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

This appointment comes after President Tinubu’s return from Accra, Ghana, where he attended the ECOWAS meeting as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government.

Professor Obafunwa succeeds Professor Babatunde Salako, whose tenure expires on July 23, 2024. The new appointment takes effect from July 24, 2024.

President Tinubu has expressed gratitude to Professor Salako for his service to the nation.

Professor Obafunwa brings a wealth of experience and qualifications to his new role. He qualified in medicine from the University of Lagos in 1980 and specialized in Anatomic Pathology in 1987. He later sub-specialized in Forensic Pathology in Scotland in 1991 and obtained a law degree from England in 2004.

Before his appointment, Professor Obafunwa held various positions, including Professor of Forensic Pathology at the Lagos State University College of Medicine, Chief Medical Examiner for Lagos State, and former Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University. He was also the International Regional Advisor of the Royal College of Pathologists (UK) for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Professor Obafunwa’s research spans anatomic and forensic pathology, and he is currently involved in research in forensic entomology and taphonomy at the University of Nebraska, USA. He has authored several scientific publications and contributed chapters to textbooks.

“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,” a statement by presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngalale added.