Former health minister, Babatunde Osotimehin is dead

Nigeria’s former Health Minister, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, is dead. His death was announced early Monday morning (today), but a press release by his family, signed by Dr. Babajide Osotimehin, put the date of his demise as Sunday, June 4, 2017.

Until his death, Prof. Osotimehin was the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, a post he assumed on January 1, 2011, sequel to his appointment on November 19, 2010 for a four-year term.

He was reappointed on August 21, 2014 for another four-year term that would have ended in 2018.

Osotimehin was born February 6, 1949, in Ogun State.

As the UNFPA’s executive director, Osotimehin was the organisation’s fourth Executive Director, and held the rank of Under-Secretary General of the United Nations.

Before his UN job, Osotimehin had served as the nation’s health minister between December 17, 2008 and March 17, 2010 when then Acting President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved his cabinet.

As health minister, Osotimehin was preceded in office by Dr. Adenike Grange, and he was succeeded by Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu.

Osotimehin attended Igbobi College between 1966 and 1971, and later studied medicine at the University of Ibadan. He obtained a doctorate in medicine from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, in 1979.

Osotimehin was the Director-General of the Nigerian National Agency for the Control of AIDS, a post he left to become the health minister. As the chairman of the National Action Committee on AID, he oversaw the development of systems that, today, manage more than $1bn donor fund towards the elimination of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

He also served as the Project Manager for the World-Bank assisted HIV/AIDS Programme Development Project from 2002–2008, during which he achieved great success.

While he was at the UNFPA, Osotimehin’s interests included issues relating to youth and gender within the context of reproductive health and rights.

His focus were the young people, as he believed that youth participation in the society was very important. He once famously said, “We need to ensure that young people of both genders have equal participation, not only in reproductive rights and health, but also within society and in the economy.”