Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi (12 July, 1923 – 19 January, 2023) was a Nigerian academic and medical doctor recognised as the pioneer Professor of Medicine in Nigeria. Celebrated as the country’s first Professor of Medicine and widely honoured as the “Father of Postgraduate Medical Education in Nigeria,” his life’s work shaped the nation’s healthcare system and set standards for medical training across Africa.
Early life
Ogunlesi was born to a blacksmith in Sagamu, Ogun State. Between 1931 and 1940, he went to St. Paul’s Primary School, Sagamu. He obtained his Secondary School Certificate at CMS Grammar School, Lagos where his academic excellence earned him the nickname “professor” from his teacher.
Between 1941 and 1942, Ogunlesi attended the pre-medical programme at Yaba Higher College. From 1942 to 1947, he earned a Licentiate in Surgery and Medicine (LSM) with distinction in the fields of Medicine and Public Health from Yaba Medical School.
In 1948, Yaba Medical School was closed, making way for the establishment of the University of Ibadan Medical School, which conferred medical degrees in affiliation with the University of London.
From 1947 to 1949, holders of the LSM were no longer recognised as medical officers in Nigeria. This development prompted Ogunlesi to pursue additional licensing and certification in the medical field.
In 1950, he passed the conjoint examinations in Edinburgh, and in 1957, he earned his first postgraduate degree in Medicine from the University of London.
In 1958, Ogunlesi successfully completed the membership examinations of the Royal College of Physicians of England and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
In 1968, he obtained his second postgraduate medical degree from the University of Minnesota in the United States of America (USA).
Career
Ogunlesi returned to Nigeria and joined the Western Nigeria Civil Service, serving as a medical officer from 1950 to 1956. During the period, he served as a medical officer and specialist physician in the defunct Western and Northern Regions.
In 1961, he was appointed as a medical specialist at Adeoyo Hospital, which was affiliated with the teaching hospital of the newly-established UI Medical School. The following year, in 1962, he was promoted to Associate Professor, and, by 1965, he had achieved the rank of full Professor of Medicine, the first Nigerian to attain such an academic height.
He was pivotal in the development of Medical Education in Nigeria, serving as the pioneer head of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.
In 1969, he became the Head of the Department of Medicine. He was the first Nigerian to serve as a lecturer and later as a Professor of Medicine. Throughout his academic career, he mentored prominent figures, including Isaac Folorunso Adewole, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan; Kayode Osuntokun, a founding member of the Pan African Association of Neurological Sciences; and Yombo Awojobi, a distinguished surgeon.
During his career, Ogunlesi was a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. He was elected as a fellow of the Association of Physicians of Nigeria and International Society for Hypertension.
Ogunlesi’s work was beyond research and medicine, it also involved education and mentorship. He authored many books and papers, supervised graduate students.
Leadership role
Ogunlesi held several key advisory and leadership positions in Nigeria’s medical sector. From 1980 to 1983, he served as an advisor to the Nigerian Government on Educational Medicine.
He was the first president of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, serving from 1980 to 1984.
Additionally, Ogunlesi was a member of the National Implementation Committee for the health sector under Nigeria’s Third National Development Plan from 1975 to 1979. His involvement in the UCH Ibadan included serving on its Board of Management from 1969 to 1972, and he represented the University of Ibadan Medical School on the Nigerian Medical Council from 1975 to 1979.
In 1984, Ogunlesi became a member of the governing council of the University of Nigeria, and he acted as a special medical adviser to the Ibarapa Local Government Council between 1972 and 1975.
His impact extended beyond Nigeria. He was the former President of the Association of Physicians of Nigeria and held leadership roles within the Nigerian Medical Association, including National Vice-President and State Chairman.
Furthermore, he served on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Scientific Advisory Committee on Cardiovascular Diseases from 1969 to 1972.
Awards and recognitions
In 1946, Oladipo Ogunlesi was awarded the Sir Walter Johnson Prize for Public Health and Medicine. The following year, he received the Blair-Atkin’s Class Proficiency Prize. His achievements in the medical field were further recognised in 1983 when he was conferred with the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).
Ogunlesi’s affiliations extended across both national and international academic circles. He became a member of the Royal College of Physicians of London and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1958.
In 1962, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, and in 1970, he became the first Nigerian to hold that distinction.
His contributions to Medical Education in West Africa were significant, as he became a founding Fellow of the West African College of Physicians in 1978. He was also a founding Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science.
Highlights of key positions and achievements of Professor Ogunlesi
•First Nigerian Professor of Medicine
•First Head, Department of Medicine, UCH Ibadan (1961)
•Emeritus Professor, University of Ibadan
•Founding President, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria
•Founder, Ibarapa Community Health Project
•Fellow, Royal College of Physicians (London & Edinburgh)
•Adviser to the World Health Organisation (WHO)
One of Ogunlesi’s significant legacies was his co-founding of the Ibarapa Community and Primary Health Care Programme in 1963, in collaboration with the founding Head of Medicine at UCH, Ibadan.
The initiative, initially funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, became a model for Nigeria’s primary healthcare system and was adopted by other African countries.
In 1965, The Lancet praised the project as a major advancement in medical education in Africa and suggested it could serve as a model for similar initiatives in developing countries.
The programme has since evolved into a collaborative effort between the University of Ibadan College of Medicine, Oyo State Ministry of Health, UCH, and local government areas in the Ibarapa Division.
By February 2016, over 203 community health rotations had been conducted for medical students from UI, each lasting six to eight weeks. Additionally, dental students from UI began participating in annual postings to Ibarapa in 2007.
Death and legacy
Oladipo Ogunlesi died on 19 January, 2023 at the remarkable age of 99, and his funeral was held on 14 April, 2023 at the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, Sagamu.
His century-spanning life left a lasting imprint on the Medicine profession in Nigeria: from undergraduate and postgraduate medical education to rural health innovation and global health policy.
Today, every generation of Nigerian doctors trained under the NPMCN and inspired by the Ibarapa model stand as a testament to his vision of accessible, community-focused, and academically rigorous healthcare.
His death prompted tributes from various notable figures, including late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who acknowledged Ogunlesi’s contributions to Nigerian medicine and education.
The governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, also highlighted Ogunlesi’s pioneering role as Nigeria’s first professor of medicine. He emphasised Ogunlesi’s dedication to advancing medical knowledge and improving public health, which earned him widespread respect within and beyond Ogun State.
•Sources: National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria Archives and Wikipedia.
