Dr. Mukhtar Yawale Muhammad, MFR, mni, is a Public Health Physician and Medical Epidemiologist by training. He obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Maiduguri and Master’s degrees in Public Health, Epidemiology and Business Administration.
He joined the Federal Civil Service in 2001 as a Medical Officer in the Federal Ministry of Health and rose to become a Director in 2021. Throughout his career, he has contributed immensely to the development and implementation of national health policies, particularly in the areas of HIV/AIDS, polio eradication, and the prevention and control of communicable diseases in Nigeria. He coordinated several rounds of National HIV/STI and Reproductive Health Surveys beginning in 2003. He also participated in numerous collaborative efforts with the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Global Fund to Fight HIV/TB and Malaria.
Dr. Muhammad served as the National Incident Manager of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and later as the Director of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund in the Federal Ministry of Health.
In 2025, he was appointed Permanent Secretary representing the North-West Geo-Political Zone by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. He subsequently served as Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy from May 2025 to April 2026.
Dr. Mukhtar Yawale Muhammad is a distinguished member of the National Institute (mni) and is deservedly honoured as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).