TB LON (Local Organisations Network) regions 1 and 2 project

KNCV NIGERIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES

— Prof. John Alechenu Idoko, Chairman BOT

Prof John Idoko: He was appointed Lecturer/Consultant in medicine at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria in 1984, rising to the position of senior lecturer in 1987. He later transferred to University of Jos in Nigeria where he was appointed Professor in 1992. At the University of Jos, Professor Idoko was head of Department of Medicine and later Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration of the University from 1994 to 1998. He was Principal Investigator of the Harvard University/AIDS Prevention Initiative Nigeria (APIN) Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos. The antiretroviral clinic (ART) at JUTH and Plateau State of Nigeria cared for about 20,000 patients with HIV, representing one of the largest clinics in Nigeria. The program in JUTH has a “Hub and Spoke” network of decentralized and integrated services to 14 secondary health facilities, 60 Primary Health Centres and about 200 communities delivering integrated services including HIV, TB, Malaria and Sexual and Reproductive Health. Professor Idoko was President of the Nigerian AIDS Research Network from 2002 to 2008, Chairman Nigerian National Antiretroviral Committee 2001 to 2009. Professor Idoko’s research interests include clinical trials of antiretroviral drugs, adherence to ART, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis co-infection, resistance to ART, social and behavior issues in HIV and models for scaling out comprehensive HIV services. He has over 70 published peer-reviewed journals and contributed to several books.  He is an adjunct professor of medicine at the department of global health, Northwestern University, Chicago USA. He has served in various management and leadership positions in HIV research organizations for more than 20 years

— Dr. Bethrand Odume, Executive Director

MBBS, MPH, MWACP is the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of KNCV NIGERIA. He is a Public Health Practitioner with long standing extensive experience in both government and private health sector managing and implementing varied public health programs in Nigeria with focus on TB, TB/HIV, HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) and None Communicable Diseases (NCD). He started his career as a TB program Officer with the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Program, Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria before moving over to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the Senior Program Specialist for TB/HIV treatment and care. At US CDC, Bethrand led key implementation science research in the areas of TB, TB/HIV and TB infection control that informed key improvement in program delivery and services. He is a founding member of the Nigeria STOP TB Partnership and currently seats on the board of the partnership.

— Barr. Aribaba Olukayode, Secretary BOT

Olukayode Aribaba is a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Arbitrator and a Notary Public for Nigeria. As a private practitioner, he runs a full-fledged general practice law firm where he is actively engaged in the prosecution of civil and criminal matters in the various law courts in Nigeria. He is also involved in providing Advisory Services to several individuals, institutions, Government/MDA’s, corporate organizations and NGO’s. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, a member of the International Bar Association and an Associate Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in Nigeria. His hobbies include travelling and photography.

— Dr. Mustapha Gidado, Member BOT

PhD, MD, MPH, MSc, & PGDM has 20 years bottom-up career development from a health care facility, to sub-national, national, and international settings in clinical care, program design, planning, implementation, and monitoring & evaluation; with emphasis on TB, TB/HIV, MDR-TB & Leprosy. Has over a decade of experience as a team leader for different projects at country and global levels. He has in-depth experience with government systems at various levels and in different countries, and the working principles of different technical and funding partners, including, WHO, USAID, and Global Fund. He participates in international TB reviews and discussion platforms including STAG and has a total flair for mainstreaming TB/HIV control into the existing health system for sustainability while leveraging existing community structures.

Gidado worked for eight years for KNCV on different projects and currently the director for KNCV/Challenge TB Project, a USAID global mechanism for supporting TB control activities in at least 24-countries and 2-regions.  He has co-authored over 37 peer reviewed articles, 17 books and policy documents and guidelines on TB, TB/HIV, laboratory & Leprosy, and has 65 international conference abstracts/presentations on different thematic areas of TB control. Endowed with multiple complementary skills (technical, leadership and management, organizational and project promotion, and communication) he also serves a resource person to several Universities in Nigeria, Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in the Netherlands, and a faculty member to Harvard School of Public Health on Infection control training.

— Emmy Van Der Grinten, Member BOT

Emmy van der Grinten has more than 20 years’ experience in supporting disease control programmes (TB, leprosy and other Neglected Tropical Diseases) in Africa. She has specific experience in programme management, routine surveillance (including GIS mapping), monitoring and evaluation, capacity building, partnership building, strategic planning and technical assistance . Emmy enjoys working with Ministries of Health and different partner organizations in country. She has worked and lived in Nigeria (13 years), South Africa (1 year) and Ghana (6 years) and has relocated to her home country, the Netherlands, 2 years ago.

