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Tag: pioneer

  • 1960/001:UNN’s first student, 93, shows off his certificate

    1960/001:UNN’s first student, 93, shows off his certificate

    It was an exciting moment for members of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) community when the pioneer students of the institution were honoured in a programme marking the golden jubilee of its first graduation. The first student to be registered pulled a surprise when he displayed his certificate bearing his matriculation number. INYA AGHA reports.

    •Excitement as pioneer students return to varsity

    Fifty years after they were awarded their first degree certificates, the pioneer graduates of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) have returned to the school.

    As they were being welcomed, one of them, Chief C. N. Eneasato, 93, surprised all. He came with his certificate with the matriculation number 1960/001 to show the guests that he was the first student to be registered in the university.

    The management under the leadership of Prof Bartho Okolo had organised a golden jubilee anniversary to honour the 1963 graduates whose outstanding performance in the year’s civil service examination earned the university respect and put an end to derisive criticisms that trailed its establishment as a full-fledged university in 1960.

    It was reported that the first graduates of the university took the first 10 positions in the examination, ahead of their counterparts from the then University College, Ibadan, which was established in 1948.

    According to the Vice-Chancellor, some people moved against the establishment of UNN at the time of its founding, but the performance of its graduates silenced the critics.

    Okolo said: “This distinguished generation of Lions and Lionesses excelled beyond anyone’s imagination. It was reported that their excellent performance at the civil service examination was the beginning of the reputation of excellence, which we all enjoy at the UNN today. Their achievements opened doors for subsequent graduates of this university. Some of these heroes may have fallen, but an event of this nature serves to express our respect, admiration and gratitude for being worthy pioneer students and graduates of this legacy institution. We salute and congratulate them for the legacy of excellence which they bequeathed to us.”

    The Pro-Chancellor, Dr Emeka Enejere, said honouring the pioneer graduates was necessary to bring back the past glory of the university for people to have a better understanding of its present state, and make projection into its future.

    He chronicled the history of the UNN from when the idea was conceived to when the institution was finally established in October 7, 1960. He saluted the faith of the pioneer graduates in the university at a time when, he said, people called to question the validity of a degree awarded by the institution.

    “The role you all played in the University of Nigeria cannot be forgotten; we cannot thank you enough for bearing the name, the Lions and Lionesses, with dignity and candour. Your alma mater is proud of you, and your names shall eternally be written in the book of records of the university,” he said.

    The best graduating student of the 1963 class, Prof Johnson Asiegbu, recounted how his set was derided and criticised for being students of UNN, saying many of the critics called the institution Zik’s secondary school. But their determination to succeed, despite infrastructural challenges, he said, made them resilient and focused.

    He said: “UNN gave us an assignment when we came here in 1960. An assignment to restore the dignity of man; we came with enthusiasm from start to finish. But within the university, we had challenges of infrastructure and people ridiculed us and our university. If that challenge had affected us, it would have been a different history. But we never lost faith because we knew we had a duty to do for ourselves and to the country.

    “Even the Federal Civil Service examination that was organised in 1963 was meant to prove that UNN graduates were not worthy of their certificates.

    But the table turned on the critics as we put up a sterling performance by occupying all the top positions in the test. I am happy that the university has sustained that tradition of excellence over the years.”

    Prof Solomon Omoregie, one of the pioneer graduates, said the spirit of hard work, which they learnt during their undergraduate days, was the bedrock of their successes in their postgraduate studies abroad.

    Prof Omoregie recalled how his classmates had to line up waiting for their turn to study a particular textbook recommended by their teachers. “If you had the opportunity to read that book for 30 minutes, you would not see it again for the whole session, that was how we started,” he said.

    The octogenarian, who has a flair for poetry, donated copies of his last book to Nnamdi Azikiwe Library to appreciate his alma mater for giving his life a good shape.

    The peak of the event was the presentation of pencil portraits of old and young images of the honorees by the Pro-chancellor and Vice-Chancellor.

    The UNN registered over 200 students in October 1960 and graduated 150 of them in 1963.

     

  • Exit of a natural medicine pioneer

    The news of the death of Oluyemisi Akinadewo caught practitioners et al unaware. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA and WALE ADEPOJU report what they say about the pioneer Director-General, Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA).

     

    The first Director-General of the Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), Oluyemi Akinadewo, is dead. He died of cardiac arrest at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). He was on oxygen mask for three days before he breathed his last. He was 68.

    The late Akinadewo was a man of many parts; first, he was an orthodox medicine practitioner; and then a traditional medicine practitioner – a passion he nurtured till he passed away on May 7.

