President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday mourned with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) over the death of Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi.
Ogunlesi who made history in 1965 as Nigeria’s first Professor of Medicine passed away at age 99.
President Buhari, in his condolence message, affirmed that Prof. Ogunlesi brought pride and honor to Nigeria in scholarship and practice, training many students that have become Ministers of Health, Vice Chancellors of universities, and medical practitioners in different specializations, serving in various parts of the world.
The President urged approximation of the legacies of the medical doctor, who scored many firsts, including Nigeria’s first Head of Department of Medicine University College Hospital, Ibadan, inaugural Director of the Ibarapa Community Health Programme, and first President of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.
He prayed for the repose of the soul of the father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and God’s comfort for the family.
Ogunlesi started on the path of a medical doctor at Yaba College of Medicine in 1947, and advanced his career at the University of London, in 1953, where he qualified as a registered Medical Officer in England.
