Onyebuchi Chukwu

Early life and education

Born on 22 April 1962 in Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. Chukwu trained as a medical doctor at the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos in 1986. Subsequently, he obtained post-graduate qualification in orthopaedic surgery from the West African Postgraduate of Medical College.

Academic career

He is a Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons. He is an International Affiliate and a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a member of the Societe Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopedique et de Traumatologie (SICOT).

He was the Chief Medical Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (2003–2008). In 2007, he was appointed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Ebonyi State University Abakaliki Nigeria and visiting Professor of Surgery at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus in 2010.

C. O. Onyebuchi Chukwu was the former Nigerian Minister of Health, who resigned in October 2014, to run as a candidate for the Governorship of Ebonyi state, Nigeria. He was the minister that led the hugely successful fight against the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in Nigeria.He is a fellow of both the West African and the International College of Surgeons and a member of the Board of Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (Nigeria) of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GAFTM) and the West and Central African Constituency representative on the Board of the GAFTM; as well as the Chairman of the Bureau of Ministers of Health of the African Union (CAMH6).

Controversies

In 2008 Onyebuchi Chukwu was dismissed as the Chief Medical Officer of Ebonyi University Teaching Hospital by the Ebonyi State government due to an uncovered fraud.

Political career

Onyebuchi Chukwu was first appointed Minister of Health of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in April 2010 and re-appointed in June 2011. As Minister of Health of Nigeria, he has championed the Transformation Agenda of the President in the health sector with considerable success. He ensured the approval of the National Strategic Health Development Plan (NSHDP) by the Federal Executive Council and the signing of the International Health Partnership (IHP+) compact securing partners’ commitment to the implementation of the plan.

During his term, Guinea Worm Disease was eradicated in Nigeria for which the WHO in December 2013 certificated Nigeria as a Guinea Worm Free country. His term has also seen the worst strikes among medical workers in protest to the poor conditions or pay and working to which he is largely oblivious.