Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, speaks with LARA ADEJORO on how the COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened the country’s disease surveillance system
What has been the most challenging aspect of your role since you assumed office?
I was appointed from outside the country, which involved the challenges of moving back, adapting to the public service sector and the operating environment, which are substantially different from what I was used to, and also adjusting to the different governance structure.
While doing that, we still had to respond to COVID-19. Six weeks after I resumed, we had to contend with Omicron, Lassa fever, and cholera.
It was challenging; you seem to be always at war, and you’re expected to do that with the required quality and coverage to satisfy the citizens that we serve and establish a sterling reputation. It also raises expectations from people on what the NCDC is supposed…
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