The valedictory night was attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his Deputy, Amina Mohammed, President of the General Assembly Peter Thomson, Heads of UN agencies, and Permanent Representatives, among others.

Guterres, in his remarks, said “the news of Dr Babatunde’s sudden death last week devastated our UN family; today we mourn this heartbreaking loss and we remember his inspiring life.

“Babatunde was completely devoted to the cause of women and girls – especially those who are most marginalized.

“He was driven by the conviction that every single family on earth should be free to decide on the timing and spacing of their children.

“That no one would suffer from harmful traditional practices; that there would be no more female genital mutilation; no more prenatal sex selection; no more child brides and no more maternal deaths.”

According to him, Osotimehin worked day and night to achieve this just future, recalling an instance of the dedication of his former colleague.

“When he was appointed Executive Director of UNFPA, he was due to start at the beginning of 2011. January 1 was a Saturday.

“So his staff suggested that they put out a press release saying he would be in the office as of January 3. But he completely dismissed the idea.

“He was ready to start on January 1. And he did go into the office that day and stayed through the holiday weekend.

“Babatunde embodied that ethic of service throughout his term – working every day to help people who were suffering.”

Guterres affirmed that Osotimehin continually made UNFPA an even more effective organization that stood as a respected international authority on sexual and reproductive rights.

“His loss is felt most deeply by his family and by the staff of UNFPA. But his passing is also a loss for the world.

“The name ‘Babatunde’ means ‘father comes back.’ Though he is now gone, I have no doubt this father will come back every time we speak out – as he did – for women and girls.

“Babatunde will be with us every time we champion the rights of individuals and families of all kinds. He will live in our hearts as long as we carry on his fight for justice – for a better world for all people.

“Let us honour his memory with the actions Babatunde would have wanted us to take – actions for the sake of others and especially women and girls,” Guterres said.

Thomson, in his tribute delivered by Amb. Dessima Williams, Special Adviser to President of the General Assembly, said Osotimehin impacted millions of people around the world.

“As a professor, he cultivated the next generation of top-class doctors; as the Minister of Health, he served Nigeria with dedication; and as the Executive Director of UNFPA, he was a steadfast champion of the rights of all.

“Every person he knew, he respected. Everyone he did not know, he fought for their rights. Thus was that human being we have just lost.

“Here at the United Nations, we will never forget how fearlessly, how forcefully, and how tirelessly he fought for the dignity of women and girls all around the world.”

The Acting Executive Director of UNFPA, Dr Natalia Kanem, in her tribute, described Osotimehin as “a super-doctor, a mentor and a teacher who taught all those who worked with him to persevere and to persist even on the face of adversity”.

According to her, he championed the defence of the rights against harmful practices and dignity of the adolescent girls and told them to champion the same.

“So Prof., we thank you for inspiring us, for guiding us, for teaching us. We’re missing you already. We miss your counsel, we miss your humour and your profound love for humanity.”

Kanem pledged that the UNFPA would continue to carry forward the torch lit by Osotimehin’s vision and example in his determination to be the voice for the most vulnerable all over the world.

The post UN, world bid farewell to Prof. Osotimehin appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Osotimehin and Grange spoke at an award dinner organised by the Nigeria Health Foundation (NHF) in Newark, New Jersey, U.S on Saturday night.

Osotimehin, who served as a Minister of Health under late President Umaru Yar’Adua, commended the foundation for giving hope to ordinary Nigerians.

The former minister, now UN Under-Secretary-General and the Executive Director of UN Population Fund since Jan. 1, 2011, was one of the awardees at the event.

He recognised the contributions of the founder of NHF, Dr Iwuozo Obilo for extending goodwill to the less-privileged and Dr Oluyemi Badero and Dr Otu Ovadje for their remarkable contributions.

Badero is a specialist in internal and cardiovascular medicine, invasive and interventional cardiology, nephrology and hypertension, interventional nephrology and endovascular medicine, nuclear cardiology as well as peripheral vascular interventions.

Similarly, Ovadje, a retired Brigadier-General, is a renowned medical doctor who invented the Emergency Auto Transfusion System (EAT-SET), an affordable, simpler and effective blood auto-transfusion system.

“I saw and I met Dr Badero around here; my heart is beating today because we have that cardiologist around.

“And we have several of you who actually are in medicine who are contributing in no small way to healthcare in the world and particularly in Nigeria.

“I thank Dr Ovadje for the useful and very indigenous contributions that you have made to healthcare, not only in Nigeria but in the world.

“This kind of opportunity actually gives me the kind of situation where I can speak and talk on medicine in Nigeria,” he said.

The UNFPA chief commended the foundation, saying it was the kind of vision everybody should support.

“More importantly is that we are talking healthcare in Nigeria and we are talking about what are the things we can do, which of course, the foundation is doing.

“And then we are raising resources to give hope to others. It is good and I totally accept that we cannot just wait until everything gets better.

Prof. Grange, Nigeria’s first female minister of health, also during late President Yar’Adua’s tenure, in her remarks said she was so inspired by what had been done by Obilo.

“There are so many people who are in hopeless situations, that they don’t have money, and have been deprived of even hope of getting anywhere.

“Thank you very much indeed for this kind of programme, which as we know, gives hope. Thank you for thinking about them, for using the latest technology to reach them.

“Technology is the networking, which you have set up among doctors, nurses and students, and I believe that you are on to a very great thing,” she said.

Ovadje, in his remarks, said the primary healthcare system introduced by late Prof. Beko Ransome-Kuti remained the best for the country, and commended Diaspora Nigerians for their contributions to healthcare.

“The very basis of care not only rest in its communities, it rests in providing primary healthcare,” Ovadje said.

Earlier, the representative of the Consulate-General of Nigeria, Mrs Kate Igbodike said the consulate was pleased with the foundation.

According to her, the consulate is always abreast of the foundation team’s annual philanthropic travels to Nigeria to render help to the less-privileged.

The post Osotimehin, Grange commend Diaspora Nigerians for contributions to healthcare appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.