Thursday, July 2, 2015

I ACCEPT MY APPOINTMENT WITH HUMILITY, ZAKARI TELLS NEWSMEN

Shortly after assuming office yesterday, the Acting Chairperson of the Commission, Amina Bala Zakari spoke to newsmen.
 
Below are excerpts of her pronouncements:
 
I accept my appointment with humility and with dedication to serve. I believe it is just a continuation to what the former Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, has started which has been at a high level and there shouldn’t be any problem. I have been part of the process: I have known the problems, challenges and I have seen the successes. What is remaining is for us to build on the successes and try to tackle the outstanding challenges.
 
I must say a lot has been done to improve the electoral processes in Nigeria through the past Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega and a lot more needs to be done. I must say it is like trying to reach an equilibrium because the bulk of the work has been done by former Chairman, Professor Jega, to bring the quality of changes to election management to a high level. So all we need to do is to put all hands on deck to improve further on what he has done and improve on the good practices he has left behind. Basically, with the cooperation of all, and the support of staff and the people of Nigeria, we should be able to do it pending when a new Commission is put in place.
 
Challenges cannot be envisaged because they come as the need arises. So we tackle them as they come-one day at a time. And then try to sort out administrative issues then the major electoral issues, which a lot has been put into. We just need to improve where INEC seems to have failed or erred during the last elections.
 
Basically, half of the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) are on seat and half of the National Commissioners are on seat; so we will deliver the best we can until a new Commission is put in place.
 
We will continue working until a new Commission is constituted. The job will continue; we still have the Secretary, the Directors and the Commissioners. The Commission will be doing what it needs to do.
 
ABOUT AMINA BALA ZAKARI
 
Amina Bala Zakari, a Pharmacist by profession hails from Jigawa State. She completed her Secondary Education from the prestigious Queens College Yaba, Lagos. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.sc) Degree in Pharmacy with Second Class Upper (Best Graduating Student) in 1980 from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
 
AREAS OF EXPERIENCE
 
Policy/Strategic Development and General Administration and Management in Health and Social Sector. Development and Design of monitoring tools, monitoring forms, data analysis. Program/project management and tracking. Drug & Supply Management (Procurement, Quality Assurance, Inventory Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting).
 
EDUCATION
Ahmadu Bello University (ABU)                                              1976-1980
B.Sc Pharmacy (Second Class Upper)
 
International Drug Agency                                                              1997
MSH Amsterdam, Netherlands
Managing Drug Supply for Primary Health Care
 
Harvard Business School (HBS), Cambridge Massachusetts.      2007
General Management Program, (GMP 1) Executive Education in Business and Management for middle managers.
 
Queen’s College, Yaba Lagos (Sec. Cert-WAEC)                                    1976
Shekara Girl’s Primary School (Pri. Cert-NCE)                                         1971
 
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Member Nigerian Institute of Management
Registered Pharmacist, Member Pharmacist’s Society of Nigeria
 
 
 EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE
 
Federal Capital Territory Administration
Secretary Social Development                                                     2006-2007
Acting Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development                                       2006-2007 
 
·      Responsible for Policy formulation, general management, monitoring, supervision in the 2 sectors which includes social welfare, sports, culture and tourism.   Re- organized the two sectors to achieve optimum performance by re-assigning and recruiting staff to fill observed gaps.
 
Federal Capital Territory Administration                                                             
Secretary Health and Human Services                                 2004-2006
                     
·      Revitalized an existing Drug Revolving Fund scheme in 14 hospitals, raising the fund from 80million Naira to 300million Naira. Set-up operating theaters in 5 rural hospitals towards an improved maternal/child health. Supervised the development of blue prints for Health Insurance Scheme, Psychiatric care and Public/private partnership in the territory.
·      Responsible for Policy formulation, management, monitoring, supervision of health and human services which covers public health, HIV/AIDS, hospital services, drugs services and other complementary services.
 
