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Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi

Emeritus Professor Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi LSM (Nig.); LRCP; MRCS; FRCP (Edin); FRCP (Lond); FMCP (Nig.); FWACP; Hon DSc (Ibadan); Hon DSc (OOU); FAS; OFR. Ba-Segun of Remoland; Ba-Segun of Ibarapa; Aare Balogun Ba-Segun of Ibadan. More commonly referred to as T. O. Ogunlesi (12 July, 1923 – 19 January, 2023) was the first Nigerian Professor of Medicine at the University of Ibadan (UI), the first Nigerian Head of Department of Medicine (UCH), the first Director of Ibarapa Community Health Programme, the first President of the National Post-Graduate Medical College of Nigeria and the First Emeritus Professor of Medicine in Nigeria.

T. O. Ogunlesi was born on July 12, 1923, into the notable family of late Chief Daniel Ogunlesi (Alagbede) Osho, the Otun Balogun of Makun Sagamu. His father was a farmer and a blacksmith and his mother, Comfort Efunsola Ogunlesi who was the daughter of Chief Soilenu a former Oliwo of Ijagba quarters, Sagamu, was a trader in farm products, specializing in the kolanut trade.

St Paul’s Primary School (1930-36) / CMS Grammar School (1936-40) Young Ogunlesi attended St. Paul's Primary School in Sagamu (1930-36) and his Secondary Education at C.M.S. Grammar School in Lagos (1936-40). He was a precocious child nicknamed "Professor" by his elementary school teacher. At CMS Grammar School, he distinguished himself and leapfrogged many grades because of his exceptional abilities.

Yaba Higher College (1941-1942) / Yaba Medical School (1942-1947) T. O. Ogunlesi entered Pre-Med at the Yaba Higher College (1941-42) and subsequently attended the historic Yaba Medical School (1942-47). He attended the Yaba Higher College in company with a distinguished group of compatriots, including: Dr. Michael Okpara (Okpara, n.d.), former Premier of the Eastern Region of Nigeria, Christoper Okojie (Okojie, n.d.) former Federal Minister of Health, and Chief Akintola Williams, Nigeria’s foremost Accountant.

Ogunlesi was one of only seven (out of 20) students to pass the Yaba Higher College Pre-Medical Examination at the end of the 18-month course in 1942. He was subsequently admitted into the Pre-Clinical course at the Yaba Medical School, just across the road from the Yaba Higher College, in October, 1942. His fellow Medical School students were: Justin Uku, Christopeher Okojie, G.c. Mbanugo, Michael Okpara, D.C. Nkeme, and D.C., Ijomah. . The young Ogunlesi excelled in his studies at the Yaba Medical School, winning the Blair-Aitken Prize in Public Health on his Graduation in 1947. Having passed the final examinations at the Yaba Higher College for Medicine (one of just four finalists to pass), Ogunlesi qualified as a Licentiate in Surgery and Medicine (L.S.M.) in 1947.

Although the L.S.M. was a valid and legally approved certificate to practice Medicine in Nigeria, holders were looked upon somewhat unfavorably by those physicians and administrators that had attended University Medical Schools with M.D. degrees, mainly abroad. In 1948, the Yaba Medical School was closed down and its key personnel and equipment along with its other assets were transferred to the newly inaugurated University of Ibadan Medical School which was started with official Medical degrees issued by the University of London. As such, a significant certification gap now emerged among the forerunner L.S.M. holders who did not fit well into the new system, with one user terming them "fish out of water."

First Civil Service Years: 1947 - 1948 T. O. Ogunlesi’s first entry into the civil service was by way of an automatic entry in September 1947, in which he was drafted into Nigeria’s medical public service, directly from the Yaba Higher College for Medicine. The four Graduands who qualified in 1947 (Okojie, Manugo, Okpara and Ogunlesi), became qualified for automatic appointment into the civil service as Assistant Medical Officers. At that time, Nigerian Hospitals were not accepting L.S.M. holders as full Medical Officers. Thus, Ogunlesi worked as an Assistant Medical Officer, frequently being rotated from community clinics and public health facilities all over the country, a period he described in his own words as "turbulent years."

In 1948, during this turbulent period, a ray of hope shone through this darkness when one of the L.S.M. seniors took and passed the Conjoint Examinations in Edinburgh – the first time an African would pass this exam, opening doors for other L.S.M. candidates. Further, in 1951, the same candidate took and passed the coveted membership examinations of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Edinburgh - the first African to pass any Royal College of Physician membership at the time. This news spread like wildfire, giving renewed hope to the disenfranchised L.S.M. holders like Ogunlesi, who were still in turbulent times. In 1950, Young Ogunlesi also went to the United Kingdom, took the conjoint exam, and passed, a move that solidified his L.S.M. Certificate and allowed him to get a job as a Medical Officer, like a bonafide physician with an M.D. degree. He worked in the Western Region Civil Services from 1950-56. Despite this progress of assimilation, there was still significant disparity, and the future favored physicians with M.D. degrees.

