Dr. Jide Idris

Dr. Olajide Idris is the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and a public health physician and health-systems leader with over three decades of experience in clinical medicine, public health administration, policy and health-system reform. As Director-General of Nigeria’s national public health institute, he provides strategic leadership for the country’s health security agenda, including implementation of Health Security as the fourth pillar of Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the National Action Plan for Health Security 2.0. His work focuses on building sustainable national and subnational capacity to prevent, detect, prepare for and respond to public health threats. Dr. Idris is advancing a more prevention-centred, digitally enabled and community-responsive approach to public health. His priorities include surveillance and early warning, laboratory systems, emergency preparedness and response, workforce development, antimicrobial resistance, infection prevention and control, One Health collaboration, and the use of data and digital innovation for decision-making. He places particular emphasis on engaging communities as partners in prevention and response. Prior to joining NCDC, Dr. Idris spent almost two decades in senior leadership within the Lagos State health system, including as Permanent Secretary and Commissioner for Health. He played a central role in coordinating the Lagos State response to Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola outbreak and subsequently contributed to the state’s COVID-19 response. Dr. Idris holds an MBBS from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos and an MPH from Yale University, and undertook postdoctoral research at Columbia University.