FHI/Nigeria Management Staff

Christoph became FHI/Nigeria chief of party/country director in May 2007. He joined FHI/Nigeria in July 2006 as deputy chief of party, technical. Christoph began as a consultant in family medicine and earned his doctorate in molecular immunology and parasitology. He holds various postgraduate degrees and certificates, among them in molecular biology, infectious diseases epidemiology, health systems management, and economics. Christoph has served as the senior public health adviser for various governments and civil society organizations; prior to FHI, he assisted the South African Ministry of Health in its planning and implementation of the largest comprehensive HIV and AIDS program worldwide. He was the founder and director of the International Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Ghana. Christoph is committed to development, innovations, and people's right to quality services.

Brigid O'Connor
Brigid joined FHI/Nigeria as deputy chief of party, management, in October 2007. Now in her third stint in Nigeria, she believes the country team is motivated by delivering highly valued projects to Nigerians and the public health service. Brigid was drawn to FHI/Nigeria because of its target- and results-oriented approach. Prior to her current position, she managed political transition and conflict mitigation programs in Sudan.

Otto Nzapfurundi Chabikuli
Otto joined FHI/Nigeria as deputy chief of party, technical, in December 2007. A specialist in family medicine and health systems management and policy, he joined the international health community through a program to build human resource capacity for district hospitals in rural DR Congo. Otto believes FHI's partnership with the Nigerian government is vital and that within a short time, the organization has made a significant contribution to Nigeria's national response to the HIV epidemic.

Robert Chiegil
Robert joined FHI/Nigeria in 2002 as a monitoring and evaluation program officer under the IMPACT project, and stayed until its closeout in 2004. Robert returned to FHI/Nigeria later in 2004 as senior program officer for GHAIN, rising to associate director, program support, in 2006, the position he held until 2008, when he was promoted to director of program management. Robert began his public health career as a volunteer HIV/AIDS trainer and supervisor in Taraba State, Nigeria. His career in public health and program management has spanned the practice and teaching of nursing sciences and development work. Robert has received extensive training in nursing and public health education and has received more than 15 academic awards of excellence, including best overall graduating student of his set in University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He has led the design and development of over 300 subprojects covering prevention, treatment, and care and support in such areas as HIV/AIDS, STIs, reproductive health, and TB.

Christy Laniyan
Christy joined FHI Nigeria in 2004 as the deputy director for program support of the Strengthening Nigeria's Response to HIV/AIDS (SNR) Program. In 2006, she became the SNR program director in Nigeria. Christy holds an MBA in health, population and nutrition from Keele University in Staffordshire, England. She has nearly 20 years of experience in development work, and 12 of those in senior management. Christy's passion is helping reverse the poor reproductive health indices of Nigeria, especially those related to the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Through the SNR Program, Christy is leading FHI's groundbreaking effort in public health capacity building and systems strengthening.

Dr Mohammed Dada Ibrahim
Mohammed joined FHI/Nigeria in November 2004 as director of medical services. A physician with over 25 years of experience managing clinical and health projects, he has built and supervised an effective team of experts in Nigeria. Under his leadership, FHI pioneered the implementation of HIV/AIDS care and support in secondary health facilities in Nigeria. Prior to joining FHI, Mohammed served as CEDPA's deputy country director in Nigeria. Mohammed graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, and has an MSc from the University of London. He had additional training in health project management at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Mike Merrigan
Mike joined FHI/Nigeria in 2007 as director for monitoring and evaluation. He began his FHI tenure in 2000 with FHI/Cambodia.  In 2004, he joined FHI's Asia regional office, providing technical assistance in monitoring and evaluation to 12 countries in the region. He holds a master's in social science and a doctorate in public health. Mike brings a wealth of experience in training to FHI/Nigeria. He has worked with host country counterparts at the field and national levels in different developing country settings. His goal is to make a meaningful contribution to a sustainable monitoring and evaluation system in Nigeria.

Henry Mbah
Henry joined FHI/Nigeria as director of laboratory services in November 2007. He is responsible for infrastructure and quality management upgrading of FHI/Nigeria's public health laboratories. He holds a master's in molecular biology and a doctorate in veterinary medicine, with postdoctoral work at New York University's School of Medicine. Henry has successfully led and supported the development of laboratory infrastructure in resource-limited settings. He brings to FHI a passion for field work and a desire to actively pursue creative solutions.