Professor Oyewale Tomori – Chairman
Professor Tomori is the President of the Nigerian Academy of Science and was the pioneer Vice-Chancellor (2004-2011) at the Redeemer’s University, Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (UK), Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science and Foundation Fellow, Nigeria College of Veterinary Surgeons. He is a 2002 recipient of the Nigeria National Order of Merit (NNOM), Nigeria’s highest award for academic, intellectual attainment and national development.
He was born at Ilesha, Osun State and had his primary and secondary education at Ilesha and Government College Ughelli (Delta State). He is a 1971 graduate of veterinary medicine of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and obtained his Ph.D. (Virology) from the University of Ibadan (1976). In 1981, at the age of 35, he became a Professor of Virology at the University of Ibadan. During the period 1971-1994, at the University of Ibadan, he worked in virtually every State of Nigeria assisting in the investigation and control of disease outbreaks, including Lassa Fever, Yellow Fever, Chikungunya and other arbovirus infections in Nigeria, including Zika virus infection.
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Sheikh Muhammad Nuruddeen Lemu
Nuruddeen’s calling is to enable positive and sustainable societal change by strengthening institutions, developing people through knowledge generation and the promotion of leadership skills. In his capacity as a Trustee and member of the Senior Management Board of the Islamic Education Trust, and a Director of Research and Training of the Da’wah Institute of Nigeria, Nuruddeen oversees research coordination and authorship of numerous published works. This includes books, articles, training manuals and internet content. He focuses primarily on countering religious extremism and radicalization, as well as promoting intra-faith and inter-faith understanding.
“Train the Trainers Course in Islam and Dialogue” is a flagship inter-faith and intra-faith dialogue capacity-building programme for peaceful coexistence designed by the Da’wah Institute of Nigeria. Through this programme, the institute has reached over 65,000 people from diverse religious organisations in Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Cameroun, Niger, Sudan, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Finland, Estonia, Qatar, Bahrain, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Dr Ifepo Obianuju Sofola
Ifepo is a world renown facial plastic surgeon, board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He is on the faculty of the Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences, Bethesda, as an Assistant Professor. In addition to running a successful practice, he serves as a founding director of the 3rd largest hospital group in Houston, Texas, under K and S Consulting Group.
He earned his medical degree with distinction at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia and completed his postgraduate medical residency at the National Navy Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland in head and neck surgery. Prior to residency, Ifepo attended flight school at the Naval Aerospace and Operational Medical Institute to become a designated naval flight surgeon and he served on the USS Enterprise Aircraft carrier (CVN-65) during the Bosnia conflict.
In addition to having received numerous military and professional awards, he a has been severally recognised by his peers and mentors for his contribution to the advancement of his profession. A proud 21-year veteran of the US Navy (attaining the rank of Commander), Ifepo leads high profile humanitarian medical missions to Africa.
He is committed to building capacity on the continent where highly specialised care befitting the people of Africa can be attained.
Dr Chris E. Stout
Chris is a licensed clinical psychologist with a diverse background in various domains. He is the Founding Director of the Center for Global Initiatives, a Top Ranked Healthcare Non-profit, and an Advisory Board Member to the Center for Global Health at the College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago.
He was formerly on the faculty at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine and was a Visiting Professor at Rush University. He served as a NGO Special Representative to the United Nations and was a World Economic Forum Global Leader for Tomorrow and invited faculty at their Annual Meeting in Davos. He is a Fellow in three Divisions of the American Psychological Association and past-President of the Illinois Psychological Association and is a Distinguished Practitioner in the National Academies of Practice.
Chris’s publications include the award-winning three volume set, The New Humanitarians. His works have been translated into eight languages and he was noted as being “one of the most frequently cited psychologists in the scientific literature.”
He was educated at Purdue, The University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, and Forest Institute.
Victor Olusegun Adeniji — Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Segun spent the early part of his professional career in the financial services sector. His experience encompasses investment banking, asset management, multilateral development finance, EdTech, and advisory board governance as a committee chair.
He is a co-author of Economies of Help: The Concept Behind the Consortium for Humanitarian Intervention (International Psychology Bulletin, June 2015). This initiative is a unique collaborative framework for solving the complex issues involved in community health crises (such as outbreaks of communicable diseases), healthcare inequities, and humanitarian emergencies.
Segun holds an MA (Cantab) degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge. He was awarded a Blue for representing the university at boxing.
He was named one of 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Davos.
Ernestina Olufunke Adeniji — Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Funke is an operations specialist, author, and advocate for personal transformation. Her career began in the Human Resources Department at The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited. She subsequently worked at the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos where she led a subdivision of the Mission's Estates Department.
In that capacity, she provided strategic and operational oversight for a portfolio exceeding 80 properties and held frontline responsibility for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's multi-million-pound Lagos estates budget.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Jos. Her credentials include a certification in Business Analytics (From Data to Insights) from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she has earned professional certifications in budgeting and financial management, procurement, estates management, health and safety, human resources, project management, and performance management.
Funke has completed specialised training in positive psychology and motivational interviewing techniques, further strengthening The CURE Initiative's evidence-based approach to public health interventions and human development.