Dear Mansagian,
“There is no such thing as luck” said Dr. Bola Odufuwa-Bolger as she discussed her professional and personal journey to being a renowned medical entrepreneur-The owner of North London’s Private Eye Hospital, My i-clinic. Luck, she stressed is ‘when preparation meets opportunity’! A simple but powerful guide note to life from an esteemed and extremely successful clinician who is serving as the Chair of MANSAG London Chapter.
It has been heart-warming to see the range of activities that our regional chapter leads are organising for our members. The East of England Chapter organised a family Parkrun with a picnic recently and East Midlands has scheduled a ‘Hike and Chop’ activity for its members. London MANSAG dedicated its summer in person gathering to using your skills globally and being an entrepreneur. MANSAG North- East region is due to host it’s first event in over two decades on 2 August 2025. Each of these events require a huge amount of preparation, and it’s such a relief to the organisers when it all goes well. I’m so grateful to all our colleagues who work so hard to do this on behalf of all of us. Please do send a thank you note to every one of them and support them.
Lots of changes are round the corner. The NHS 10-year plan has been published with its focus on neighbourhood clinical services, prevention models of care and leveraging technology. Buried within the plan is the ambition that the NHS will reduce its reliance on International Medical Workforce. In the short term we are faced with the unsustainable situation of Nigerian doctors struggling to find employment and the BMA motion to prioritise locally qualified graduates for specialty training. The motion carried by the BMA has been met with consternation by IMG communities including MANSAG. Despite our misgivings, it is the shape of things to come as Dr Mike Nosa-Ehima, former MANSAG secretary explained as he prepares to emigrate to Canada to showcase his skills to the wider world. ‘We must never undervalue ourselves’ he emphasized. As an organisation we need to prepare for the challenges and opportunities that these changes will bring to our members in the coming years.
As your executive committee we are committed to supporting the growth and flourishing of all our chapters. The warmth and intimacy we all experienced at our recent in-person London summer get together was simply inspiring. Senior colleagues networked, junior colleagues were mentored and sponsored whilst enjoying great food in a relaxed ambience. We want this experience to be business-as-usual in all our chapters. Each chapter now has a liaison executive member who will support the chapter and ensure your needs are met by the executive committee. The exco member will work with the chapter leads to ensure they are set up and working well for the members and their families. The linked executive committee members are;
- MANSAG President, Dr. Jide Menakaya: MANSAG North East
- MANSAG Secretary, Dr. Andrew Alalade: MANSAG East of England
- MANSAG Financial Secretary, Dr. Raymond Ladele: MANSAG East Midlands
- MANSAG Treasurer, Dr. Mosun Fapohunda: MANSAG Manchester
- MANSAG Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ugochi Nnaji: MANSAG Wales
- MANSAG Resident Doctors Rep., Dr. Fatima Adamu-Biu: MANSSAG London
- MANSAG Pharmacists & AHP Rep Pharm., Funmilayo Ogunremi: MANSAG South West
- MANSAG Ex-Officio (past President), Dr. Chris Agbo: MANSAG Scotland
- MANSAG Ex-Officio (past Secretary), Dr. Mike Nosa-Ehima: MANSAG Yorkshire and Humberside
If any problems, please email info@mansag.org or secretary@mansag.org for more information.
MANSAG’s work in advocacy for our members continues across the country and abroad. We have started conversations with St John of God to explore how we can be involved with their work advocating for vulnerable members of our society; we will strengthen our relationship with Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN) to impact on the health needs of our communities; we will collaborate with the General Medical Council to address the issues that our members encounter with the regulator; we will engage with the UK Royal Colleges so we as Nigerian diaspora health professionals can support high quality post graduate specialty training in Nigeria (SCALE and STAR* programmes). We are delighted to have contributed to a new Federal Ministry of Education initiative, BRIDGE -Bridging Research Innovation Development Global & Engagement – a flagship service initiated by Dr Tunji Alausa, a diaspora doctor and current Federal Minister for Education. You can register for it at https://diaspora-bridge.ng
We were all very sad to learn of the passing of President Muhammed Buhari in London. May his soul rest in perfect peace. You will be aware that he had the vision to set up the Nigerian Diaspora Commission to facilitate the engagement of Nigerians throughout the global diaspora in the rebuilding of the Nigerian State. This week is the National Diaspora week in Abuja and is themed on Youth Empowerment. Next year, the Chairman and CEO of NIDCOM Hon Abike Dabiri has asked MANSAG to coordinate and deliver a programme of activities focused on healthcare and Nigerian economic development. This is an exciting opportunity for all healthcare professionals in the UK and globally to contribute. We must work together to prepare for and deliver an innovative and sustainable event that will be the envy to the whole world. If you are interested in being part of this project in 2026, please email president@mansag.org or info@mansag.org for more details.
Dates for your diary:
- 25 July 2025: 14:00 National Diaspora Day Event Abuja Online and In Person Event Asokoro Abuja https://nidcom.gov.ng/diasporaday/ Hon Abike Dabiri OON
- 28 July 2025: 10:00 Launch of BRIDGE Online and In person Event. Asokoro Abuja
- https://diaspora-bridge.ng/p/public-launch Dr Tunji Alausa HMFE
- 2 August 2025: 09:00 MANSAG North- East Chapter Virtual Networking Event – Free Register on Eventbrite. Dr Franklin Ezeazu
- 16 August 2025: 10:00 MANSAG East Midlands Chapter ‘Hike & Chop’ Event – Free
- Register on Eventbrite Dr Abdullahi Ringim
- 24 October 2025: 18:00 MANSAG Annual General Conference, Meeting and Family Event Details to Follow. Cambridge. Dr Mayowa Omoniyi
And finally,
Bola, in her inspiring talk to the London Chapter delegates stressed the importance of viewing every step of one’s professional journey as preparation for an impactful future event. She introduced the term intrapreneur to encourage us to have the audacity to take our innovative ideas to market at our current places of work. Use the stage to carry out stress tests on your projects and make necessary improvements in those controlled environments. This ensures you will be adequately prepared for the next phase of your ambitious career to showcase your skills and expertise to the wider world. You never know, an angel will be waiting to give you that opportunity that you so richly deserve. Just as she and her husband John experienced. And of course, we all believe in that someone called Lady Luck!
Remember that as Mansagians, Together, we Transform!
Until next time, remain blessed….
Jide,
Dr. Jide Menakaya
President MANSAG