Dayo Faduyile, The Quintessential Physician

A Review.

Written by Oludaisi Adetarami, an Akure based writer and journalist, Faduyile, the quintessential physician is the biography of the personal and professional life of a former president of the Nigerian Medical Association. Dr Dayo Faduyile. First published in 2020 by the African Education Monitor, Akure, Ondo State of Nigeria; the book has 307 pages, 16 chapters, 40 pages of photographs and two pages of references. Dedicated to all the doctors in Nigeria and around the world for the unquantifiable care they render to patients, this volume dissects Faduyile’s growth from a kid nauseated by the harrowing experience of having to wait for long hours before being lucky to gain the physician’s attention. Our icon, the angel of Jehovah’s healing Francis Adedayo Faduyile is a professor in the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Lagos State University College of medicine, Ikeja, Nigeria. With a highly revered traditional ruler as father in His Royal Highness Oba George Babatunde Faduyile, the Abodi of Ikale land; Adedayo was educated at St John’s Primary School, Okitipupa, Ondo State between 1976 and 1982. He proceeded to Ikoya Grammar School, Ikoya in 1982 but left in 1983. He completed his high school education at Methodist High School, Okitipupa in 1987when his school principal father was transferred there. For his advanced level certificate, he attended Christ School, Ado- Ekiti and Ondo Boys High School, 1988/89 from where he proceeded to the University of Lagos bagging his MBBS in 1996. Not satisfied by just being a medical doctor, he added a business orientation by acquiring a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Federal University of Technology, Akure while working as a medical officer in the Ondo State Specialist Hospital, Akure. In an effort to upgrade his skills in medicine, he returned to Unilag to obtain his Masters in Cell Biology and Genetics in 2006. As an advocate of lifelong learning as a prescription for progress, Francis went further to become a fellow of medical College of Pathologists in 2007 from the National Post Graduate Medical College of Nigeria. In 2008 he obtained a Diploma in Cancer prevention from the USA and later passed with distinction, the diploma in Forensic Human Identification from the Academy of Forensic Medical Sciences in the United Kingdom. Adedayo has undertaken many professional training courses and seminars and has had many research publications in his chosen field of medicine. Aside of being a professor of medicine at LASU, he is currently an Honorary Consultant at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. He has been holding these positions since 2007. He has had residency in the Department of Anatomical and Molecular Pathology at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba from 2002- 2007 during which he held various positions as chief resident, senior registrar and the registrar in various sections of the hospital. He has over 40 academic publications and a proven track record of 20 years of service to the Nigerian Medical Association. In the words of the Foreword writer and Nigeria’s current Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora: “This book is a thanksgiving to God for the life of a young but great Nigerianas wll as a successful academician who in the words of the author is also a Quintessential Physician.” The first chapter contains the history of medical practice in Nigeria from 1880 when a dispensary, the first healthcare facility was established in Nigeria by the Church Missionary Society. Chapter two covers Faduyile’s family background, three his childhood and the beginning of his education. For Faduyile’s penchant for his lifelong learning and attendance of seminars and workshops, we can say he never stops learning. Chapter five chronicles Dayo’s medical practice and experience. He became the quintessential physician during his residency at LUTH. At chapter seven you will discover how the umbrella body of Nigerian medical practitioners, the Nigerian Medical Association curried him to contest and win, the chairmanship of the NMA, Lagos branch. “The NMA was founded in 1960 as the transmutation of the existing branch of British medical Association that was formed in Nigeria in 1951. In a fundamental sense, the primary mandate of the NMA covers, catering for the interest of its members and helping in shaping national policies aimed at improving healthcare delivery for Nigerians.” He was elected President of the NMA in June 2018 owing to his experience. Making allusion to this Dayo says: “I think the experience being president is totally different. As president, it is like you are on your toes every time. Everyone wants your attention, everyone wants to hear your views on issues. You must be well read. And apart from that, you must have a fair knowledge of a large expanse of issues and events.” Elected with him for the statutory two years term of the NMA were: Doctors Kenneth Tijo, 1st vice president, Ofem Enang 2nd vice president; Olumuyiwa Odusote, secretary general, Benjamin Umezuruike, deputy secretary general. Other officers elected were Ayuwaja Nayagawa, national treasurer, Abdulgafar Jimoh, national financial secretary and Obitade Obimakinde as national publicity secretary. Among scores of dignitaries who gave tributes and testimonials to the leadership qualities inherent in Dayo Faduyile are the former minister of state for Education, Dr Adewumi Abitoye, a senior lecturer in Therapeutic Toxicology, Lagos State University College of Medicine Dr Kazeem Oshikoya; a consultant psychiatrist, Ministry of Defence, Dr Rufus Oguntuase, Professor of Medical Biochemistry, LASU College of Medicine, Professor Abayomi Olagunju and the Consultant Psychiatrist, LASUTH Dr Olayinka Atilola. Chapter 15 encompasses some of his selected speeches at official functions while he was the NMA president. In his congratulatory address to President Mohammed Buhari for his second term in office, Dr Faduyile emphasized the need for the federal government to partner with NMA for the improvement of the health of Nigerians. Among several suggestions, Faduyile requested the government to establish the Health Bank to provide health fund akin to the Bank of Industries (BOI) and the Bank of Agriculture. “The Health Bank will allow the medical and dental practitioners to obtain loans to improve their facilities with single digit interest and at least a 10 year moratorium. This will afford practitioners to improve their practice and will in turn lead to a better healthcare for our citizens and encourage our diaspora doctors to come back and build world class facilities thereby changing brain drain to brain gain (reverse brain drain).” The author Oludaisi Adetarami has written an engaging and fascinating book in Dayo Faduyile, The Quintessential Physician. As the publisher of Sunshine Standard, Adetarami is a prominent member of the Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria. He is a 1990 graduate of Political Science from the University of Jos.