Dr Olusimbo Ige, a Nigerian, has been appointed as the Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health, thus becoming the first black female to occupy such a position.
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), disclosed this in a congratulatory message to her.
In the congratulatory statement, Dabiri-Erewa described Ige’s milestone as “extraordinary”, saying: “History made! Congrats to the first black woman in the History of Chicago Dept. of Public Health to be appointed as Commissioner.”
According to a statement by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, a spokesman of NiDCOM, Dabiri-Erewa said Ige’s appointment has once again confirmed that Nigerians in the Diaspora are excelling and impacting positively wherever they find themselves.
The NIDCOM boss urged Ige to live up to expectations while motivating other young Nigerian professionals to also be good ambassadors of the country in their chosen careers.
Dr Ige’s appointment was a sequel to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s approval following the dismissal of Dr Allison Arwady, a former commissioner at the Chicago Department of Public Health in the United States.
Ige was previously a managing director of programmes at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a New Jersey-based non-profit public health organization.
