By Milcah Tanimu

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr. Temitope Ilori as the new Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), marking a historic moment as she becomes the first woman to hold this position.

Dr. Ilori commenced her initial four-year term on February 22, 2024, succeeding Dr. Gambo Aliyu, who served as DG from June 2019 to February 2024. The announcement was made by Toyin Aderibigbe, Head of Public Relations and Protocol at NACA, in a press statement released to The PUNCH on Thursday.

Prior to her appointment, Dr. Ilori served as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Community Medicine at the University of Ibadan, and as a Consultant Family Physician in the Department of Family Medicine at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

Dr. Ilori holds an MBBS degree from the University of Ibadan and completed her residency training at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. She graduated as the top Fellow of the Faculty of Family Medicine, West African College of Physicians in April 2012, receiving the A.O. Senbanjo Prize. Additionally, she is an Associate Fellow of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.

Her academic background also includes a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Ibadan. Currently, Dr. Ilori is pursuing her PhD at the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, sponsored by the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa.

Dr. Ilori’s research interests span a wide range of topics including Primary Care, Immunization, Public Health Nutrition, Non-Communicable Diseases, and Women’s and Child’s Health. She is a prolific researcher with over 30 co-authored publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.