Dr. Cyril Unogu: First National Coordinator NBTS. 1996-2005
Dr. Unogu first served in Nigeria’s Blood Service as the Secretary of the Task Force on the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) which was inaugurated in June 1990 by Prof. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti under the chairmanship of Prof. Aba Sagoe. It was during his time as National Coordinator that sites for the NBTS Centres in Nigeria’s six geo-political zones were identified, and the NBTS Desk in the Department of Hospital Services at the Federal Ministry of Health was opened. In addition, under his leadership, the Abuja Demonstration Centre of NBTS commenced operations, and the first blood donation from a voluntary unpaid blood donor at NBTS was received.
Dr. Folake Ademola-Majekodunmi: National Coordinator NBTS 2005-2009
Dr Ademola-Majekodunmi worked assiduously with her dedicated and proficient team to establish functional centres in Abuja, Kaduna, Owerri. Ibadan, Jos, Benin-City Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Abeokuta, Potiskum-Nangere, Sokoto, Ado-Ekiti, Enugu, Katsina, and Calabar Centres. Sites for Yola, Jalingo and Ilorin. Centres were identified in 2009 just a little while before she retired from active service. She was instrumental to the movement of the NBTS desk office to its present location at Wuse zone 3.
Dr. Ifeoma Aisha Ogbue: National Coordinator NBTS 2009 – 2012
During her tenure she established Secondary School Blood Safety programme which was designed as a creative way of catching the young ones at their early age so that at the age of 18 they would have received sufficient information that would enhance their likelihood of becoming regular non remunerative blood donors. She also recognised the need for influencers in awareness creation of the activities of NBTS, and subsequently she established a pool of NBTS ambassadors. The programme was targeted at prominent Nigerians whose voices would echo the activities of the NBTS nationwide.
Dr. Ogbue also launched a collaboration programme between the NBTS and transportation companies in Nigeria. By this collaboration, transporters allowed NBTS to distribute their IEC materials to their passengers for awareness creation. During her time as National Coordinator, NBTS worked to set standards for collection, transportation, processing, screening, storage and distribution of safe blood and blood components. Additionally, she intently worked with traditional rulers for grass root mobilization of blood donors.
Dr Oluwatoyin Smith: National Coordinator NBTS 2012-2020
Dr. Smith through close collaborations with international development organizations such as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United Nations, USAID and the diplomatic corps of various countries, directed NBTS operations across the country’s seventeen blood transfusion centres across the six geopolitical zones. She led the design and implementation of various programs targeted at increasing the availability of safe blood services in hard-to-reach communities in Nigeria, especially those affected by insurgency. During her time as National Coordinator, a self-accounting system for the NBSA was established. She also worked tirelessly towards the absorption of NBSA staff into the civil service, and the process of getting the NBSA Bill signed into law began under her leadership.
