Professor Habib is an infectious diseases physician, public health implementer, epidemiologist, educator and a university professor since 2009. He has trained and worked at University Hospitals in Nigeria, Saudi-Arabia, England and Singapore, and has applied his expertise in global health toward topics including community acquired infections, emerging infections, antimicrobial resistance, Ebola, SARS, HIV/AIDS, immunology, clinical epidemiology, snakebite envenoming, and health economics. Prof. Habib participated in the initial characterization of a new emerging infection CoV-SARS in Singapore, and also served as Director Medical Services from 2005-7 to the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (an affiliate of University of Maryland, USA) where they implemented care covering approximately one third of HIV-infected patients in Nigeria.

Professor Habib has served on boards and committees of Nigerian health organizations including the National Drug Safety Advisory Committee, National Expert Committee on Adverse Events Following Immunizations, National Immunization Technical Advisory Group, the Epidemic Preparedness & Response Committee, National Committee on Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis, National Taskforce on the Control of Snakebites, Global Snakebite Initiative, and others. Dr. Habib is an international advisor to the Royal College of Physicians London (UK) and is also a recipient of several awards and prizes including: 3rd Prize at the ‘World Oxoid infection control team of the year award, UK (2007)'; the Singaporean Prime Minister's medal for valour and selfless dedication during the SARS epidemic 2003; and winner of the Ayo-Iyun Prize for best result in WACP examinations. Professor Habib has over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals in global health.

Professor Habib has contributed to chapters of several books on global health, and is an editor to a monograph on Clinical Toxinology (by Springer) as well as three academic journals, including a BMC International journal. He is a consultant physician in Infectious and Tropical Diseases at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria and has supervised/mentored several trainees. He is also the current president of the Nigerian Infectious Diseases Society, Head of the Infectious Diseases Sub-Specialty at the West African College of Physicians, and a Trustee of the Toxinology Society of Nigeria. He is currently the foundation Provost of the College of Health Sciences and formerly Head of Department of Medicine and Dean Faculty of Medicine at Bayero University, in Kano, Nigeria. A native of Kano, he attended Barewa College and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.