An Imperfect Storm – Chikwe Ihekweazu

In Katsina State, it was encouraging to see that so many people were willing to take the COVID-19 test, but we encountered challenges with the facilities for care and treatment. In Kano State, for instance, there seemed to be a large undetected outbreak going on, and even some of our colleagues working in the EOC got infected. The EOC had to shut down temporarily, and the coordination structure fell apart for a while.

Even the Commissioner for Health ended up in isolation. Many states seemed to have taken their lead from the Federal Government to set up task forces to manage the response, often parallel to state public health teams. We met with Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who expressed his commitment to the response. Our visits to the states were very brief, yet important, given the need to ensure that all states were fully aware of the situation and that the response was being led by the highest level of government at the state level.

In the early weeks of the response, news circulated that many high-level government officials had tested positive for the virus, possibly contracted during trips abroad. While some were forthcoming and shared their results publicly, others decided not to. I strongly encouraged those who had tested positive to be transparent about their infection, as this would encourage others to get tested.

We also stressed the importance of isolating in government facilities to prevent the spread of the virus. By the end of 2020, at least seven governors, several ministers, and members of the Senate and House of Representatives had tested positive for COVID-19. Of course, we knew all of them, but the majority of officials who had tested positive chose not to disclose their test status publicly, which put others at risk. Senior colleagues even demanded that I reveal the identities of those who had tested positive.

I always maintained that patient confidentiality was paramount, and that I would only disclose information with their consent or in exceptional circumstances where public safety was at risk. One senior colleague, following my refusal to disclose this information, severely berated me and warned me to be careful. Another interesting development was the sudden emergence of the so- called ‘Air Doctor virus blocker tag’ in the Nigerian market, which claimed to offer virus-blocking capabilities.

At one point, it seemed everyone was wearing this badge on their clothing, including several government officials. When asked to comment on the matter, I told the media that there was no evidence to support the tag’s effectiveness in preventing the spread of the virus nor any indication of biological plausibility. Our sister agency, the drug regulatory agency in Nigeria, NAFDAC, also released a similar statement. Unfortunately, some governors and ministers continued to appear in public wearing the tags. This was an illustration of desperation and the challenge we faced, trying to communicate accurate information about the pandemic to the public.

Praise for AN IMPERFECT STORM “This book presents a unique account of Nigeria’s fight against the COVID- 19 pandemic. NCDC emerged from that experience as a beacon of hope in our nation’s darkest hours. This book provides a narrative of resilience, diplomacy, and the collective effort against a common challenge. It serves as a reminder of the highs, lows, and unwavering spirit that enabled our country’s response to an unprecedented global crisis. I am left with even deeper admiration and respect, for those at the frontline of our country’s health security.”

—Yemi Osinbajo GCON, Vice President of Nigeria (2015 – May 2023) “This book provides a compelling narrative of Nigeria’s COVID-19 response, as told through Chikwe’s unique lens as DG of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. I commend this book for its exploration of Nigeria’s resilient response—a true testament to collaborative efforts, leadership, and the unwavering spirit that influenced an entire nation facing a global crisis. I recommend this book to leaders across the world aspiring to strengthen their country’s health security, as it provides valuable insights to navigate health challenges.”

—Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization “An Imperfect Storm is a riveting account of the battle against COVID-19 by one of Nigeria’s frontline heroes in that battle, Chikwe Ihekweazu and his wife and partner Vivianne. But the book is much more than that. It is also a fascinating journey through multiple facets of the national and global public health landscape.

Told through a personal and biographical lens that weaves in the couple’s love story, it is a read that once started is difficult to put down. I strongly recommend it to all those seeking to learn more about infectious disease control and management whilst enjoying a compelling narrative.” —Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organization “An Imperfect Storm is an excellent playbook on leadership in an African context and a powerful guide to building a resilient African institution. It should be mandatory reading for anyone grappling with either.

But more than anything it’s a testament to Chikwe’s incredible love for country and his strong and uncompromising sense of duty. We owe him.”

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 91c4773cc9fd50ef
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 5,693,898 bytes (5.43 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9789786048895
• Pages: 229
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 353.35 minutes
• Total Words: 70,669
• Total Characters: 434,922
• Average Words per Page: 308.6
• Average Characters per Page: 1899.22

Most Frequent Words

health (457), ncdc (381), nigeria (318), public (313), response (225), time (202), pandemic (189), work (170), support (165), team (159), also (148), many (147), national (142), country (140), one (137), people (135), first (129), state (128), covid (125), outbreak (120), staff (115), government (107), new (104), colleagues (100), agency (97), years (92), disease (91), made (90), needed (89), even (86), laboratory (86), cases (81), countries (80), wasn’t (79), sector (79), infectious (77), global (76), case (75), like (73), working (72), states (72), always (71), world (70), chikwe (69), often (69), make (66), day (65), nigerians (65), together (64), situation (64), didn’t (64), received (63), much (62), africa (61), including (60), virus (60), diseases (60), information (60), system (59), nigerian (59), president (58), leadership (58), every (58), development (57), media (57), centre (56), efforts (56), felt (56), especially (56), knew (56), resources (55), given (55), take (55), early (55), china (55), capacity (54), never (54), experience (53), challenges (53), outbreaks (53), news (52), way (52), worked (52), control (51), director (51), family (51), training (51), young (51), nigeria’s (50), leaders (50), led (50), back (50), became (50), minister (50), surveillance (50), across (49), role (49), provided (49), despite (49), within (48).

PDF Download