Dr. Meseko Adebajo Clement
Director Infectious & Transboundary Animal Diseases Management
Meseko Adebajo Clement
Director /Prof. Dr.
Infectious & Transboundary Animal Diseases
Summary of education and qualification:
DVM - Ahmadu Bello university, Zaria - 1997
M.Sc (Virology) - University of Ibadan, Ibadan - 2006
PhD (Virology) - University of Ibadan, Ibadan - 2014
FCVSN (Pathology Specialty), CVSN - 2021
Personal Statement
Prof. Dr. C.A. Meseko is the Director of Infectious and Transboundary Animal Diseases and Head of the West Africa Regional Laboratory for Animal Influenza, Zoonoses and TADs at the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom Nigeria. He is also a Visiting Professor of Virology at the Arthur Jarvis University, Calabar. He lecturers part time in the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Jos and Pan African University Institute of Life Sciences including Agriculture (PAULESI UI campus). A member of the Global Expert Technical Working Group of the WOAH-FAO (OFFLU) since 2014 and currently appointed into the Steering Committee. The international group of experts on animal influenza work to reduce the negative impacts of zoonotic Influenza viruses through the promotion of effective collaboration between animal health experts with human health and environmental sectors through One Health approach. Prof. Dr Meseko leverages local and international networks to address endemic animal and human health pathogens in the region with global impact.
He trained as Veterinarian at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1997 and worked for five years with Pfizer/Livestock Feeds PLC as Technical Representative for Animal Health Products and Merial/Turner Wright LTD as Territory Manager before joining the services of the National Veterinary Research Institute in 2003.
Prof. Dr. Meseko’s postgraduate trainings began at the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan for Masters and Doctoral degrees in Virology sandwiching the latter with RSM-World Bank Research Scholarship at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe) Padova Italy in 2012. Thereafter he was awarded the German Hallmark Post-Doctoral Fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) foundation in 2016. He spent two years at the Friedrich-Loeffler Institut at the Island of Riems in Germany conducting cutting edge research on influenza virus. Prof. Dr. Meseko was a German Returning Expert to Nigeria under the Centre for International Migration (CIM) and Diaspora programme taking up the award in January 2019 for three years. This was especially impactful when he led the NVRI Team in COVID-19 pandemic response with support from the German Ministry of Health. In 2021, he was awarded the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship by the US Department of State that was undertaken as Visiting Researcher to the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine at St. Paul. By 2023 he won International Veterinary Vaccinology Network (IVVN) award to University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine in UK where he carried out advance research on influenza vaccinology. His other specialist postgraduate award includes Diploma of the College of Veterinary Surgeons (Pathology Specialisation) and Certificate in Applied Public Health Research of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany.
Prof. Dr. Meseko is the PI, Co-PI and Investigator in a number of research fundings that have been attracted to his primary affiliation, the National Veterinary Research Institute including the Global Health Protection Project (GHPP) grants (NACOH & NEOH & COPE), Monkeypox, coronaviruses, CCHF, Influenza, Lassa fever, other zoonoses and TADs through which he currently mentors up to 10 staff and students including five PhD scholars . Professionally, he serves in various high level technical committees and consortium in Nigeria, Africa and global.
Positions and Honors:
2024 - Present - Director of ITADs
2024 - Professor of Virology, Calabar
2022 - Visiting Researcher, U of M, USA
2019 - Visiting Lecturer, University of Jos
2019 - 2023 Assistant Director
2015 - 2020 Chief Veterinary Research Officer
2016 - 2018 Research Fellow-FLI Germany
2008 - 2016 Principal Vet. Res. Officer, NVRI, Vom
2003-2008 VRO
2001-2003 T. Manager - Merial/Turner Wright LTD, Lagos
1998-2001 Tech Rep - Pfizer Animal Health PLC, Lagos
Professional Membership
Wildlife Disease Association
Assoc. of German-Nigerian Excellence in Science (AGNES)
Association of Public Health Veterinarians - Nigeria
Royal Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
International Society for Influenza and other Resp. Viruses
Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association
Nigeria Conservation Foundation
Honors and Awards
2025 Global Health Award, Washington DC USA
2024 Applied Public Health Research, RKI, Germany
2023 Visiting Researcher, University of Nottingham UK
2021 Fulbright Fellowship - US Dept of State, USA
2019 CIM German Returning Expert
2018 5th One Health Congress, Travel Grant, Canada
2016 Alexander von Humboldt Award, Germany
2016 Global Health Travel Grant Award, South Africa
2016 4th One Health Congress, Melbourne Australia
2015 RSTMH Research Grant-Bats Ecology, South Africa
2014 Eco-Health Grant, USGS Wildlife Health, USA
2013 American Society of Trop Med and Hygiene Award
2013 CDC, Influenza Serology, AtlantaUSA
2013 Global Health Travel Award, Brazil
2013 International Society for Influenza & Other Resp Vir
2013 Prince Mahidol Award Conference, Thailand
2013 2nd One Health Congress, Thailand
2012 RSM - World Bank Fellowship, Washington DC USA
2009 NIH and Fogarty International Travel Award, USA
Selected Peer-reviewed Publications
Book chapter:
Meseko C.A., Oluwayelu D.O. (2019) Avian Influenza. In: Kardjadj M., Diallo A., Lancelot R. (eds) Transboundary Animal Diseases in Sahelian Africa and Connected Regions. Springer, Cham https://link.springer.com
Peer reviewed Journals:
1. Adedeji, A.J. …Meseko, C.A. Klaas. D. Can pigs add another “P” to the PPR? Serological evidence of frequent Peste des petits ruminants infections in pigs in Nigeria. Vet Res 56, 49 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-025-01482-3
2. Kumar, B.,Asha, K., Khanna, M., Ronsard, L., Meseko, C.A. Sanicas, M.The emerging influenza virus threat: status and new prospects for its therapy and control. Arch Virol 163, 831–844 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-018-3708-y
3. Clement Meseko et al Applied One Health: Nigeria National Veterinary Research Institute COVID-19 pandemic response. Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 2024 Sep 4;91(2):2156. doi: 10.4102/ojvr.v91i2.2156
4. Clement Meseko et al The Evolution of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5) in Poultry in Nigeria, 2021-2022. Viruses. 2023 Jun 17;15(6):1387. doi: 10.3390/v15061387
5. Agusi E.R …. Meseko C.A SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactive antibodies in domestic animals and wildlife in Nigeria suggest circulation of sarbecoviruses. One Health. 2024;18:100709.
6. Agusi E.R.….. Meseko C.A SARS-CoV-2 at the human–animal interface: implication for global public health from an African perspective. Viruses, 14(11), 2473.
7. Clement Meseko, Anja Globig, Jeremiah Ijomanta, Tony Joannis, Chika Nwosuh, David Shamaki, Timm Harder, Donata Hoffman, Anne Pohlmann, Martin Beer, Thomas Mettenleiter & Elke Starick: Evidence of exposure of domestic pigs to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 in Nigeria. In: Scientific Reports. 8:5900, 2018, p. DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-24371-6
8. Clement Meseko, David Olaleye, Ilara Capua, Giovanni Cattoli: Swine influenza in sub-Saharan Africa- current knowledge and emerging insights. In: Zoonoses and Public Health. 61(4), 2014, p. 229 - 237.
Full publications list at: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Eb5EdQ8AAAAJ&hl=en
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7003-7528
PUBMED: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=clement+Meseko
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