By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A Nigerian national, Dr. Olusimbo Ige has been appointed as the Commissioner for Chicago Department of Public Health, in the United States, making her the first black female to occupy such a position.
Her appointment was a sequel to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s approval following the dismissal of Dr Allison Arwady, a former commissioner at the Chicago Department of Public Health.
She had previously worked as a managing director of programmes at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a New Jersey-based non-profit public health organization.
The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa announced Ige’s appointment in a congratulatory message addressed to her.
Dabiri-Erewa described Ige’s milestone as “extraordinary”, saying: “History made! Congrats to the first black woman in the History of Chicago Dept. of Public Health to be appointed as Commissioner.”
According to a statement by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, a spokesman of NiDCOM, Dabiri-Erewa was quoted as saying that Ige’s appointment has once again confirmed that Nigerians in the Diaspora are excelling and impacting positively wherever they find themselves.
The NIDCOM chairman urged Ige to live up to expectations while motivating other young Nigerian professionals to also be good ambassadors of the country in their chosen careers.
