
The aim of the Foundation is to offer financial assistance to students at the College of Medicine of Lagos who have either reached, or are approaching, 2nd MB or its equivalent, but who will likely be unable to complete the degree course through lack of funds.
Students must be able to show excellent examination results and provide confirmation from the College of Medicine of their inability to complete the MBBS degree course due to financial hardship.
The Foundation was established in 2006 by the family of the late Professor Horatio Oritsejolomi Thomas. H. Oritsejolomi Thomas was passionate about medical education - he believed that medical education was an essential component in the country's development and strived tirelessly throughout his life to make the standard of teaching medicine in Nigeria second to none.
One Man In Our Time *
H. Oritsejolomi Thomas
CBE; CON; MB, Ch.B; FRCS; Hon D.Sc.(Ife)
Born 31st August, 1917 at Jathomas Rubber Estates, Sapele. Attended Wesleyan Boys High School (Methodist Boys High School); Igbobi College; University of Birmingham (1939-42). Member of the academic staff of University of Birmingham (1943-45). First Nigerian to be admitted to the Royal college of Surgeons of England. University College, Ibadan / University of Ibadan (1949/62); University of Lagos (1962-72): Dean, University of Lagos Medical School (1962-67); Chairman, Lagos University Teaching Hospital Management Board (1962-66); Provost, College of Medicine,(1968-72); Professor & Head of Department of Surgery, College of Medicine (1962-72). Vice-Chancellor, University Of Ibadan (1972-75). Editor, West African Medical Journal; Member, Editorial Committee, British Medical Journal of Surgery. Past President, Association of Surgeons of West Africa; First President, Association of Medical Schools in Africa.
*One Man In Our Time is the title of an article written by the late Professor H.Oritsejolomi Thomas. It is reproduced here as an appendix and shows something of the quality and vision of the man given that it first appeared in November 1959 almost a full year before Nigeria's independence. Please Scroll down to read One Man In Our Time.
Trustees:
Dr. J Grange - Orthopaedic Surgeon & former head of the Federal Orthopaedic Hospital, Lagos.
Chief O. Majekodunmi - Architect -Founder of Femi Majekodunmi Associates & past President
International Union of Architects.
Professor Muriel Oyediran - Medical doctor, specialising in Public Heath
V.A.Thomas - Businessman.
R.O. Titiloye - Chartered Accountant - Secretary to the Foundation
BY H. ORITSEJOLOMI THOMAS
When I am asked, as frequently happens, "But don't you find all these interfere with your work?" I sometimes reply, “and what is my work?" A flippant reply some may say. But this is not so. Let me explain. A situation exists in the country today, and indeed in all so-called under-developed countries, where persons who have been trained for a particular work find themselves compelled to undertake other activities which may sometimes be divergent from their occupation. Examples are not uncommon in our university.
It is impossible to see how it could be otherwise, for it has attracted to its staff a number of Nigerians who, while they were students abroad, found time to observe how people in a more technically advanced society conduct themselves and their affairs. England and America have been until recently mentors, but in increasing numbers young Nigerians are going to countries like Germany, East, West, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and USSR. Wherever they are, whether their stay is short or long, one idea constantly runs through their subconscious mind: How can they apply what they have seen to improve their own country when they go back?
The outlook of these men will bear some relation to the ideological environment to which they were exposed during their stay overseas. Because this is so, it is not surprising that the ideas they bring back for the betterment of their people should vary according to the country of education. The comrade from Russia would wish to tackle the problem in a way that may be unacceptable to the graduate from Oxford or Cambridge. The latter mellowed by an academic culture and tradition distilled over many centuries, possibly sees things in a more suffused light. The Nigerian who has savoured the American way of life would present yet another plan, all blue-printed ready for execution but for the scarcity of dollars. We are indeed a part of all we have met, and it should cause no surprise if the parts do not fit together to make a satisfying whole. This may be distressing and prove the source of endless wrangles, but it is inevitable. To observers not well-disposed to the new order, it will serve as one more evidence of the lack of wisdom in not letting self-government evolve slowly over another half-century or so. As though such an evolution were a guarantee of agreement. In my opinion, no great harm is done by these wrangles as long as we keep our sights on a common goal. What follows is an attempt to examine some of the factors which form the background of these men, who in our time are playing more than one role in public life, to analyze the difficulties they face; and to suggest ways in which they and their successors might equip themselves better for the task ahead.
To begin with, the background. Firstly, they went to school in the country at a time when the word "tribalism", in its present meaning, had not been invented. Instead, in official and sociological documents, one read the word "detribalized". To be termed "detribalized" was perhaps the greatest opprobrium that could be cast on any Nigerian. It meant that he had committed the unforgiveable crime of breaking up the tribal unit. He had shed a loin cloth for a pair of trousers, substituted a fork and a knife for fingers and replaced his talking drum by the Manchester Guardian. However, the term made no sense to many of my generation, for the simple reason that neither our parents nor ourselves were brought up in the sort of tribal atmosphere from which we were supposed to be breaking away. No serious attention was given to the matter, especially as the accusation of "detribalisation", unlike that of "tribalism" (recently evoked), came entirely from Europeans. Authority's war cry at that time of "back to the land" was regarded as a deliberate policy to direct away the rising generation from their ambition to seek higher education overseas. To obey it was to be deluded into the belief that one was helping one's countrymen, while in fact the reverse was the case. What future was there in hoe-culture?
