The Two Most Outstanding Nigerian professors From Remoland who were born in July. By Charles Adegbite

The Two Most Outstanding Nigerian professors From Remoland who were born in July. By Charles Adegbite

Professor Wole Soyinka

Two Most Outstanding Nigerian professors From Remoland who were born in July

Emeritus Professor Theophilus Oladipupo Ogunlesi

The duo, Emeritus Professor Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi and Noble Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka are great men of global reputations who were born in July, in Sagamu and Isara, both in Remo, Ogun State, respectively.

While Ogunlesi who clocked 98years on Monday July 12, became the first professor of medicine in Nigeria in 1965, Soyinka who clocked 87years old on Tuesday , July 13, became the first African to bag Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. 

They both made sway in those days at the premier university, the University of Ibadan(UI) and left their footprints on the sands of time at the time they were leaving the university.

At the University of Ibadan (then University College, Ibadan) between 1952 and 1954, Soyinka as a student, held sway as a student when he founded the Pirates Confraternity (later known as National Association of Seadogs) for the purpose of fighting  for human rights and against injustice”

They both made sway in those days at the premier university, the University of Ibadan(UI) and left their footprints on the sands of time.

Ogunlesi on the other hand held sway when he became the first Nigerian Head of the Department of Medicine, University College Hospital (UCH)/University of Ibadan, in1969 till he left the university .

Soyinka was appointed Director of School of Drama, University of Ibadan in 1967. 

While Ogunlesi was always in either lecture theatre or surgical operations theater, Soyinka was always either in a lecture theatre, lecturing,, at a performing arts theatre, directing staged drama; whenever they didn’t have any other important things to do.

During his life career, this Emeritus Professor succeeded in training and producing a lot of great and outstanding medical doctors, other medical and health specialists who have also succeeded in training  medical Giants who lecture or practice medicine across the world today.

Of course, many of his products in Nigeria today are medical icons and former health ministers or commissioners, among whom the former Vice Chancellor of UI and Ex-Minister of Health, Prof Isaac  Adewole is.

Soyinka on the other hand, has produced a lot of literary giants, movie makers, playwrights, novelists, e.t.c, across the world as  a visiting professor to many universities in Europe and America.

This Nobel Laureate holds the national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic( CFR) in 1986.

Emeritus professor Ogunlesi on the hand had earlier been  bestowed with the national honour of Officer of the Order of Federal Republic (OFR) in 1983.

This nonagenarian Ogunlesi is the father of American based outstanding investment banker and lawyer, Dr Adebayo Ogunlesi.

Soyinka on the other hand is the father of former Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluokun Soyinka. 

In celebration of Prof Ogunlesi’s 98th birthday in July 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari sent a congratulatory message to him ahead of the July 12 birthday through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Malam Garba Shehu. 

Buhari commended the doyen of medicine in Nigeria for committing himself to training a lot of early generations of doctors and helping to build medical profession in Nigeria. Most Outstanding Nigerian professors From Remoland who were born in July.

Copyright: Charles Segun Adegbite,

Editor, successful People Magazine