THE Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Ogun State branch, has described the late Professor Babatunde Osotimehin, as the best Minister of Health, Nigeria ever had.
This was contained in a statement made available to the Tribune Online in Abeokuta, signed by its chairman, Dr Abayomi Olajide, said the deceased was a well-known medical icon of international repute.
The statement read “He belonged to the group of people called geniuses. He was a great mind, highly intelligent, innovative, calculative, brave, very smart, unassuming and highly resourceful doctor.
“He was the first to become professor at the University of Ibadan at the young age of 31years. A feat, difficult for most medical professors to achieve. He was an advocate of gender balance, women empowerment, family planning and social inclusion of Africa in the World program. He managed brilliantly, the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria and recorded each success in the access of care for HIV/AIDS patients.
“He was instrumental to a lot of key policies review in the health sector both on the international and national sphere. One of the best Minister of Health Nigeria had. His robust contributions to good welfare package to health workers, infrastructure development, research and foreign grant to the health programs cannot be easily forgotten.
“His influence and impact traversed the whole medical community within and outside Nigeria. His death at this auspicious period is a huge loss to the country. He will surely be missed in the medical community having left a great vacuum difficult to fill. Adieu to a great Titan, even in death.”
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