Babalobi Olutayo Olajide*

Department of Professor, Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author: Babalobi Olutayo Olajide, Department of Professor, Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Received: March 27, 2023; Published: April 30, 2023

Abstract

Professor Oyewale Tomori is a multiple-award-winning specialist in human, zoonotic and veterinary viruses including the poliomyelitis virus Since graduating forty-six years as a Veterinary Doctor from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, in 1971, he joined the Rockefeller funded Arbovirus unit, Virology Department, College of Medicine/University College Hospital, University of Ibadan where he acquired a PhD in Virology. According to Professor Oyewale Tomori, pioneer One Health activities in Nigeria could be traced back to academic and research activities at the Rockefeller-funded Arbovirus unit, Virology Department, College of Medicine/University College Hospital, University of Ibadan in 1969, soon after the outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria.
After graduation, the One Health Nigeria Living Legend, Oyewale Tomori, has combined his training as a veterinarian and a public health virologist to use science to benefit society, improve disease diagnosis, and prevent untold human suffering in many African countries.
When the spirit of One Health was reinvigorated in the eighties, the One Health Initiative (still is) promoting worldwide, Professor Oyewale Tomori was the first Nigerian (the author was the second) to sign up as a supporter and promoter of One Health Initiative in 2008.
He represents the concepts, perceptions, practices, principle and existential purpose of One Health. Prior and since then he continues to be still actively involved in One Health promotion activities in Nigeria. One of his most passionate was his August 25, 2008 declaration: Polio Eradication-A Battle I fought with undiluted passion, says Professor Oyewale Tomori, a major player who made this feat possible; and ending the article with the declaration “Truly, the joy of seeing Africa Polio-free has drastically reduced my age and I feel so young and happy. Sometimes, I cannot find words to describe my feelings. Above all, I appreciate Almighty God that I am alive to see this day”. Tomori alone is the ONLY Living One Health Nigeria Legend/Pioneer and is probably best qualified to link up from the past to the present in One Health.
This article is dedicated to Veterinarian/Virologist Professor Oyewale Tomori at seventy-seven on February 3, 2023.

Keywords: Celebrating; Oyewale Tomori; One Health; Living Legend; Nigeria

References

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Citation

Citation: Babalobi Olutayo Olajide. “Celebrating an International Nigerian One Health Living Legend Professor Oyewale Tomori at Seventy-Seven". Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences 5.5 (2023): 83-90.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Babalobi Olutayo Olajide. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.