*Her predecessor narrates: How we survive the Covid-19 era
By Jethro Ibileke
In a decisive move underscoring the administration’s commitment to world-class healthcare leadership, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Prof Idia Nibukun Ize-Iyamu as the new Chief Medical Director of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).
Her appointment takes effect from August 18, 2025, following the successful completion of the tenure of the outgoing CMD, Professor Darlington Obaseki, who will step down on August 17, 2025.
The highly distinguished academic, clinician, and administrator brings to the role an unbroken record of service within UBTH spanning more than 27 years.
She joined the hospital in 1997 as a Junior Registrar and rose through the ranks to become an Honorary Consultant in 2005.
For over 11 years, she served as Head of Department, earning widespread respect for her integrity, deep institutional knowledge, and results-driven leadership.
Beyond her administrative and clinical excellence, Prof. Ize-Iyamu is a renowned teacher and trainer who has mentored and developed generations of doctors, many of whom have risen to become consultants, while others are practising successfully in leading medical institutions across the world.
A globally trained specialist, Prof. Ize-Iyamu is a Commonwealth Fellow and a Craniofacial Orthodontist who honed her expertise at the Oxford University Teaching Hospital, United Kingdom, and furthered her training at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. Her international exposure and global professional networks position her to introduce cutting-edge innovations and best practices to UBTH.
In her current role as Dean of the School of Dentistry, University of Benin, she has been celebrated as one of the institution’s most effective Deans, attracting public-private partnerships, mobilising resources, and significantly improving infrastructure, staff welfare, and student training.
She is also a prolific scholar with over 55 publications in reputable local and international journals, contributing meaningfully to evidence-based health policy and research.
How we survive the Covid-19 era, outgoing UBTH CMD, Obaseki
The outgoing Chief Medical Director of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof. Darlington Obaseki, has explained how he steered the tertiary health institution to survive the outbreak of COVID-19.
He disclosed this on Thursday, after a media tour of the hospital facilities and an interactive session with journalists.
Obaseki, who noted that manning a teaching Hospital like UBTH is taxing, disclosed that he resumes duty by 7 am and closes at 7 pm to ensure that the Hospital maintains its status of providing quality and accessible healthcare.
He added that he, alongside some senior staff, manned the COVID-19 wards during the outbreak of the disease.
According to him, “That period was challenging because I don’t want any segment of the Hospital to be closed down.”
Continuing, the CMD stated that the Hospital has been digitalised for end-to-end, adding that fibre optic cables have also been laid around the hospital for stable electricity.
“We see 1,500 patients in our clinics daily, and about 300,000 outpatients in a year, while about 500 to 600 patients are on admission every day.
“The challenges in catering for these patients are enormous for health workers amid a challenging economy.
“Keeping staff happy and motivated is taxing. What we have done is to try to be there for them because it’s only a happy staff that can treat a patient well.
“And I am proud that the hospital has enjoyed industrial harmony in the last 8 years. The health workers have not had cause to down tools,” he stated.
The CMD, whose two terms of eight years come to an end on August 17, dismissed alleged exorbitant healthcare costs in the hospital, noting, “UBTH, in actual sense, subsidises its services.
“Our specialist consultation fee, for instance, is ₦2,500, whereas, in some hospitals within the State, they charge as high as ₦10,000,” he added.
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