Dr. Adaeze Oreh, the Honourable Commissioner for Health in Rivers State, delivered an inspiring message urging young people to embrace growth, purpose, and transformation, even when they are afraid.
While she was honored at the event with a Certificate of Leadership Excellence for her outstanding work in the health sector and her contribution to societal development. Dr. Oreh passionately called on the audience to reflect on how they see themselves, and courageously build a bridge between who they were, who they are, and who they’re meant to become.
“What if the bridge we need to build is the bridge between our present transforming self and the person we used to be?” she asked.
The commissioner, who has held top roles in both national and international health institutions, shared her personal story of overcoming self-doubt. She described how, as a bold and outspoken child, she once corrected even her teachers and great-grandmother. But in her teenage years, she began to question her worth and lost her once vibrant confidence.
That changed when she studied medicine at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and saw the stark inequality in access to healthcare between rich and poor Nigerians.
“It was no longer about whether I felt enough,” she said. “I was confronted with a bigger problem, and I knew I had to do something about it.”
Dr. Oreh’s career has since been built around closing equity gaps—ensuring the vulnerable and underserved are not left behind in health care policies and programs. From coordinating blood services across Nigerian states to shaping national health strategies and teaching future health leaders, she said her mission remains the same, “service to the people.“
She further encouraged them to believe in their higher calling, even when they feel unqualified or scared.
“You are allowed to do it afraid,” she declared. “You are permitted to leave your old self behind, cross the bridge, and reach for more.”
Quoting scripture, she concluded with, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
