Babatunde Osotimehin


Babatunde Osotimehin was a Nigerian physician, who served as Minister of Health, and in 2011 became the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, holding the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, reappointed in August 2014 until his death. Osotimehin's interests were youth and gender, and he advocated for reproductive health and reproductive rights, particularly within the context of the HIV epidemic. One of his strengths was his reliance on data and evidence.

Early life, education

Babatunde Osotimehin was born in February 1949 in Ogun State. He attended Igbobi College between 1966 and 1971. He studied medicine at University of Ibadan, Nigeria. In 1979 he moved to the UK for a doctorate at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, and from 1979–1980 was a fellow in endocrinology at Cornell University Graduate School of Medicine, New York, United States.

Career

In 1980, he returned to Nigeria and became Professor of Clinical Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. He climbed the academic ladder and from 1990–1994 he was Provost of the College of Medicine at Ibadan.
Ostotimehin's interests included youth and gender, within the context of reproductive health and rights.
In a 2005 article in The New York Times, he noted that nearly 58 percent of Nigerians with H.I.V. are female. Many girls in Nigeria are married off before they are physically or psychologically ready, when they are as young as 13 or 14. It is not acceptable for them to ask their partners to use a condom or to refrain from sex.
Later in 2005, he said that the government had ordered an increase to 250,000 of the number of HIV-positive people on Nigeria's antiretroviral treatment program.
From July 2002 – March 2007 he was Chairman of the National Action Committee on AIDS in Nigeria, and from 2002–2008, he was Project Manager for the World-Bank assisted HIV/AIDS Programme Development Project.
In 2005, at the 14th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, he was Vice-President.
From 2003–2008 he was Chairman of the Governing Board, Joint Regional HIV/AIDS Project in the Abidjan–Lagos Transport Corridor.
From March 2007 – December 2008 he was Director-General at the Nigerian National Agency for the Control of AIDS.

Minister of Health, 2008–2010

On 17 December 2008, Osotimehin was appointed Minister of Health. During his tenure, he united all 36 states to build a national health plan focused on primary health care. From December 2008 – March 2010 he was the African Spokesperson of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Osotimehin contested the view of fellow NIgerians that homosexuality and the transmission of HIV were not an issue in Africa.
In a September 2009 press conference, Osotimehin said that Nigeria had yet to comply with the Abuja Declaration that 15% of the budget of each African country should be devoted to health care. Nigeria as a whole was only spending between 8% and 9%, although some states were doing much better.
In October 2009, he pointed out that medical institutions were required by law to treat accident and gunshot victims. Refusal to give treatment could be punished by a jail term.
In December 2009 he reaffirmed the government's commitment to eliminate poliomyelitis and other childhood killer diseases.
He left the office in March 2010, when Acting President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved his cabinet.

UNFPA appointment, 2010–2017

On 19 November 2010, Osotimehin was appointed as the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund for a four-year term. He assumed the position on 1 January 2011 and became the organisation's fourth Executive Director, holding the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Young people remained his special focus at UNFPA. "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."
He was the Director-General of the Nigerian National Agency for the Control of AIDS, an agency which coordinates all HIV and AIDS work in a country with more than 150 million people. As chairman of the National Action Committee on AIDS he oversaw the development of systems which in 2011, managed more than US$1billion.
He believed humility was the key to engaging people and facilitating change, "humility to engage with the other person of the other community in such a way that they know that you respect them." Cultural sensitivity and understanding are also vital. He was married and had five children
He was reappointed to the position on 21 August 2014.

Personal life, death

Osotimehin died in Harrison, New York, suburb of Manhattan, on June 4, 2017, aged 68 years. Colleagues at UNFPA have described him " physically imposing and incredibly eloquent" and "not lack in self-confidence", respectively, and that "he was a visionary". It has been said that one of his strengths was his reliance on data and evidence.
Osotimehin is survived by his wife, Olufunke, five children and five grandchildren.

Memberships/Affiliations

Osotimehin was a member or affiliate of the following:
Osotimehin wrote or contributed to many papers and several books. A selection follows: