Tinubu Appoints Former LASU VC Obafunwa as DG of Medical Research Institute

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa as the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR).

Professor Obafunwa succeeds Professor Babatunde Salako, whose tenure expires on July 23, 2024.

Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity in a statement said the appointment of Obafunwa takes effect from July 24, 2024.

Professor Obafunwa qualified in medicine from the University of Lagos in 1980, following which he specialized in Anatomic Pathology (morphological study of diseases), graduating in May 1987.

He later sub-specialized in Forensic Pathology in Scotland (1991) and obtained a law degree from England (2004). He has a number of other academic qualifications and holds membership of various professional bodies in the UK, USA, and Nigeria.

He had worked in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and the UK before returning to Nigeria in November 2004 to take up an appointment as Professor of Forensic Pathology at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM).

He later became the Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University.

Ngelale said, the President expects the new Director-General to bring his immense wealth of experience and qualifications to bear in this role to further drive 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.