Against the Odds: The Audacity of My Leadership Journey in Health Security

The Moment That Changed Everything: My Entry into Health Security

Lately, I have found myself reflecting deeply on my leadership journey, the decisions I have made, the risks I have taken, and the impact I have pursued. One word keeps surfacing in my thoughts: audacity. The more I reflect, the more I realize that I have led with a kind of boldness that often felt out of sync with conventional thinking, a forward-looking determination that sometimes seemed anachronistic to those around me. But that audacity has shaped my path in ways I am only now fully appreciating. I feel compelled to share my journey, not just as a reflection, but as an opportunity for others to glimpse what it takes to challenge the status quo in health security.

There are moments in life that redefine everything you thought you knew, moments that shift your path in ways you never imagined. For me, that moment came in 2014, during Nigeria’s battle with the Ebola outbreak. At the time, I was a public health physician at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), focused on clinical care and academic responsibilities. I never envisioned myself in the world of health security—until the call came.

A Call to Serve

Just a few days after Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola, my Chief Medical Director, Prof. Akin Osibogun, nominated me as one of the doctors to support the national response. I was told to report to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Yaba, the nerve center of Nigeria’s response to the outbreak. Stepping into the EOC for the first time, I was struck by the urgency and intensity of the situation. The room buzzed with activity, teams analyzing data, strategizing containment efforts, and coordinating interventions. Nigeria had never faced a public health emergency of this scale, and there were no guarantees that we could stop the spread.

At that moment, I had two choices—to simply play my assigned role or to fully immerse myself in understanding the deeper systemic vulnerabilities that had made us so susceptible to the outbreak. I chose the latter.

Interestingly, before Nigeria recorded its first Ebola case, I had been doing what I knew best, educating the public on prevention. I appeared on television, speaking about how people could protect themselves. Little did I know that barely a week later, I would be in the thick of the national response. Looking back, I realize how crucial those early awareness efforts were. Watch that early moment here: YouTube Link

The Realization That Changed My Perspective

As I engaged in response activities, one fact became clear to me: this was not just an outbreak response, it was an occupational health and infection prevention crisis. The first Nigerian casualties of the outbreak were health workers who had contracted the virus while caring for infected patients. This was a painful wake-up call. It became obvious that, without stronger infection prevention and control (IPC) systems in hospitals, we would always be at risk not just from Ebola, but from other infectious disease threats.

That realization shifted my focus completely. I could no longer see my role as just responding to health emergencies; I had to be part of the solution to prevent them from happening in the first place. This led me to dedicate myself to scaling up IPC across Nigeria’s hospitals, conducting trainings, health facility assessments, and mentoring healthcare workers to build a stronger health system.

On the Ground in Rivers State

Once a case of Ebola was confirmed in Rivers State, I was deployed alongside a team of responders to support containment efforts. The morning after we arrived, reality sank in, we were at the frontline of another high-risk outbreak setting.

One of my immediate tasks was to engage with all the Medical Directors of General Hospitals in Rivers State, laying the groundwork for a massive IPC training initiative to equip health workers with the skills needed to protect themselves and their patients. The urgency was clear, without strong IPC, our health facilities could become epicenters of further transmission.

Despite the challenges, our team pushed forward, conducting training sessions in any available space we could find, hospital corridors, meeting rooms, even outdoor areas—because the demand for knowledge was so high.

During my time in Rivers, I also had the opportunity to step into the safe zone of the Ebola Treatment Centre, observing the critical work being done to treat infected patients. Seeing frontline health workers fully suited in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), taking extraordinary precautions to care for patients, underscored the importance of equipping and protecting those who serve at the frontlines of outbreaks.

At the end of each long day, we would return to the EOC, reviewing what worked and planning the next day's activities to ensure continuous improvements.

A Personal Wrap-Up: Recognition in an Unexpected Way

As the Ebola response in Nigeria drew to a close, I found myself reflecting on the incredible journey. One afternoon, as the EOC in Lagos was winding down, a Financial Times journalist walked in to document how Nigeria had tackled the outbreak. I happened to be one of the few people left in the room that day, still wrapping up tasks. It was a surreal moment—seeing our work recognized globally and realizing that Nigeria’s response was being studied as a model for outbreak containment. In an unexpected way, this feature in the Financial Times became a personal milestone, marking the conclusion of my role in the response. Read the Financial Times article here: FT Article

A Journey of Audacity, Hope, and Collaboration

Looking back, I realize that what allowed me to push past the doubts and challenges was not just my expertise—it was a combination of:

• The audacity of my vision—believing that a better system was possible, even when others doubted it.
• A hopeful attitude—choosing to focus on solutions rather than obstacles.
• A collaborative approach—understanding that change is only sustainable when people work together.
• The humility to learn—seeking knowledge, adapting strategies, and listening to those with expertise.

What Comes Next?

The 2014 Ebola outbreak was just the beginning of my journey in health security. Since then, I have continued to challenge the status quo, working to institutionalize IPC, strengthen health systems, and build a skilled workforce to prevent and control infectious diseases, including antimicrobial resistance. In my next post, I’ll share how we took on another ambitious challenge: developing Nigeria’s first standardized IPC training curriculum—an initiative many believed was impossible.

Have you ever had a defining moment that changed the course of your career? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment or share your story.

Stay tuned for the next post in “Against the Odds: The Audacity of My Leadership Journey in Health Security.”

I thought I was just educating the public. A week later, I was on the frontlines of Nigeria’s Ebola response.

Leadership isn’t always planned it often happens when you step up in critical moments.

Read my story on how I went from prevention advocacy to national outbreak response, and how that moment reshaped my leadership journey in health security.

Would love to hear your thoughts! 👇🏽

#Leadership #HealthSecurity #EbolaResponse #AgainstTheOdds #InfectionPrevention"