SYNW Mourns the Passing of Emeritus Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe

SYNW MOURNS THE PASSING OF EMERITUS PROFESSOR OLADIPO AKINKUGBE

The Society of Young Nigerian Writers (SYNW) has described the demise of Emeritus Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe, the renowned author of “High Blood Pressure in the African” (1972), “Priorities in National Health Planning” (1974), “Hypertension in Africa” (1972) as a huge loss to the country’s health sector.

Reacting to the news of the death of the first Professor of Medicine in Africa from his Ilesa country home where he had gone for isolation because of Covid-19 Pandemic, Mr. Wole Adedoyin, SYNW President said that he was yet to believe and come to terms with the reality of Emeritus Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe’s death as it was hard to contemplate the void his passage has created.

Wole Adedoyin further lamented that the father of modern African medicine passed away at a trying period in the life of the nation when his knowledge and intelligent are mostly needed.

The Society of Young Nigerian Writers (SYNW) however, commiserated with the family, friends and associates of foremost Nigerian professor of Medicine at the University College Hospital who died recently in Ibadan, at the age of 86.

SYNW finally urged Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu to immortalize Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe’s name and prayed that Almighty God will receive Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe’s soul and grant him eternal rest.

Professor Oladipo Olujimi Akinkugbe CFR, MD, D.Phil, FRCP, FWACP, FAS, NNOM, Officier de l'Ordre National de la Republique de Cote d'Ivoire, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Ibadan, was born in Ondo on 17 July 1933. He attended Government College Ibadan (1946-51), University College Ibadan (now University of Ibadan) (1951-55), University of London (1955-58), University of Liverpool (1960), and Oxford University (1962-64). He became Professor of Medicine, University of Ibadan (1968); Dean of Medicine (1970-74); Visiting Professor of Medicine at Harvard (1974-75); Oxford (1981-82) and Cape Town (1995); Principal, then Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin (1975-78); Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (1978-79); Pro-Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt (1986-90); Foundation Chair, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Chairman, Management Board, University College Hospital, Ibadan (2000-2003). 

He was a member of various international medical and scientific panels, and author of many papers on hypertension and renal diseases in national and international journals. In 1989 he received the Searle Distinguished Research Award for his contributions to hypertension in black populations and in 2004, the Boehringer Ingelheim Award of the International Society of Hypertension. He was made Hon. Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford University in 2009 and has Honorary Doctorate from six Nigerian universities, including Ibadan. He has also been conferred with traditional chieftaincy titles from Ile-Ife, Ondo, Ibadan and Ijebu-Igbo.