    In his lifetime, he held several key positions within and outside the country. Some of them are Coordinator, National Expert Committee (NEC) on Traditional Medicine; Director, Ministry of Science and Technology, Director-General, Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA); Visiting International Chairman, Hong Kong Traditional Medicine Board; International Vice President, Nigeria Agency for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS and Cancer and President, Nigeria China Academy of Natural Medicine.

    He wrote many books. Some of them are: “Sketch on Natural Medicine”, “Medicinal Plants and their Therapeutic Uses in the South west Zone of Nigeria (Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states).

     

    Expressions of practitioners, loved ones, and others on him Excerpts:

     

    Arch-Bishop (Prof) Magnus Atilade, a Chiropractor

    Death is the great denominator. The late Prof Akinadewo was a very devoted and faithful enthusiast. He was an active and ardent administrator. He tried his best to promote traditional medicine. I nominated him as the Director-General of Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA). At that time the Federal Ministry of Health was distancing itself from herbalists because its leading lights were orthodox doctors.The college was not the original idea of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. It was in the proposal of the then Nigerian Council of Physician of Natural Medicine led by me, Dr (Bishop) Magnus Atilade as President; Dr Samuel Fafure as deputy and the late Dr Marcus Dawodu as Secretary. We wanted an institution in which we could impart knowledge to young Nigerians, carry out researches and produce Nigerian healing herbal formulas; develop them into proprietary products, which would be sold in Nigeria and overseas. As a re-assurance that government funds would not be spent irreverently, we, the Council members, proposed that Federal Ministry of Science and Technology appoint from the civil service a director-general as executive head of the college. The proposal was accepted and the late Akinadewo was chosen. His Foundation should not go down the drain. I appeal that his struggles would not be in vain. Practitioners in Traditional Medicine and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) should come together and push the Bill into Law at the Senate by ensuring the President append his signature.

     

    CEO, Health Forever Living Products, Otunba Okubena Olajuwon

    I met Prof Akinadewo several years ago when he was the pioneer Director-General of Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA). Through this agency, enlightened public awareness was created for the first time through a Federal Government agency. Even though during his tenure, the African Union (AU) was encouraging and mandating all African states, including Nigeria to institutionalise African Traditional Medicine within the decade of 2001 to 2010, Nigeria did not get its acts together and she is one of the few delinquent countries that failed to implement the AU mandate because as at 2013, the law governing Traditional Medicine has not been enacted. After his retirement from NNMDA, the tempo of popularising natural medicine seemed to have gone down, but surprisingly, he resurfaced in his private capacity to join the clarion call for institutionalising traditional medicine in the last three years of his sojourn on earth. He made his mark and contributed his quota to the development of natural medicine in Nigeria. As a tribute to his memory, I hope the appropriate authorities would accelerate efforts to enact the appropriate law that would give official recognition to Traditional Medicine in Nigeria and institutionalise it in the country so that TM would take its appropriate place in the healthcare delivery system. There is no doubt that all stakeholders would miss his invaluable contribution to the development of the TM project.

     

    His second wife, Mrs Ololade Akinadewo

    We will miss him, especially his commitment to God. I am not happy because he hasn’t lived long to eat the fruit of his labour. The family received the news of his death terribly. It was terrible when the children heard about their dad’s death. They were all weeping and crying. I have never seen my younger son cried the way he did in his life. He cried for almost a day. He cried for almost three hours non-stop. He kept sobbing. We all missed him anyway. We are all still crying. What I can do is to encourage people that are working with him to keep up his legacy.

     

    Chairman, National Expert Committee, Prof Adebukunola Adefula-Ositelu

    Prof Akinadewo was a man of many parts and one of many brains that Nigeria can be proud of. He was the pivot, the wheel that was steering the committee to go on. He was important and highly respected. He was always going to Abuja and all the ministries to seek support as if going to the next door. My first contact with him was four years ago when Titi Oduye introduced him to me. He had a complaint about his eyes and when I examined him I found out he has primary open angle glaucoma. He became interested in garcina Kola nut extract (Yoruba, orogbo) research work that I had done. He was present when I delivered my inaugural lecture. He also brought members of the committee with him and they were all very impressed with the garcina kola clinical work. We had two meetings. The second was at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, which stakeholders in the health sector such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRID), different national committees, Mr Femi Kusa, and many others graced. There, it was decided we need to move forward concerning the natural products that we have in Nigeria. It was agreed that practitioners should come forward with their formulas which would be subjected to clinical trials; do toxicology, among others. Three weeks ago we had a meeting at his office on Ikorodu Road. We asked people to come and register their products for clinical trials. They too will be involved. We made the move because there were factions. We were trying to bring them together to have one voice. His death should not bring the committee to an end. I think we still need to get over the shock of his death. Naturally, it was another shock for me this year having lost my husband earlier in the year. We can get over this. Once he is burie,. I think we can come together again and start off somewhere. I don’t think we should allow his dream to die. Many of the committee members are well-known and well to do. We will decide on what next to do.

