Prof. Michael Ibadin: Farewell to quintessential medic

From cradle till his last days, Prof. Michael Okoeguale Ibadin, immediate past Chief Medical Director (CMD), University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) was a man with a vision.  Born in the Oga Ibadin of Ebho-Ibadin family in Uromi , Esan North East Local Government Council of Edo State,  the teacher and professor of Paediatrics passed on Saturday, March 18th, 2023 after a brief illness. He struggled from a humble background to achieve fame and fortune.

Through dint of hard work, he rose from zero to hero.

The enigma called ‘Prof Michael Okoeguale Ibadin’ , though gone but not forgotten, was one of the most successful medics in the country. A distinguished health sector personality and a celebrated pediatrician and one of the finest and most successful practitioners recorded in the history of hospital management and administration in Nigeria.

Though he has transited to the great beyond, Ibadin will surely be missed by his family, friends, and associates but our consolation remains that he left an indelible mark in the sands of time.

History will be kind to him for his legacies which speak volumes and significantly, the knowledge he bequeathed to many across the globe, which also lend credence that he came, saw and conquered.

The erudite scholar, academician and medical expert in an interview with The Guardian in Benin City prior to his demise had explained the secret of his successful life and what he would be remembered for as a personality who stood for fairness, justice and equity.

Excerpt of the interview as reproduced herein contains his core values during his sojourn on earth. “I want to be remembered as somebody who came with a clear vision as to what to do and strove to achieve that. I think I have exceeded the targets I set for myself at the beginning. I don’t think I will not be remembered whenever the history of UBTH is rewritten. So far, I am the longest-serving CMD.

“Secondly, I have made some giant strides not just in Infrastructure but in the way the hospital runs. But I want to be remembered as somebody who came and made a mark for himself. I was guided all the way by the principle of fairness, justice and equity,” Ibadin stated.

The paediatrician whose contributions to child healthcare remain unparalleled in the annals of the Department of Child Health, University of Benin Teaching Hospital delivered the 112 inaugural lecture of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) titled, “The Child’s Kidneys: Source of Water of Life or Harbinger of Distress, Diseases and Death.”

Similarly, at the valedictory lecture held at the University of Benin Main Auditorium in June 2017  to mark the end of his tenure as Chief Medical Director of UBTH, Ibadin whose profile had continued to rise delivered an epochal lecture with theme: “This River Must Flow Uphill,”.

That unique lecture and first of its kind had the University of Benin auditorium filled to capacity with audience cut across from the academic community and other spheres of life held spellbound owing to the sagacity of the don.

Ibadin in his eulogy at the maiden event expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all who made his tenure successful including Late. Chief Tony Anineh, Prof. Nimi Briggs, HRM. Oba Ewuare II and legal Luminary, Ken Imasuagbon, among others for their unflinching support.