Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Nigerian medical doctor and health advocate Dr Oluwayemisi Adegboye has been elected Secretary of the NGO Committee on Global Health Systems, a substantive committee of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, in an election held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The election marks a new phase in Adegboye’s involvement in global health advocacy, women’s empowerment, environmental sustainability and community development. She described her emergence as a reflection of years of professional responsibility, community service and continuous learning across various platforms in Nigeria and internationally. “Leadership has never been about waiting for permission,” she said, explaining her belief in identifying opportunities to contribute and creating spaces where others could thrive.
Adegboye said her new role would provide an opportunity to bring lessons from her professional and community experiences into international discussions on health, development, women’s leadership and sustainability. She stressed that local experiences should remain central to global development discussions because many international issues are ultimately reflected in the daily realities of communities. She said her move to the international stage was not a departure from grassroots engagement but an opportunity to ensure that community voices were represented in broader conversations on health and development.
She chairs the Health Team of DoTheDream Youth Development Initiative, an organisation whose Board of Trustees, Global Working Group, Advisory Board and Central Executive Council she thanked for their support. She specifically acknowledged the organisation’s Executive Director, Adebusuyi Olumadewa, and its Vice President, International, Ola Oluyinka, for their backing throughout her journey. Her work in youth health and development, she said, had reinforced her commitment to ensuring that community experiences were reflected in wider policy conversations.
Beyond her health advocacy, Adegboye is the founder of The ReTAIE Academy, an initiative focused on personal development, leadership and purposeful living. She is also an executive member of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Federal Capital Territory chapter, where she participates in professional and environmental sustainability activities, including the association’s 50th anniversary Legacy Tree Planting project. Her environmental advocacy extends to her role as chairman of the Women’s International Green Summit and Exhibition, where she contributes to discussions on green innovation and climate action. She also serves as Health Mandate Team Lead at Lighthouse International Churches, Shabak Centre, Abuja.
Adegboye identified her participation in Women in Global Health programmes as an important influence on her leadership development. The programmes included the Intersectionality Course, Speakers Bureau and Global Health Advocates training. She said the experience deepened her understanding of power, inclusion, communication and advocacy, contributing to the development of her PRISA leadership framework. Under that framework, she explained, leadership positions should be treated as responsibilities rather than instruments of control, with those in positions of influence using their platforms to amplify the voices of people who may not ordinarily have access to decision-making spaces.
On creating room for others, Adegboye said women should actively pursue leadership opportunities while ensuring that others also have the opportunity to participate, develop and grow. She explained that intersectionality and inclusivity required leaders to recognise the different circumstances that shape people’s experiences rather than rely on single-issue approaches to development. On communication, she stressed the importance of courage, clarity and respectful engagement, particularly for women seeking to participate in decision-making. She also said advocacy should extend beyond international institutions to the household, workplace, community, state and national levels, with the goal of influencing policies and improving people’s lives. She linked these principles to her work with The ReTAIE Academy, which she described as a platform for personal and leadership development, guided by the idea of moving from vision to legacy.
The election comes amid continuing international efforts to strengthen health systems, advance universal health coverage and promote civil society participation in health policy development and implementation. The NGO Committee on Global Health Systems operates within the Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, a body that facilitates the participation of civil society organisations in the work of the United Nations. Its committees provide platforms for NGOs to engage with UN processes, share expertise and advocate on issues of global concern. Adegboye’s election places her at the centre of a committee whose mandate intersects with some of the most pressing health challenges facing the world, including health system strengthening, equitable access to care and the integration of community perspectives into policy design.
The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York has been dominated by discussions on global governance reform, sustainable development, climate action and pandemic preparedness. World leaders and civil society representatives have used the platform to press for stronger multilateral cooperation on health, with the World Health Organisation warning that continued investment is needed to prepare for future pandemic threats. The recent outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has spread to 63 health zones and claimed thousands of lives, has underscored the urgency of strengthening health systems, particularly in Africa. Adegboye’s election therefore places a Nigerian voice at the table as the international community debates how to build more resilient health systems and ensure that the lessons of recent crises are translated into durable reforms.
Her election also comes amid heightened scrutiny of Nigeria’s engagement with the United Nations. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not attend the 81st UNGA in person, delegating Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation and deliver the national statement. The Presidency’s decision was criticised by opposition figures, who questioned the President’s absence from the global stage at a time of significant diplomatic activity. Adegboye’s election offers a counterpoint, demonstrating that Nigerian professionals continue to secure influential positions within the UN system even as the country’s top leadership remains absent from the General Assembly’s proceedings. She is the latest in a line of Nigerians to win elections to UN bodies in 2026, following Dr Taoheed Olufemi Elias’s election to the International Law Commission, Professor Lawrence Folajimi Awosika’s re-election as Chairman of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, and Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia’s election to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
For Adegboye, the election represents both a personal achievement and a platform for advancing the causes she has championed throughout her career. She said she would continue to draw on her experiences in health advocacy, professional service, women’s empowerment and community development to contribute to international discussions while creating opportunities for others to participate in leadership and development initiatives. Her message to women seeking to enter decision-making spaces was unambiguous: leadership is not about waiting for permission. As she put it, local experiences should remain central to global development discussions because many international issues are ultimately reflected in the daily realities of communities. Her election offers a reminder that Nigerian expertise continues to shape global conversations, even as the country’s domestic challenges persist.
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