*UI mourns
One of Nigeria’s foremost professor of Medicine Oladipo Akinkugbe is dead. He was 86.
He died in Ibadan where he was a professor at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan.
The forest professor of medicine studied and taught at some of the world’s most prestigious universities. He taught at the University of London, Balliol College, University of Oxford, England, and Harvard Medical School in Boston, the United States of America (U.S.A).
He was also Chairman of the Board of Management of University College Hospital, Ibadan, and one-time Chairman of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Among many posts he had held in the past was as Pro-Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt; former Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; former Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin; and former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ibadan.
He practiced for over six decades before he retired. During his years of practice he established clinics on hypertension and the other in renal disorders at the UCH, Ibadan. Both clinics were firsts in Africa.
After retirement, he established his own clinic, the Ibadan Hypertension Clinic, which he managed for 20 years.
A statement is still being expected from the family.
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, has described the late emeritus professor as a great Nigerian with passion for his country.
The vice chancellor in a statement in Ibadan on Tuesday eulogised the deceased as an administrator, international physician, widely respected medical scientist and a man of many preferment.
A statement by Mr Tunji Oladejo, the Director of Communications of the institution, according to the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the vice chancellor as saying, “It is with deep sense of loss but with gratitude to God for a life well spent in selfless service to humanity that we, at the University of Ibadan, received the news of the death of the late Emeritus Professor Oladipo Olujimi Akinkugbe.
“May I, therefore on behalf of Council, Senate, Congregation, Management, staff and students of the university commiserate with the Akinkugbe family on the death of their illustrious son, uncle, father and elder statesman,” the vice chancellor said.
He added that the death of Akinkugbe would most certainly create gaps, stressing that he only recently bequeathed his entire library to the University of Ibadan.
“Really, the death of Baba Akinkugbe is not only a loss to his family but the entire academic world who will miss his rich academic and administrative inspiration.”
He said that in observing the rite of passage for the late professor, “we take solace in the fact that he left behind great legacies which will keep his memory eternally.”
