Nigeria鈥檚 president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been a very busy man in the last three weeks. He鈥檚 removed fuel subsidy, appointed a Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, suspended Nigeria鈥檚 bad boy, Meffy, as the Central Bank of Nigeria鈥檚 (CBN) governor, and signed the Student Loan Bill, amongst other things.
According to the , the number of Special Advisers (SAs) appointed by the president to assist with his duties is prescribed by a resolution of the National Assembly. And on the Senate approved Tinubu鈥檚 request to appoint 20 special advisers, but this request didn鈥檛 state the specific names of the SAs.
However, on June 15, a list of eight out of the 20 special advisers was released. These SAs for the next four years will be instrumental in ensuring the success of this administration. The are:
- Dele Alake; Special Adviser, Special Duties, Communications and Strategy
- Wale Edun, Special Adviser, Monetary Policies
- Olu Verheijen; Special Adviser, Energy
- Yau Darazo, Special Adviser, Political and Intergovernmental Affairs
- Salma Ibrahim Anas, Special Adviser, Health
- John Ugochukwu Uwajumogu, Special Adviser, Industry, Trade and Investment
- Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser, Security
- Zacchaeus Adedeji. Special Adviser, Revenue
These new appointees are all experts in their various fields; however, in this article, we鈥檒l spotlight the two women who made this list: Olu Verheijen (SA, Energy) and Salma Ibrahim Anas (SA, Health).
Who鈥檚 Olu Verheijen?
Olu Verheijen has a from Long University and a Master鈥檚 in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. At 46, she鈥檚 one of the youngest people on the list of special advisers, but she has proven to be a force in the field.
With about 20 years of experience in the energy and power sectors across Sub-Saharan Africa, she鈥檚 the founder and managing director of Latimer Energy. She is also an Advisory Council Member of the US Millennium Corporation for .
This isn鈥檛 the Olu Verheijen will serve the Nigerian government, as she has supported the formulation of policies and reforms to promote investment in gas infrastructure for domestic markets. She was Shell鈥檚 finance lead on the negotiations for Nigeria鈥檚 first World Bank Partial Risk Guarantee.
Additionally, she gives back to the people through her , which offers scholarships for career advancement, particularly in the energy sector, for women and other disadvantaged groups.
Who鈥檚 Salma Ibrahim Anas?
Salma Anas, aged 57, has an exceptional record in the Nigerian health sector with over 25 years of experience. Born and raised in Maiduguri, she鈥檚 the daughter of a former police officer and deputy governor of Borno state, the late Ibrahim Anas.
Salma received her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Maiduguri in . Since then, she has served in both the public and private health sectors and has been in policy formulation and developing national, regional, and international health programmes. For instance, she has worked towards improving access to quality reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent, and elderly health and nutrition services.
Some of the appointments previously held by Salma include:
- Director of Family Health Services at the Federal Ministry of Health .
- Director of Special Projects & National Coordinator Health Sector Humanitarian Crisis at the Federal Ministry of Health.
- Commissioner for Health, Borno state, .
- Assistant Representative/Head of Reproductive Health/HIV, United Nations Population Fund, Nigeria.
- for the Department for International Development – funded Maternal Newborn and Child Health project.
These two women have a wealth of experience and the expertise needed to serve Nigeria in their new roles. And more importantly, their remarkable achievements so far make them powerful role models for young girls and women in Nigeria.