Afri-Projects Consortium, APC Plaza, Off IBB Way Wuse Zone 4 Abuja
Head of Health and Social Sector                                                  1999-2001
Acting Head of Sector                                                                  1998-1999
Senior Consultant/Chief Pharmacist                                              1997-2001
 
·      Supervised 8 Project Staff and 30 Zonal Consultancy Firms to manage, monitor and supervise Health Projects nationwide funded by a Government Agency-The Petroleum {Special} Trust Fund (now Defunct). Projects included a Drug Revolving Fund Scheme, Bamako Initiative Program, Hospitals Rehabilitation, and Capacity Building for Government Agencies like NAFDAC, NPHCDA, NASCP and NIPRD
·      Developed protocols, guidelines and contract documentation for project implementation, particularly responsible for  Drug Revolving Fund Scheme and Bamako Initiative Program                   
·      As the head of Sector between 1999 and 2001, Coordinated the development of health sector proposals in line with new organizational focus after funding stopped with the advent of civilian regime.
 
Consolidated Health Services, Abakpa Kaduna
Chief Pharmacist/Consultant                                            1996 -1997
 
·      Supervised a staff of 14 State-based Pharmacists to monitor Health programs funded by the government Agency –Petroleum Trust Fund in 7 states of the Northwestern Zone.
·      Collated data generated reports from the zone and transmitted same to Afri–Projects Consortium (Coordinating Firm).
·      Administrative Duties.
 
CVS Pharmacy Hartsdale New York, USA                   
Intern Pharmacist                                                                   1993-1994
 
·      Assisted Supervising Pharmacist to Fill Prescriptions, Customer related services in an effort to secure New York State License to Practice Pharmacy.
 
Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna                            
Senior Pharmacist                                                                        1984-1987
 
·      Supervised a staff of 6 Intern Pharmacists and 13 Pharmacy Technicians in Inventory Management, inpatient/outpatient dispensing, patient counseling
 
Sokoto University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH)  
·      Pharmacist I                                                                       1983-1984
 
 
 
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (ATBU) Clinic
 
·      Pharmacist II (NYSC)                                                          1981-1982
 
 
Kano State Health Management Board
·      Pharmacist II (Internship)                                                    1980-1981
 
 
CONSULTANCY EXPERIENCE
 
Organization: Songhai Medical Centre
Role: Part-Time Consultant
         Assignment: Assisted in setting up newly established clinic including general administrative set-up and consultancy contract management on part-time basis.
 
Organization: Accessible Managed Care Ltd/ Complete Manage care Ltd   2008
Role: Consultant
       Assignment: Development of Documents (Health Plan, Business plan action plan, operational manual) as perquisites towards accreditation at HMO’s by NHIS (Nigerian Health Insurances Scheme.
Founding organization: Accessible Managed Care Ltd/ Complete Managed care Ltd
 
Organization: Millennium Development Goals Office         2008
Financing Organization: SPARC/DFID (Department for International Development
Role: Consultant
         Assignment: Worked in a group with six other consultants and 6 MDG office staff over a period of 20days to develop guidelines for States project implementation of the 2008 Conditional grants Scheme (CGS); developed materials for conduct of a 2-day workshop for key officers responsible for MDG implementation in participating states; fine-tuned data base of  project location sites for ease of monitoring by the OSSAP/MDG.
 
Organization:  Millennium Development Goals Office        2008
Financing Organization: PAK/DFID (Department for International Development
Role: Consultant
         Assignment: Worked in a group with five other consultants and 6 MDG office staff over a period of 21days to evaluate and analyze State proposals and make recommendations for project funding under the 2008 Conditional Grants Scheme (CGS) as additional spend by states towards achieving critical areas identified by the MDG office. As a group, we determined-using qualitative and quantitative criteria-capacity of states to utilize grant funds as submitted in their Proposals.
 
Organization: Complete Medicare Limited and Accessible Managed Care Limited                                                                                          2008
Financing Organization: Complete Medicare Limited and Accessible Managed Care Limited                      
Role: Consultant
         Assignment: Assisted in simultaneously developing accreditation documents (Operational manual, Healthcare Policy Manual, Staff Manual, Enrollee handbook, Provider handbook, Business Plan, Action Plan) for the take-off of the two companies as Health Management Organizations.
 