     

    Tam Okujagu, Director General/Chief Executive

    Prof Oluyemi Akinadewo served several years in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and became the pioneer Director- General, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) on its establishment in 1997. He was a great advocate of natural medicine promotion, research and development, and worked to nurture and pursued the goals, objectives and mandate of the Agency.

     

    His Personal Assistant, Mr Kolawole Solola

    The late Akinadewo’s career started at Onikan Health Centre, Lagos, as a medical doctor. He was a General Practitioner (GP). He studied at Howard University, United States. The deceased was instrumental to the Beijing 2000 Conference in China. He led the Nigerian delegates with the then Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr Pauline Talley who was also the former Deputy Governor of Plateau State. He was among the facilitators and even drafted the communiqué at the end of the conference. That further enhanced the bi-lateral trade agreement between Nigeria and China. This has blossomed since then. Apart from being a medical doctor, he was also a devout Christian and a deeply spiritual person. He founded the Lord Mountain of Salvation House of Prayer (Oke Igbala Olu).

     

    Former Cleric, Lord Mountain of Salvation House of Prayer (Oke Igbala Olu), Special Apostle Noah Odukeye.

    Late Akinadewo was born into a Christian family; his parents were of Aladura Church. His father, Baba Aladura, Adekahunsi Akinadewo started the white garment church in Ondo town. He emulated his father. He started a white garment church in Washington DC, US in the 70s called “International House of Prayer”. He founded another called Oke Igbala (Mountain of Salvation) in Maryland also in the US. He was once a prophet with Ayo ni o. He founded the International Conference of Holy Ghost Church Nigeria and Overseas.

     

    The Shepherd in-charge of the church, Special Apostle Olu Fawehinmi

    I will describe the late Akinadewo as a spiritual guru and a dogged fighter who can confront anybody and any situation. He was a pioneer member of traditional medicine in Nigeria. He believed only in God. He had been seeing vision and making predictions since age six. He was a man of his conscience. Professor, as we often call him believed in fasting and prayer. He set up a medical centre for Ayo ni o. He didn’t see anybody as superior but God. I’ve been with him since the 80s and I remember vividly that he was driving on a fateful day and he asked me to get my pen and notebook and he gave me 26 predictions and by 7:00pm that day, one of them came to past.

    I also remember a scenario one Sunday morning when he enjoined the congregation to pray for Retired General Olusegun Obasanjo, who then was incarcerated that he still has many things to do for the country. Obasanjo was released a couple of weeks later and consequently became the civilian president. He was my mentor. If anybody had passed through him, they would have met God. We were in the church the last Sunday before his death and he called me and one Mrs Kadiri and said in Yoruba Ijo o di owo e o, (the church is in your hand).

     

    Press Secretary, National Expert Committee (NEC) and a traditional medicine practitioner, Dr Lambo Adebisi.

    I had known the late professor for over 10 years ago. I met him at a period when traditional medicine was trying to get official recognition. It was Chief Olajuwon Okubena that brought the idea that practitioners should come together to promote traditional medicine. An idea that the late Prof Akinadewo supported and gave his all. He built bridges and brought warring factions together. I got to know him better after he retired as Director-General of Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA). He did not depart from developing the practice. The deceased promoted traditional medicine and encouraged others to do same. He was a goal getter and a good listener. He did not relent in promoting the practice. He was always going to Abuja, Kaduna and other states, to ensure collaboration, especially with government agencies and parasatals such as Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Science and Technology. The late Prof Akinadewo was interested in knowing how much people understand him. He always wanted to impact knowledge. He was a good Christian who feared God. He always alluded to the Bible when teaching or talking to people.

     

  • Test-tube baby pioneer Edwards dies at 87

    Test-tube baby pioneer Edwards dies at 87

    The IVF pioneer Professor Sir Robert Edwards has died after a long illness. He was 87.

    Sir Robert, who won the Nobel prize for medicine in 2010, started work on fertilisation in the 1950s, and the first so-called test tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in 1978 as a result of his landmark research.

    Since then, five million IVF babies have been born worldwide.

    Sir Robert co-founded the world’s first IVF clinic, Bourn Hall, with obstetrician and gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe in his home town of Cambridge in 1980.

    He was knighted in 2011, a year after being awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

    A spokesperson for Cambridge University yesterday said: ‘It is with deep sadness that the family announces that Professor Sir Robert Edwards, Nobel prizewinner, scientist and co-pioneer of IVF, passed away peacefully in his sleep on 10th April 2013 after a long illness.’

