Oladipo Akinkugbe, Nigeria’s first professor of medicine, has died at age 87. He died in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The renowned professor studied and taught at some of the world’s most prestigious universities, including the University of London, Balliol College, University of Oxford England and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
During his checkered career, Akinkugbe served as Pro-Chancellor and chairman of Council, University of Port Harcourt; Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria; Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin and Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ibadan.
He was foundation Chairman, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board [JAMB]; Principal and Foundation Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin; Chairman Planning Committee, Ondo State University; Chairman Planning Committee, University of Abuja and Chairman of the Presidential Projects Implementation Committee (PPIC) on the refurbishing of Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria.
Married with two sons, Akinkugbe practised medicine for 60 years. During the period, he pioneered the establishment of two critical clinics, one on hypertension and the other on renal disorders at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan. Both clinics were firsts in Africa.
After retirement, Professor Akinkugbe established his own clinic, the Ibadan Hypertension Clinic, which he managed for 20 years.