Profile of RENEWABLE ENERGY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION ACTIVIST, Nigeria (Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje)

Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje is an Energy, Environmental, Community and Health Systems Strengthening Activist, who has worked with, and participated in the programmes/activities of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN). Dr. Adirieje has been exposed to several sustainable energy issues/situations including National Initiatives on Efficient Lighting, Mandatory MEPS and labeling for CFLs in place (Ghana), Completed Draft MEPS for CFLs (Nigeria and Senegal), National bulk procurement and distribution programs for CFLs (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo), ECOWAS Regional workshop on Energy Efficiency,  Lighting Testing Facility (Nigeria and Ghana), Development of sustainable markets efficient offgrid lighting technologies e.g. LED/Lighting Africa program (Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal), Consumer and retail education campaigns on LEDs/Lighting Africa program (Liberia, Ghana, Mali and Senegal), and Distribution of off-grid lighting products to rural NGOs (Benin, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Senegal). Uzodinma is currently the President of the Society for Conservation and Sustainability of Energy and Environment in Nigeria (SOCSEEN), and also served as Programmes Coordinator of the Civil Society Energy Platform [CiSEP] during 2012 – 2013.

He was a participant/member of Global Virtual Workshop on Market Transformation for Energy Efficiency Lighting- Focus on Africa, organized by the World Bank in 2013. Nationally, he effectively participated in the Energy Efficiency Sensitization Workshop, and the First National Forum on Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, organized by the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) in Abuja in 2011.In other spheres, he has provided consultancy services to such organizatons as the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Country Coordinating Mechanism for Global Fund (CCM Nigeria), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), UNAIDS, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Agency for Control AIDS (NACA). A World Bank-trained monitoring and evaluation/evidence-generation consultant and health economist,  resource person/facilitator and trainer/capacity-builder, professional manager, health and community systems strengthening consultant, primary care practitioner, researcher/reviewer, programs/projects manager, negotiator/advocate, community leader, volunteer, blogger and author/writer/columnist. His areas of focus are Primary Health Care (PHC), HIV/AIDS/TB, Vaccines/Immunizations, Energy/Environment, Nutrition/Food Security, and Good Governance/Human Rights.

Dr. Adirieje has 10 years’ experience implementing large-scale and complex monitoring and evaluations, and surveys to collect individual, household, community and facility level data. He was a Trainer/Resource Person and Supervisor, training of 125 persons from the 36 States and FCT on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and supervised the M&E of the Home-Based Care component of the Global Fund Round 9 in the 36 States and FCT under the Civil Society for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria during 2010-2011, as the Programmes Coordinator/Administrative Secretary of the Civil Society for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria [CiSHAN]. He was the consultant to Federal Ministry of Health and Unicef, Nigeria, for the Joint Annual Review [JAR] of National Strategic Health Sector Development Plan [SHDP] in Akwa Ibom State in 2012. Since 2012, Dr. Adirieje has served as Technical Consultant to the Country Coordination Mechanism [CCM] on oversight visitations to Global Fund’s Health Systems Strengthening, HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria projects and sites in Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Anambra and Rivers States.

He has been providing monthly routine immunization (RI) monitoring and supportive supervision and capacity building in 250 (two hundred and fifty) health centres in Imo State since two years on. He was the consultant of World Bank and NACA that developed Imo State Multi-sectoral HIV & AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation Plan in 2012; and served as the sole consultant for the ‘Development of the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria Comprehensive Manual of Precedures’ for Nigeria, 2012. In 2014, he undertook data quality self-assessment (DQS) of RI in Njaba LGA of Imo State on behalf of the National Primary Health Care Development Agencies (NPHCDA). He has strong capacity and experience in planning and organizing surveys, field work/logistics in Nigeria; and has good network of experience enumerators, supervisors, and data entry clerks and ability to mobilize and retain them all over Nigeria. He has proven experience with data quality assurance mechanisms (field work management, data entry programming, etc.) on Global Fund grants/projects; and has presided over the procurement of necessary equipment, including laptops under the Global Fund grant/projects. Uzodinma is familiar and experienced with both field and central-based data entry methods desired, speaks and understand English Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages and very much at home with the health sector in Nigeria desired having worked with three ministers and several commissioners for health in Nigeria in the last 10 ( ten) years. He has received the training on Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Data Management; use and application of QuickBooks software; and Peer Participatory Rapid Health Assessment for Action (PPRHAA).

A former programme manager for advocacy and communications at the DFID-funded Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON), Dr. Adirieje is the Executive Director of Afrihealth Optonet Association – a national civil society network/coalition for health and community systems strengthening (HSS/CSS), and National Coordinator of the Civil Society Partnership for Development in Nigeria (CSPDN), Dr. Adirieje has demonstrated/proven leadership and effective communication competences by regularly facilitating communication between different stakeholders, government, non-government, and academic institutions, and leading and motivating teams of enumerators, data entry staff, etc. He has very strong interpersonal skills, is able to communicate flawlessly in written and spoken English, and very much familiar with the cultural context of the Nigerian states of Bauchi, Ekiti, Kebbi, Cross Rivers, Niger and Anambra. He’s also able to communicate in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages, and has a persistent knack for details; having also worked with/for both private and public sectors of the Nigerian health and development sectors.

Dr. Adirieje had also received the following additional trainings on M&E/evidence-generation from the USAID/Measure Evaluation/MSH: Optimizing your M&E team's performance: Improving internal communication and dealing with conflict; Overcoming the challenge of building and leading effective M&E teams for public sector, NGO and civil society organizations; The Virtual Leadership Development Programme (a Diploma course); Country Ownership & Organizational Capacity Building; and Creating an Enabling Environment for M&E Community of Practice [CoP]. He has more than 5 (five) years’ experience leading/managing large-scale and complex surveys to collect individual, household, and/or provider/firm-level data. He holds a doctoral degree and is a consultant to the Federal Ministry of Health and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) among other notable institutions in the country with demonstrated capacity and experience in leading/managing survey field work and logistics, and undertaking data quality assurance mechanisms (field work management, data entry programming, etc.).