Accurate Data,
Better Health Outcomes
By systematically monitoring mortality rates and causes, we aim to to enhance the health and well-being of Nigerians by providing continuous, accurate, and comprehensive data on mortality and causes of death at both national and provincial levels.
Who We Are
Viable Helpers Development Organization (VHDO) is a registered not-for-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the quality of life through various development interventions.
Our exceptional board of trustees comprises professionals from diverse fields, ensuring a robust and multifaceted approach to our projects. We are dedicated to following due process, being fair and impartial, and holding ourselves accountable to our donors, the communities we serve, and the government. Our core values include dedication, integrity, impartiality, accountability, and painstaking effort to deliver on our commitments.
Our Strategy
Death Registration in Nigeria remains very poor and estimated to be under 10% complete. Even poorer, is the registration of stillbirths which according to the National Population Commission is at 0%. Various factors have been identified in research to be contributory to these poor statistics. The unavailability of mortality distribution across the country hampers effective disease surveillance and knowledge on the burden of diseases across the country.
Our consortium of researchers from Viable Helpers Development Organization (VHDO), Viable Knowledge Masters (VKM), the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and the University of Ibadan seeks to establish a network of mortality surveillance researchers across Nigeria. These researchers would serve as Co-Investigators/ Lead site investigators on the projects that we would envision across the network.
Meet Our Concept Leaders
Our exceptional board of trustees comprises professionals from diverse fields, ensuring a robust and multifaceted approach to our projects
Dr Makinde, MBBS, PhD
Dr Makinde is a medical epidemiologist/ demographer with over 20 years of combined clinical and research experience, he leads Viable Helpers Development Organization (VHDO) and Viable Knowledge Masters (VKM) in Abuja.
Dr Mojisola Olutayo Udoh, MBBS, FMCPath
Dr Mojisola Olutayo Udoh works at the University of Benin/University of Benin Teaching Hospital. She holds an MBBS degree from the University of Ibadan, A Masters in Health Planning and Management from the University of Benin and a Fellowship of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria in Anatomic Pathology.
Dr Joshua O. Akinyemi PhD
Dr Joshua O. Akinyem is a biostatistician and reader at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. He holds a PhD in Biostatistics from the University of Ibadan. He has extensive field experience in collaborative research and infant mortality studies.
Prof. Olalekan Uthman, MBBS, PhD
Prof. Olalekan Uthman is a professor of global health informatics and clinical epidemiologist at the University of Warwick with extensive experience in evidence synthesis, particularly in network meta-analysis and Bayesian generalized evidence synthesis.
Prof. Aminu Zakari Mohammed
Professor Aminu Zakari Mohammed is a Pathologist at Bayero University Kano and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, since 2001. He earned his MBBS from the University of Jos and a Fellowship from the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN). An award-winning educator.
Dr. Bernadine Nsa Ekpenyong OD, MPH, PhD, FNOA, FNCO, FAAO
Dr. Bernadine Nsa Ekpenyong, Associate Professor at the University of Calabar, Nigeria, has over 20 years of experience in Optometry and Public Health Epidemiology. A fellow of several top organizations, she has published over 50 papers and led significant research, including national eye surveys.