From Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The federal government has approved the appointment of Prof. Alex Uwadiegwu Akpa, as the Acting Director-General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA).
A statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Head, Communication and Protocol, Mrs. Ndefo Ifeoma, said an official handover letter with Ref. No: NABDA/DG/CEO/426/67 dated June 5, 2018 addressed to Akpa, was signed by Abayomi Oguntunde, outgoing DG of the agency.
The letter, she said, was sequel to the letter with Ref. No: FMST/HM/2018/005/1/154 dated, May 31, 2018 by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, directing that the management of the affairs of the agency be handed over to Akpa, who is the most senior director in the agency.
The appointment letter dated May 31, 2018 and signed by the minister, said Akpa’s appointment takes immediate effect.
Akpan, an indigene of Mgbowo in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, served as Director and Head of the Medical Biotechnology Department in NABDA from 1st June, 2008 to June 1, 2018. Before his recent appointment, he was a Research Director in the same Department.
A professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Akpa is a Fellow of the World Health Organisation (FWHO), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (FRSTMH) and a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria (FCAI).
Akpa presently has four patents granted for his original inventions and has won several international grants for the development of medical biotechnology in Nigeria.
The new NABDA boss is an astute Professor, who has 57 publications, including technical reports and scientific papers in both local and International peer reviewed journals. His most recent publication was in the Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology 2018 vol. 11(1):c64269.doi:10.5812/JJM.64269.
Akpa’s track record of academic excellence earned him Federal Government of Nigeria scholarships for his B.Sc (Hons) and M.Sc degrees and a PhD degree scholarship of the UNDP/World Bank/World Health Organisation (WHO-TDR), Geneva, Switzerland.
