“As a Neurologist and an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Boya, I became interested in the Master’s in Public Health program as a way of exploring interventions for the increased incidence of substance use and mental problems in my country. My region is undergoing a socio-political crisis, which has contributed to conflict and displacement, and I hope through this program I can develop ways to address these issues locally.”

“I am a clinician working in a tertiary institution in Nigeria. In my country, we have been observing an alarming increase in the number of substance abuse cases among university students. My motivation to find preventative approaches, treatments and interventions has led me to focus my research in the area of substance abuse. I was inspired to take on this program before pursuing a PhD.,and I am particularly interested in the public health perspective, prevention and substance use and abuse management.”

“As a Pastor, I engage with individuals and families that are dealing with social issues including substance abuse. I must say that in Nigeria, substance abuse is a growing challenge among young professionals and university undergraduates. The government is not prepared to cope with this problem and there is a need to develop public health strategies. I was motivated to start this program in an effort to find ways to address the issue of substance abuse with compassion and sensitivity to the underlying psychological and social issues. It is my hope that our country embarks on a sensitization campaign at the national level so that we can educate the public about the dangers of substance addiction.”

I will use the skills and expertise learnt from this MPH program to teach up-coming public health scientists with the desire to contribute to the poor and increasingly deteriorating public health situation in African countries where there is a paucity of well trained public health workers and most of whom cannot afford the high cost of public health training abroad.

I have been selected for the position of Nutrition Specialist with UNICEF. I must acknowledge the immense role PU-MMU played in enhancing my learning and skills. I am ever so grateful to all my tutors for guiding me throughout, and to the student support, helpdesk and IT teams for the backup support.