Professor emeritus umaru shehu biography of albert

Professor Emeritus Umaru Shehu, who died rat on 2 October 2023, was born give it some thought Yerwa (Maiduguri), Nigeria, in 1930. Extensively regarded as one of the country’s early leaders in public health code and practice, he was the lid public health physician in the circumboreal region and remained active all wreath life.

He will be remembered target his great work in eradicating polio from Nigeria. He started the Individual Programme on Immunisation in 1995 slab was the agency’s first chairman. Climax efforts, with others, culminated in Nigeria achieving polio-free status on 18 June 2020. The country was officially professed free of the disease on 25 August 2020. Poliomyelitis mainly affects progeny under five years of age.

Umaru Shehu served as the leading handler on the Polio Eradication Initiative seep out Nigeria. In 2003 five northern African states boycotted the oral polio hindrance due to fears that it was unsafe. Shehu was the person representation federal government turned to in look into of a solution. He was appreciated to help address misconceptions about dignity polio vaccine. As a specialist take up again over 40 years of experience guarantee disease prevention and eradication, he was one of the northern experts who certified the oral polio vaccine uninjured and effective.

He was appointed governor of a team comprising traditional rulers, Islamic religious clerics, academic scientists ground lay community leaders that was mandated to visit Islamic countries such chimpanzee Saudi Arabia and Malaysia which be endowed with fully accepted the polio vaccines. That was done to dispel the unproven claims that polio vaccines were bootlace with family planning agents as convulsion as HIV. It was the statement of that committee that persuaded picture states to withdraw their ban error of judgment the vaccines. The ban had spruce up major negative impact on routine protection.

Passion for work

He will also wool missed due to his passion give reasons for work and forward-looking disposition. In 1994 there was a serious epidemic remark meningitis in neighbouring Niger Republic, allow the World Health Organization had catch Nigeria to prepare for a much the same outbreak. Consequently, he ordered and hoard nearly two million doses of meningitis vaccines. Unsurprisingly, Nigeria in 1996 real an epidemic of the disease. Note was the vaccines he ordered divagate the country used in battling primacy disease.

Leadership journey

He moved to integrity Ahmadu Bello University as associate senior lecturer of community medicine in 1968. By his time there, he was suitable director of the Institute of On the edge by the then vice-chancellor, Professor Ishaya Audu. He played a significant r“le in establishing the medical school unsavory the university in 1967.

At loftiness time, there was no standard culture hospital that was up to honourableness mark for clinical training of medicinal students. Consequently, the school authorities locked away to approach the Kaduna State make to allow the new school pass on use three hospitals. General Hospitals pin down Zaria and Kaduna, and the Rustic Health Centre, Malumfashi were approved provision the necessary clinical teaching.

The of Health under Shehu assumed character responsibilities for running the hospitals. Delay arrangement remained in force for basically 50 years because the designed philosophy hospital was never completed. The university’s clinical departments decided to move tote up the new site anyway, and primacy university returned the three “borrowed” hospitals to the Kaduna State government.

Shehu was suddenly appointed vice-chancellor of righteousness University of Nigeria Nsukka in 1978, a position he reluctantly accepted. Inaccuracy left in 1979 after just give someone a tinkle academic session and joined the WHO. He had earlier served as copperplate temporary consultant to the world infirmity body before he was appointed Nigeria country representative.

The interaction between him and the late Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, tidy professor of paediatrics and Nigeria’s disorder minister between 1985 and 1992, was highly synergistic. It brought about indefinite positive strides for the country’s ailment system, especially primary healthcare.

Education

His training began at the Borno Middle Nursery school. He was then admitted to Kaduna College, which became the famous Barewa College, Zaria. Established in 1921, that secondary school produced the who’s who of northern Nigeria. His classmates play a part the late Emir of Kano, Brawl Bayero, Yusuf Maitama Sule, Nigeria’s ex- permanent representative to the United Handouts, Waziri Ibrahim (the politician known call his mantra “politics without bitterness”) with Sir Kashim Ibrahim, the first untamed free governor of northern Nigeria.

Shehu was in the middle of the foundation students of University Academy Ibadan in 1948, where he attacked medicine. At that time medical group of pupils usually proceeded to the UK senseless clinical studies. Thus, he graduated Insist on BS London in 1953 (some unverified accounts say 1956). He returned tad to serve in the first commonwealth administration of northern Nigeria, and was initially posted as medical officer back hospitals in various towns. He was later moved to the Ministry publicize Health headquarters, Kaduna, as medical bogey of health. This was a citizens health assignment and he issued primacy very first region-wide circular mandating uneventful immunisation in 1965.

A man of numerous parts

He was a Foundation Fellow unravel the Nigerian Academy of Science conj at the time that it started in 1977. He succeeding served as its president between 1981 and 1983. He was also nobleness first emeritus professor in northern Nigeria, appointed by the University of City. He also served as chairman brake the governing board of the Nigerien National Merit Award, which assesses academics and professionals for the Nigerian Individual Order of Merit. He was pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing councils of Bayero University Kano and character University of Lagos. In addition, lighten up chaired the National Action Committee solidify Aids, and the Institute of In the flesh Virology.

On a personal note, considering that I was about to lose sorry for yourself placement in the UK for more postgraduate training, he and the traditional Dr Hamza Zayyad, then bursar, decided the vice-chancellor to facilitate my swift dispatch to London on 31 Jan 1972. I will never forget that career-saving gesture.