We have an exciting memoir coming out in April 2024 from Masobe Books titled An Imperfect Storm, featuring insightful perspectives on the public response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. This nonfiction title is written by a stellar husband-wife duo – Nigeria’s very own former Director General of the CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, along with Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, Vivianne Ihekweazu.

Three years into Chikwe’s tenure as the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), he is thrust into the spotlight, leading Nigeria’s response to a pandemic that would shake the world. In 2020, the COVID-19 virus ravaged the world in a way that would change all our lives forever. And it all began at the Seafood Market in Wuhan, China.

Humanity, for the first time in a long time, had to unite and fight for survival in ways never done before. Chikwe and Vivianne’s story is one of resilience in the face of adversity, providing a very personal narrative of a public response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, offering an avenue to restore the dwindling faith of Nigerians in the country’s fragile healthcare and leadership.

We are excited to read the never-before-seen details when it comes to Nigeria’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic told by these two inspiring authors, who are clear examples of frontline heroes. An Imperfect Storm has been critically appraised by many important leaders in the public health industry.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO (World Health Organisation) describes the book as “an 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.”

Meanwhile, Nigerian author Ike Anya, who wrote Small by Small: Becoming a Doctor in 1990s Nigeria (2022), called it “a deeply personal, honest, gracious and beautifully written story of a passionate and sacrificial love of country, made real, not just in words, but in deed.”

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu is an infectious disease epidemiologist and public health leader with over twenty-five years of experience in senior leadership roles at the World Health Organization (WHO) and across national public health institutes, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA), and Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Vivianne Ihekweazu is an accomplished health communications professional with over twenty years of experience. As the Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, a health communication and advocacy organisation based in Nigeria, she works tirelessly to structure health communications strategies that strengthen health advocacy in Nigeria. Vivianne collaborates with development partners to lead the implementation of the Global Policy & Advocacy project at Nigeria Health Watch, which is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Congrats to the two authors!