Dr. Ogunlesi, like his fellow L.S.M. holders, was visibly marginalized. At a certain stage, it became harder to obtain medical jobs anymore. Subsequently, many found themselves in Ireland, Edinburgh, and Scotland and were able to take the M.R.C.P. examinations, but not that of England. Somehow, Ogunlesi, a gifted physician, was able to secure a training position in London and subsequently became the first African to take and pass the M.R.C.P. Examination of England in 1958, a move that qualified him as a specialist. On arrival back in Nigeria, he was given a job as a Medical specialist at the Ibadan based Adeoyo Hospital, a teaching affiliate of the new University of Ibadan Medical School. He worked diligently and tirelessly to keep up and demonstrated competence like the M.D. holders. His diligence came to the attention of by Professor Alexander Brown, the founding Head of the University of Ibadan Department of Medicine. At the time, his Department was full of British expatriates, all with M.D. degrees and prolific researchers regularly publishing in peer-review Journals in direct competition with the University of London Department of Medicine.

As fate, hard work, diligence, and luck would have it, a position opened up in this high-power academic, British-expatriates-dominated Department in 1961. Although there was widespread discrimination against the L.S.M. holders, and the unwritten policy was to keep 5them out of the new University program, Professor Brown saw an exceptional talent in Ogunlesi and gave him a chance. Recognizing the potential difficulty the Young Ogunlesi would face in this high-pressure, highly-competitive position, he put him under his wings as he groomed him in this stiff academic setting. At the time, his faculty included world-renowned Cardiology professors like Professor Abrahams and Professor Parry. Other highly-regarded faculties in the Department included Professors Kinnear, Low, Monkosso, Harman, and Ball - all British. However, Dr. Ogunlesi did not disappoint. He continued excelling, satisfying his boss, and performing his duty above and beyond expectations. Thus, Ogunlesi became Professor Brown's right-hand man and next in line. In this post-independence period, indigenization was gaining popularity. The need for British citizens heading Nigerian's parastatals was waning. The Indigenous Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (Professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike) was named, and the British retired back to the United Kingdom. This trend was happening all over the country. Dr. Ogunlesi continued to be diligent and exceptional, performing creditably and was now positioned next to Professor Brown. As fate would have it, the young, dynamic founding Chairman of Medicine, Professor Alexander Brown, died suddenly of cardiac arrest in his office. Subsequently, all the British Professors (all of whom were resident expatriates) in the Department unanimously voted to promote Ogunlesi to full Professor making him the first Nigerian Professor of Medicine. He later served as the first Nigerian Head of the Department of Medicine from 1969-72.

He became the first Nigerian Professor of Medicine from 1965 until he retired in 1983. He was Professor Emeritus of Medicine from 1983 to 2023 at Nigeria's Premier Medical School, The College of Medicine, University of Ibadan.

T. O. Ogunlesi was deeply intellectual, with a brilliant mind, a renowned pioneer, a highly organised administrator who was one of the founding fathers of Nigeria's medical architecture. He possessed a deep faith in the ability of Nigerians to establish world class facilities, serving local communities. An outstanding academician, he was a great clinician, an astute scientist, a doctor of doctors, and a teacher of teachers.

Personal Life Ogunlesi married Susan Olorunfemi Peters in 1950. They had seven children including Adebayo Ogunlesi.

He died on January 19, 2023, in Sagamu, Western Nigeria. He was 99 years old.

Medicine My Passport, T. O. Ogunlesi, Spectrum Books, Ltd. (2003) Pg. 39 Medicine My Passport, T. O. Ogunlesi, Spectrum Books, Ltd. (2003) Pg. 21 Medicine My Passport, T. O. Ogunlesi, Spectrum Books, Ltd. (2003) Pg. 47 Medicine My Passport, T. O. Ogunlesi, Spectrum Books, Ltd. (2003) Pg. 51 Medicine My Passport, T. O. Ogunlesi, Spectrum Books, Ltd. (2003) Pg. 51 Medicine My Passport, T. O. Ogunlesi, Spectrum Books, Ltd. (2003) Pg. 58 “The establishment of the University could be traced directly to the reports in 1945 of the Asquith and Elliot Commissions which were set up by the British Government in 1943. Equipment was transferred to the university from its sub-university forerunners, the Yaba Higher College, (established in 1932 but formally opened in 1934), and the Yaba Medical School (established in 1930). There were 104 foundation students (including 49 students in teacher training and survey courses) who began their courses at Ibadan on 18 January 1948. The formal opening took place on 25 March, 1948”…… The University of Ibadan, 1948-73: A History of the First Twenty-Five Years: Edited by J. F. Ade Ajayi and Tekena N. Tamuno (1973)

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