at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
She distinguished herself as the best graduating Fellow of the Faculty of Family Medicine, West African College of Physicians, in April 2012, earning the prestigious A.O. Senbanjo Prize.
Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Ibadan.
Her scholarly pursuits extend further as she pursues her PhD at the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, sponsored by the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa.
Ilori’s research interests span across Primary Care, Immunization, Public Health Nutrition, Non-Communicable Diseases, and Women’s and Child’s Health.
She has contributed significantly to the scientific community with over 30 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Ilori has been actively involved in policy formulation and strategic development. She served as the commissioner for Health in Osun State, Nigeria, from 2011 to 2014, and as the chairperson of the Osun State Agency on Control of HIV/AIDS and the Osun State Technical Working Group on Immunization.
Ilori’s appointment is expected to bring renewed vigor and expertise to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, as she leads NACA in its crucial mission to control and mitigate the impact of the disease nationwide.