    The statement added that he would be ‘greatly missed by family, friends and colleagues’, adding that ‘his work has had an immense impact throughout the world’.

    Test tube miracle Louise, 34, today paid tribute to Sir Robert, saying he had become an honorary member of the family, attending her wedding and visiting regularly.

    She said: “I was really sad to hear the news today. I have always regarded Robert Edwards as like a grandfather to me.

    “His work, along with Patrick Steptoe, has brought happiness and joy to millions of people all over the world by enabling them to have children.

    “I am glad that he lived long enough to be recognised with a Nobel Prize for his work and his legacy will live on with all the IVF work being carried out throughout the world.

    “The thoughts of myself and my sister Natalie, who was also born through IVF, are with his family at this sad time.”

    Sir Robert and his Cambridge University colleagues succeeded in fertilising the human egg in 1969.

    This laid the foundations for the clinical application of IVF at Oldham and District General Hospital, where Louise Brown was born.

    The team conducted their research in the face of hostile opposition from church leaders and governments, and sceptisim from scientific colleagues.

    They struggled to raise funds and had to rely on private donations, but despite these drawbacks, found a way to fertilise human eggs outside the body.

    Sir Robert was born in Batley, Leeds, on September 27, 1925. He was educated at Manchester Central High School between 19361944, before serving in the Army in Palestine, Jordan and Egypt.

    In 1951, he gained a Bachelor of science degree from the University of Bangor, Wales, and went on to obtain a doctorate from the University of Edinburgh in 1955.

    He leaves his wife Ruth, five daughters and 12 grandchildren.

    Leading scientists today paid tribute to Sir Robert. Professor Peter Braude, Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Kings College London, said: ‘Few biologists have so positively and practically impacted on humankind.

    “Bob’s boundless energy, his innovative ideas, and his resilience despite the relentless criticism by naysayers, changed the lives of millions of ordinary people who now rejoice in the gift of their own child. He leaves the world a much better place.”

    Early efforts failed due to flawed hormone treatments. In 1977 the pair tried a new procedure, which avoided hormone treatments and instead relied on precise timing. On July 25 the following year, Louise Brown was born.

    Anna Veiga, chairman of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, said that quite apart from his astonishing achievements, he would be remembered for his kindness: ‘We will remember him for many reasons, but mostly for his sympathetic ear, his constant encouragement and of course his remarkable achievements in human biology.

    “Without Bob’s scientific foresight and care for the infertile couple, the treatments of assisted reproduction would never have gained the universal acceptance they have today.”

    Mike Macnamee, chief executive of Bourn Hall, described Sir Robert as ‘one of our greatest scientists’: “His inspirational work led to a breakthrough that has enhanced the lives of millions worldwide. For me personally, Bob was a great mentor, colleague and friend. It was a privilege to work with him, and his passing is a great loss to us all.”

    Professor Lisa Jardine, chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) which licences IVF clinics and research, said: “It is with great sadness that we have heard about the death of Professor Sir Robert Edwards.

    Many thousands of families have benefited directly from IVF since the birth of Louise Brown in 1978.

    Dr Allan Pacey, chairman of the British Fertility Society which represents IVF clinics, said: ‘This is a very sad day indeed and our thoughts are with Bob’s family and friends as well as our many colleagues who worked with him over the years.

    “He was a giant in our profession and many people, public and professionals alike, owe him a great deal. His work transformed our view of infertility from something that must be endured to a potentially treatable medical condition.

    “He will be greatly missed and his contribution to humankind is unmeasurable.

    “It is heartening to know that he received due acclaim for his work during his lifetime. The BFS considers his legacy to match that of Darwin, Curie and Einstein for their respective fields, and hopes his memory will live on for many years to come.”

  • Kessington Adebutu is Surulere CDC pioneer patron

    A business icon, Sir Kessington Adebutu, has been installed pioneer patron of the Surulere Local Government Community Development Committee (CDC).

    The award came barely a week after he was honoured for donating an ultra-modern maternity centre to the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka.

    Chairman of Surulere CDC, Olukayode Adeyemi, said Adebutu’s choice followed a directive by Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), the provisions of the CDC’s constitution, and the donation of a vocation centre where aspiring youths in Surulere are trained in carpentry, plumbing, bricklaying and electrical engineering, among others at no cost.

    “His lotto business has brought hope to the hopeless, jobs for the jobless and great support for the society,” he said, adding that all the 34 chairmen of Community Development Associations (CDA) in the area unanimously decided to honour Adebutu as their pioneer patron.

    Responding, Adebutu thanked the CDC for the honour, which he said would further encourage him to do more for the community and Nigeria.