•Life, times and impacts

If mortals bow at the sight of the Grim Reaper, it is not a fault of theirs, rather an all-out submission to the natural order.

Like a wise man once posited, humanity oscillates between extreme opposites; for every happiness, there is sadness; for every tearful moment, there are joyful days; for every shining light, there is darkness.

Christians holy book, the Bible, explains this inherent balance in Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, stating: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Although Professor Soga Sofola’s watch in the land of the living has ended, everyone who crossed paths with him on this side must take solace in the fact that his 77 years were extremely impactful as his best days were long and spectacular.

The brilliant Yoruba man was a complete academician of the highest quality. An intellectual powerhouse in every sense of the word, he exquisitely married theories with practicals, leaving no stone unturned in a prosperous attempt to redefine tertiary education in the country.

Sofola might have risen from challenging beginnings, or born into Nigeria’s socio-economic struggle, yet he never allowed it to deter him from aspiring to the top. For him, teaching was not just an avenue to touch lives, it was a spiritual calling to be fulfilled with utmost care, love and humility.

Each of the 77 years lived by him was chequered, impactful, exemplary and worthy of more detailed study in dedication to humanity as a cause, purposefulness and resourcefulness in one’s profession and daily life. Among scholars and public figures, the life and times of Sofola ought to provoke contextual and incisive interrogation of the meeting points of humanity, community service and career of Nigeria’s national and professional leadership as he displayed sterling qualities in his line of work and daily life with an unusual panache.

Career

With a long teaching and professional career at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, from 1973, Sofola, who obtained a BSc, MSc and MBBS from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos and PhD at the Department of Cardiovascular Studies, University of Leeds, lectured at the University of Lagos for more than 40 years.

For many years, he was the Head of Department of Physiology, University of Lagos, where he supervised many reputable physiologists who are promoting the subject of Physiology all over the world.

He also taught as a Professor of Physiology in the United Arab Emirates, UAE, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi and also Visiting Professor at the Centre for Cardiovascular Diseases, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX, USA (2000- 02). United States, US, and United Kingdom, UK, as well as other countries. Between 1993 and 1996, he served as Provost of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, before he rose to the position of Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) in 2003 to 2007.

In 2009, he was appointed as Vice Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Nigeria. He was also the Vice Chancellor, Eko University of Medical sciences, Lagos. With a life dedicated to his noble profession, Professor Sofola was appointed an Emeritus Professor by the University of Lagos after his retirement.

Professor Sofola was a founding member and a Fellow of the Physiological Society of Nigeria. He was also the immediate past President of Association of African Physiological Sciences, AAPS. He was also a Fellow and former Treasurer of Nigerian Academy of Science.

From his IC days through his distinguished career, which took him worldwide, he was academically very sound. He stood for unity in the fellowship of the IC 63/65 set. Among his numerous achievements, Professor Sofola mentored and guided countless scholars, including distinguished individuals such as Professor Feyi Adegoke, Professor Smith Jaja, Professor Chikodi Anigbogu, and Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji- Bello, the current Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), among others. His Ph.D. legacy continues to enrich the field of academia.

Tributes

Sharing their thoughts about the distinguished academia, a student of his, Yemi Olatunji-bello, stated: “Tribute to my physiology father, mentor, and cheerleader Professor Sofola. Sometime in September or October 1985, he saw me in the Physiology department library reading. He noticed I was studious, so he took interest in me. He encouraged me to apply for my masters in the same department. Thereafter, he became my role model and supervisor of my M.Sc and Ph.D theses.

“A very gentle, kind but decisive leader who led us to great heights in our field. He knew he had to push some of us to achieve results and he did that successfully. As his mentees, we believe so much in him and he kept pushing us to do tasks that normally one would expect the senior colleagues to do.

That gesture exposed us early to the rudiments of research and university governance.

“He nominated me as the Chairman, local organising committee of our society’s international conference in 2016. Small me. He promised to guide and back me up, which he did. I will forever be grateful to him for that great support for the successful conference. My mentor, father, role model and professional leader, you will be sorely missed. I appreciate the way I was molded to become who I am today.

“Thank you for the opportunities you presented to me to bring out my innate abilities and those encouraging words that made me want to continue to do more. My greatest cheerleader, adieu till we meet again. I pray that the Lord will comfort Aunty Yemi, Seyi, Damilola and Oyinkan and other members of the family including some of us in the Physiology family and all his friends. He will give all of us the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. May the soul of Prof Soga Sofola rest in perfect peace. Amen.”

Emmanuel Otolorin, on his part, wrote: “Professor Olusoga Sofola’s exit at this time was quite a shock. He was a celebrated icon, an old Igbobian and a perfect gentleman. His academic exploits were exceptional. He ventured into university administration at the highest level and was quite impactful. His legacy will live on forever. We pray for his soul to rest in perfect peace and for the good Lord to grant his family the fortitude to bear his loss at this time.”