During her career her focus has been on TB, leprosy and other Neglected Tropical Diseases. She has worked at different levels of the health care systems in the countries mentioned. She started her career as Kaduna State TB and Leprosy Control Officer, after which she became the KNCV Country Director/Chief of Party TBCAP/TBCARE I in Nigeria. She then moved to South Africa to act as KNCV Regional TB Advisor on TB in the mines. When she moved to Ghana she acted as Technical Consultant and Regional Director for Africa as well as Programme Director for the innovative AIM Project (Accelerating Integrated Management of Neglected Tropical Diseases). Upon return to the Netherlands she once again started working for KNCV as Senior TB Officer and Deputy Project Director for the USAID supported Challenge TB Project. After successful completion of the project she now acts as the Division Manager for KNCV’s Technical Division in the Netherlands.

— Johan Verhoef, Member BOT

Seasoned finance and administrative staff with over 3 decades of international experience across Europe, Asia and Africa, 12 of which were invested in Nigeria with KNCV. Johan worked and attained the position of Deputy Director Operations in KNCV Nigeria. In his years of experience, Johan worked on globally funded projects by reputable organizations like Tropenbos International, DGIS through World Bank and the Royal Tropical Institute, PADEK, Global Fund, Cepheid and several USAID sponsored projects of KNCV in Nigeria like TB CAP, TBCARE I and Challenge TB. Johan has managed several staff members and finance across projects, partners and partner projects particularly in the tuberculosis development sector. Johan’s work, life and experience have made him an international personality even as he fluently speaks, reads and writes French, English and Dutch.

— Dr. Nasir Sani Gwarzo, Member BOT

MB: BS; MPH-Int; MWACP; NPOM, is currently a permanent secretary at the federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. He was before then on a two-year secondment on request from the World Health Organization Head Quarters (WHO-HQ) in Geneva to support with Polio Transition as well as Vaccinations in Humanitarian Emergencies from June 2017 after which on his return he became the Director in charge of the Honourable Minister of Health’s office. Before his secondment, Sani-Gwarzo was the Chief Consultant Epidemiologist (Director of epidemiology division in the department of public health, federal ministry of health (FMOH) Abuja, Nigeria. He is a public health physician with in-depth hands-on experience in broad areas of public health. He is currently a serving member of national facilitation team (NFT) for polio eradication; the world health organization (WHO) African regional immunization technical advisory group (RITAG, the former task force on Immunization – TFI); and chairman of its former regional ‘Demand Creation’ sub-committee. He is also a member of the WHO headquarters Geneva, international health regulations (IHR) emergency committee on Polio. He is also a member of the governing board of the Usmanu Danfodiyo university teaching hospital (UDUTH Sokoto).

 

— Sha’awanatu Sanusi Kashim (Mrs), Member BOT

Sha’awanatu Sanusi Kashim (Mrs) has over 15 years of practical experience in promoting Public Relations
across Governmental as well as the Oil and Gas Sectors. She collaborates with various States and Federal
Government in areas of health facilities development particularly engagement in monitoring TB programs
across the nation. Her unparalleled passion, commitment & deep concern for promoting healthcare
delivery through constructive engagement and interfacing with key stakeholders made her readily visible
to the board of KCNV (Nigeria). She has been in the forefront of promoting TB eradication programs in the
public private sector through collaborative engagement with stakeholders.
Sha’awa has worked with the National TB program and across organization of government to promote
efforts at eradicating TB in Nigeria. A diligent, purposeful, focused and a highly experienced partner,
Sha’awa has been working and interacting with Federal, States and local Governments in executing quick
impact projects that supports humanitarian activities across the nation particularly in the area of
promoting healthcare delivery, education as well as economic empowerment. Her remarkable support
and contributions to the STOP TB Partnership activities has made significant inroads towards eradicating
TB in Nigeria.
She is a strong advocate of the world standard stakeholder engagement strategy, thrift, and integrity
management. Her vast experience in stakeholder engagement and management will no doubt bring
diversity & immense benefits to the KNCV board and the organization at large.