Organization: Songhai Medical Centre Limited                              2008
Financing Organization: Songhai Health Centre Limited
Role: Lead Consultant/ Project Manager
         Assignment: Determined access to emergency care and the prevalence of diseases conditions requiring intensive care in secondary facilities in 9 states and FCT (Bauchi, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Kwara and Kogi). Data was generated, collated (including data from 4 tertiary institutions) and further analyzed for further input into a feasibility report towards establishment of an Emergency Medical Care Centre.
 
Organization: SOS Villages, Nigeria                                                 2008
Financing Organization: SOS international
Role: National Consultant
·      Assignment:  Determined level of Child Rights implementation/violation in Nigeria. The assignment covered six states and FCT (Rivers, Imo, Lagos, Oyo, Bauchi, Sokoto), representing the six geopolitical zones. A research was conducted through interviews and focus group discussions with respondents drawn from community groups, government care givers and street children in 5 communities of each state visited. 
 
Organization:  National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)                                              2004
Financing Organization:  Partnership for Transforming Health Services (PATHS /Department for International Development (DFID)
Role: National Consultant
           Assignment:  Developed a Strategic Framework for PATHS collaboration with National Agency for Food, Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) on consumer awareness to rational drug use/self medication etc. Determined how NAFDAC could improve publicity and consumer awareness, while mapping out other likely areas of collaboration. Worked as a team of three with an International Consultant,
 
Organization: Federation of Muslim Women’s Organization (FOMWAN)              2003
Financing Organization: National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA)
Role: Project Coordinator for FCT
 
Assignment: 
·      Organized Training Workshops with Community religious leaders to formulate effective methods to involve religion in combating the plague.
·      Developed   Islamic IEC materials for Audio and Visual Media, Pamphlets and other productions.
 
 Organization: National Primary Healthcare Development Agency                           2003
 Financing Organization: National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) and Federal Government of Nigeria
Role: Project Director
Assignment: 
·      Developed monitoring tools, checklists and guidelines for assessing the quantity and quality of drugs and consumable items supplied to 103 health centers in 19 northern states of the federation by indigenous manufacturing firms.
·      Deployed consultants to verify the quality and quantity of the supplied items in all 103 centers, using the designed checklist.
 
Organization Assisted: Yakubu Gowon Centre                                                2003
Financing Organization: Global Funds GFATM (Funding Organization)
Role: Supply Management Officer (proposed)
Assignment: Co-Developed Document for Supply Management Procedures for Yakubu Gowon Centre in preparation for engagement as Principal Recipeint for Global Funds for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
 
Organization Assisted:  National AIDS and STD’s Control Program (NASCP), Federal Ministry of Health                                                                                                                              2002
Financing Organization:  UNAIDS and NACA
Role: Consultant
Assignment: 
·      Assisted Desk Officers on proposal writing, Designed logistics and developed guidelines for the distribution and dispensing of Anti Retro Viral (ARV) drugs for the Protection of Mother To Child Transmission program (PMTCT)
·      Assisted in analysis of reports for the National pilot ARV program
·       Member/Secretary, Sub-committee for Development of National Code for ARV marketing.
 
ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
·      Chairman, Abuja Tourism Board
·      Chairman Abuja Enterprise Agency
·      Chairman NYSC Governing Board
·      Member Abuja Children’s Home Management Committee
·      Member, Governing Council, Development in Action (an NGO)
·      Member Funtaj Int. School Social Committee
·      Treasurer PSN Kaduna Branch
·      Treasurer PANS ABU Branch
·      Participated in/organized various conferences and workshops in the health sector.
 
COMPUTER SKILLS
Excel, Word, PowerPoint
 
BIODATA
Name: Amina Zakari Nee Husaini Adamu
Status: Widow, mother of 5 Children

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