President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa as the new Director-General for the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR).
President Tinubu made the announcement public via a State House Press Release issued on Monday In Abuja.
The statement explained that Professor Obafunwa will be succeeding Professor Babatunde Salako whose tenure will expire on Tuesday, 23 July 2024.
Professor Obafunwa has had an illustrious career both within and outside Nigeria.
He worked in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and the United Kingdom before returning to Nigeria in 2004. He then made an appointment as Professor of Forensic Pathology at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM).
He is a former Provost at LASUCOM, former Chief Medical Examiner for Lagos State, and former Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University.
Before this appointment, he was the International Regional Advisor of the Royal College of Pathologists (UK) for sub-Saharan Africa.
Professor Obafunwa obtained a degree in medicine from the University of Lagos in 1980 and went on to specialize in Anatomic Pathology (the morphological study of diseases), graduating in May 1987. He then sub-specialized in Forensic Pathology in Scotland in 1991. He also obtained a law degree in England in 2004.
Professor Obafunwa has authored multiple scientific publications. His research covers anatomic and forensic pathology, and he is currently involved in research in forensic entomology and taphonomy at the University of Nebraska, USA.
Professor Obafunwa’s appointment will take effect from Wednesday, 24 July, 2024.
“The President expects the new Director-General to bring his immense wealth of experience and qualifications to this role to further the NIMR’s objective of leading research into diseases of public health importance in Nigeria and developing structures for the dissemination of research findings while providing the enabling environment and facilities for health research and training in cooperation with the federal and state ministries of health” the statement read.
