Zulum  Appoints Mohammed Arab Executive Director of  BSPHCDA

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

The Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has approved the appointment of Professor Mohammed Arab Alhaji as the executive director of Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BSPHCDA).

The appointment, which is with immediate effect, was announced by the governor’s spokesman, Mr. Isa Gusau, in a statement that was issued yesterday.

Alhaji, 59, had served as the state’s Commissioner of Health from July 2022 to May 2023.

He had also served as the Chief Medical Director of Borno State’s Hospital Management Board from September 2020 to July 2022.

Alhaji is a medical doctor with specialisation in pediatrics, gastroenterology, herpetology and nutrition.

He was a honourary consultant pediatrician at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, a locum (backup) consultant at Borno State Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri, and visiting consultant to General Sani Abacha Hospital in Damaturu, Yobe State.

Alhaji had managed the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital’s Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition/Infectious diseases specialist clinics.

He had also worked as a resident doctor in Ibadan and Kaduna.

As an academic, Alhaji authored and co-authored about 50 local and international academic publications as at 2020 and mentored dozens of medical doctors.

Arab had served in more than 20 technical committees as facilitator/investigator on health projects to several government and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)’s programmes, which included the Federal Ministry of Health, Borno State Government, the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) among others.

Zulum congratulated him and said that the he looks forward to his continued service with excellence at BSPHCDA.