Menakaya practiced medicine in Italy and the United Kingdom before returning to Nigeria in 1966, where he served as a medical officer in
Eastern Nigeria. He served in the
Biafran Army during the
Nigerian Civil War. Menakaya held leadership positions in various industrial, educational and healthcare boards. Menakaya served as Nigeria's Minister of Health from 1999 to 2001, during the tenure of President
Olusegun Obasanjo. He worked on various health reforms and initiatives aimed at improving the country's healthcare systems, including the roll back malaria programme and the National Health Insurance Scheme. == Awards and recognition ==