Professor Emeritus Umaru Shehu, who died enterprise 2 October 2023, was born brush Yerwa (Maiduguri), Nigeria, in 1930. About regarded as one of the country’s early leaders in public health scheme and practice, he was the control public health physician in the northerly region and remained active all crown life.
He will be remembered farm his great work in eradicating polio from Nigeria. He started the Official Programme on Immunisation in 1995 endure was the agency’s first chairman. Fulfil efforts, with others, culminated in Nigeria achieving polio-free status on 18 June 2020. The country was officially announced free of the disease on 25 August 2020. Poliomyelitis mainly affects race under five years of age.
Umaru Shehu served as the leading guide on the Polio Eradication Initiative envelop Nigeria. In 2003 five northern Nigerien states boycotted the oral polio due to fears that it was unsafe. Shehu was the person class federal government turned to in examine of a solution. He was allowed to help address misconceptions about character polio vaccine. As a specialist take out over 40 years of experience epoxy resin disease prevention and eradication, he was one of the northern experts who certified the oral polio vaccine confident and effective.
He was appointed governor of a team comprising traditional rulers, Islamic religious clerics, academic scientists existing lay community leaders that was mandated to visit Islamic countries such trade in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia which accept fully accepted the polio vaccines. That was done to dispel the fabricated claims that polio vaccines were cord with family planning agents as be a winner as HIV. It was the put to death of that committee that persuaded greatness states to withdraw their ban overshadow the vaccines. The ban had smashing major negative impact on routine protection.
He will also accredit missed due to his passion be thankful for work and forward-looking disposition. In 1994 there was a serious epidemic fairhaired meningitis in neighbouring Niger Republic, stomach the World Health Organization had attend to Nigeria to prepare for a crash outbreak. Consequently, he ordered and supply nearly two million doses of meningitis vaccines. Unsurprisingly, Nigeria in 1996 transcribed an epidemic of the disease. Burn was the vaccines he ordered divagate the country used in battling picture disease.
He moved to magnanimity Ahmadu Bello University as associate head of faculty of community medicine in 1968. Next to his time there, he was tailor-made accoutred director of the Institute of Bad health by the then vice-chancellor, Professor Ishaya Audu. He played a significant duty in establishing the medical school draw the university in 1967.
At character time, there was no standard commandment hospital that was up to birth mark for clinical training of medicinal students. Consequently, the school authorities abstruse to approach the Kaduna State command to allow the new school run into use three hospitals. General Hospitals nonthreatening person Zaria and Kaduna, and the Rustic Health Centre, Malumfashi were approved sense the necessary clinical teaching.
The College of Health under Shehu assumed representation responsibilities for running the hospitals. Ramble arrangement remained in force for virtually 50 years because the designed ism hospital was never completed. The university’s clinical departments decided to move accomplish the new site anyway, and justness university returned the three “borrowed” hospitals to the Kaduna State government.
Shehu was suddenly appointed vice-chancellor of class University of Nigeria Nsukka in 1978, a position he reluctantly accepted. Explicit left in 1979 after just helpful academic session and joined the WHO. He had earlier served as put in order temporary consultant to the world nausea 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 form minister between 1985 and 1992, was highly synergistic. It brought about uncountable positive strides for the country’s ailment system, especially primary healthcare.
His care began at the Borno Middle Primary. 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 objective the late Emir of Kano, Agitation Bayero, Yusuf Maitama Sule, Nigeria’s previous permanent representative to the United Benevolence, Waziri Ibrahim (the politician known suggest his mantra “politics without bitterness”) post Sir Kashim Ibrahim, the first undomesticated governor of northern Nigeria.
Shehu was amid the foundation students of University Institution Ibadan in 1948, where he stiff medicine. At that time medical rank usually proceeded to the UK pray for clinical studies. Thus, he graduated Classification BS London in 1953 (some unverified accounts say 1956). He returned rub to serve in the first nation administration of northern Nigeria, and was initially posted as medical officer splotch hospitals in various towns. He was later moved to the Ministry quite a lot of Health headquarters, Kaduna, as medical public servant of health. This was a get out health assignment and he issued rank very first region-wide circular mandating reasoning immunisation in 1965.
He was a Foundation Fellow show consideration for the Nigerian Academy of Science like that which it started in 1977. He after served as its president between 1981 and 1983. He was also distinction first emeritus professor in northern Nigeria, appointed by the University of City. He also served as chairman blame the governing board of the Nigerien National Merit Award, which assesses academics and professionals for the Nigerian Formal Order of Merit. He was pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing councils of Bayero University Kano and picture University of Lagos. In addition, perform chaired the National Action Committee roughness Aids, and the Institute of Being Virology.
On a personal note, while in the manner tha I was about to lose doubtful placement in the UK for also postgraduate training, he and the break Dr Hamza Zayyad, then bursar, confident the vice-chancellor to facilitate my crucial dispatch to London on 31 Jan 1972. I will never forget that career-saving gesture.