Osinbajo tasks youths on high values, pays tribute to late Prof. Ogunlesi

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has charged the younger generation in the country to learn from the life and time of late Professor of Medicine, Oladipo Ogunlesi, and live up to the high values necessary to build institutions.

Osinbajo stated this during the funeral service of the late first Professor of Medicine in Nigeria, held at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Sagamu, on Friday.

The vice president said that the late Ogunlesi lived a life dedicated to public service.

According to him, the late professor of Medicine lived a life completely dedicated to public service that had strong values like hard work, selfless service, transparency and propriety.

“The likes of Prof. Ogunlesi and those of his ilks challenged this generation to live up to the high values necessary to build institutions and our society,” he said.

In his remarks, Ogun Governor, Dapo Abiodun, described the late professor as a deep intellectual and an astute administrator who lived a good and faithful Christian life.

Abiodun noted that the late Professor of Medicine was also a caregiver and a community man.

The governor said that the late professor was the first Nigerian to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Physicians, London.

Abiodun noted that late Ogunlesi was a mentor of men who was also passionate about community medicine.

“He was the first Nigerian Professor of Medicine. Baba was a teacher of men.

“He was a mentor of men and was very passionate about community medicine.

“Baba was a deep intellectual, an administrator, a caregiver and a community man. He was a good and faithful Christian,” the governor said.

Earlier in his sermon entitled ‘In Jesus Christ, Life is Restored Back to Man’, the Diocesan Bishop of Remo, The Most Rev’d Olushina Fape, who read from the Book of John, Chapter 3, Verse 36, said there were no coincidences in the plan of God.

Fape noted that Prof. Ogunlesi, in spite of his tight schedules as a medical person, created time to serve God through the numerous activities he participated in during his lifetime.

He urged the congregation to ensure they find time to serve God while they were still alive.

Fape also called on the privileged in the society not to allow their education, wealth and position to disturb them, adding that at death, all positions, fame, wealth and honours would become vanity.

Our correspondent reports that Ogunlesi was born on July 12, 1923 and died on January 19, 2023 at the age of 99.