Ojuolape: Prof. Osotimehin Lived for Global Empowerment of Adolescents
On 4th June 2017, Nigeria and the global community lost a gem. Professor Babatunde Osotimehin passed away in New York while on active duty. He was 68 years old. His time in public service, first as a Professor of Clinical Pathology at the University of Ibadan, Director General of the National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA), and Minister for Health were marked by spectacular achievements. Prof. Osotimehin went on to distinguish himself on the international scene as he served as Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and as UN Under-Secretary General for six and half years until his death. He was known variously as a health practitioner, academic, humanitarian, teacher, administrator and astute manager. He was also a fine diplomat, with unrivalled erudition and panache. On the one year anniversary of his passing, his long-serving aide, protégé, and present UNFPA Resident Representative in Ghana, Mr. Niyi Ojuolape, shared some insights with Abimbola Akosile on the life and times of the late Babatunde Osotimehin
How would you describe Prof. Osotimehin? Where to start and how to answer this question is not easy. Prof. Osotimehin was so many things. He was a man I knew very closely. To his students, Prof was an outstanding teacher; loved deeply for his erudition. He was highly articulate and had a fantastic sense of style. I still meet some of his students today and they recount how much he cared about young people. For those of us who were with him at NACA, most of the staff there would remember him as a good administrator. He had wonderful man-management skills. He always tried to galvanise people and resources to reach optimal performance for the organisation. As a person, he was very passionate about the adolescent girl, and how the society can help to put this demography on the right path. In UNFPA, he drew our attention towards “bearing in mind the implications of the society on the 10-year old” in the work we do; in the sense that if we do so, it would have far-reaching implications on defining what the organisation stands for. I can also tell you he was a very loving father and husband, and at the inter-personal level, it is difficult to have encountered him without leaving with a positive impression. For some of us who were lucky to be his protégés (and we are quite many), he was an exceptionally fantastic mentor.
In his professional life, I can tell you, he was a focused passionista, if there is any word like that. He always kept his eyes on the ball, and always sought to go above and beyond the call of duty to realise the aims of every organisation he served or worked in. I would in fact add, looking at the reputation of public servants from the climes we are coming from, that Prof. was a honest, diligent man of integrity who held public office without any sort of scandal to his name. To have held public office at both local and international level for a combined 17 years with no mismanagement of any sort attributed to him is a testament of his undeniable integrity. How did you come to know Prof. Osotimehin? I met Prof in 2002. I hadn’t heard of him prior to that time. He had arrived Abuja that day to set up and manage the World Bank-supported HIV/AIDS project for the National Response to AIDS in Nigeria. So, as fate would have it, my Uncles; Prof. Layi Erinosho and Prof. Femi Odekunle informed me that one of their colleagues was coming into town from the University of Ibadan, and I must accompany them to show him around our town. So our friendship developed from that encounter. We were basically friends like that until about five or six months later, he called me one day and said “Young man, why don’t you come and work with me?” And that was it.
In what capacities did you work with him in the various agencies he led? My portfolio kind of evolved over time. In NACA, I was first, Programme Assistant, then Personal Assistant to him. And then I became Special Assistant to him (following a public advert and interview process) as the Director General of the Agency. I also doubled as the Communications Coordinator of the Agency as we were running a large programme that had a lot to do with publicity and awareness creation. When he was made Minister for Health, I served with him as Special Assistant for Communications. And then when he was made the Executive Director of UNFPA, I worked with him as Special Assistant until his death. But also, before he passed, I had gone through the processes of becoming a UNFPA Country Representative, and my appointment had been signed off on, and clearance from Ghana for resuming duties had
NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com