Unity in the Nineteen-thirties
Secondly, in those days, one was a Nigerian or a West African, and the thought, nebulous in minds of some, more clearly defined in those of others, was how Nigeria or the countries of West Africa was to advance so that "Europeans posts" could be held by Africans, "Europeans hospitals" admit Africans and "European reservations" house Africans. No one, I think, dreamt that the process could be carried much further in our lifetime. How could one? West Africa was a long way behind India, which still had all the trappings of a colonial set-up. Essentially then, schoolboys of the decade 1929 to 1938 identified themselves as Nigerians or West Africans. When they spoke Ibo, Yoruba, Ijaw or Itsekiri, it was without a conscious desire to identify themselves as members of a smaller group or sub-group of Nigerians.
Thirdly, there is no doubt, although some may not readily admit it now, that the Christian pattern of education received at school has contributed something worthwhile to the character of many Nigerians now holding positions of trust. There never was a deliberate drive to indoctrinate them, nor did religious knowledge and prayers take more than a normal place at school. But the atmosphere of a Christian school, the conduct of the masters, the discipline and the many intangible aspects of life shared in a community run by people who had faith in the future were the things that made an impact. Looking back on my schooldays, I am convinced that the Principal and many of the masters actually believed it when we sang "these things shall be - a loftier race". For us it was no more than a rousing tune. One hopes that schoolmasters taking stock of the country today would find some vindication of their effort and faith. That Nigeria has been free of the religious strifes which have embittered the process of emancipation in India and Palestine, for example, I believe to be the result of this education. For many prominent Nigerian Moslems attended Christian missionary schools where there was no religious discrimination whatsoever. Indeed it was a fact that though Moslem boys were given the option of not attending chapel, it was seldom that this option was exercised. When it was, as Christian friends were told later, it was for reasons which, one was sure, the prophet would not have approved.
A respect for learning
Fourthly, there used to be at Nigerian schools a high regard for the bright boy. It is possible that this is no longer so, and that the athlete or footballer has usurped his position. If so, the country is only keeping pace with the rest of the world. The point I want to make is that both at school and in the home the belief was strongly held, that the boys who had scholastic ability were the ones to lead the country forward. The profound respect for the bright student can perhaps be compared with the respect accorded the earlier clerics in Britain.
To sum up then, the background was one of healthy respect and belief in learning, co-existent with an equally strong suspicion and dislike for the type of authority whose aim appeared to be maintenance of the status quo; the acceptance of the idea of an undivided country, while recognising and respecting the various ethnic and religious groups which composed it. At school, at a time when their characters were still in a formative stage, these men lived in a disciplined but not harsh environment which gave latitude for the development of their personality. It is not unreasonable to assume that some of them, at least, were influenced by this background. About their education abroad, one only needs to add that but for the school background, the disquieting force of various ideologies and personal conflicts experienced away from home might have engendered violent reactions in many. Such reactions could produce men so constantly disruptive, as to have forgotten how to be constructive when occasion demands.
The threat of tribalism
Now to consider some of the difficulties and criticisms. First is the charge of "tribalism". The wheel seems to have turned full circle. The successors of the former critics who dubbed us "detribalised" have now decided that the passage of years have carried us back to "tribalism". The definition of this cult seems to be a readiness on the part of anyone in authority to speak on behalf of and push for the advancement of a person belonging to the same group, or from the "same part" regardless of the candidate's suitability for the post under consideration. The cult is also said to include the practice of bigotry, sabotage, plots and counterplots to break up the unity of the country. Other activities, so it is alleged, are to repatriate, banish, deport or generally cut up anyone belonging to the "other side". The unhappy part about this charge is that it is largely made by Nigerians themselves. Personal ambition, indifference to the fate of others, the cult of personality, a desire not to let one’s supporters down, lest , in their falling, they let go of the props holding one up, all these and more human failings could be responsible for what is called "tribalism" today. If the practice of "tribalism" in this way exists then, until it is radically excised, the future for the country is indeed bleak.
What about the criticism that one is out of touch with the true Nigeria - the primitive Nigeria? It is true that to go twenty miles outside Jos is like travelling back a thousand years. National costume of flowing robes is replaced by leaves worn fore and aft. Elsewhere in all regions, such isolated pockets of peoples showing varying degrees of primitiveness can be found. It must be admitted that at present there is little in common between such people and the planners in Enugu, Ibadan or Kaduna. But this should not cause any guilt-complex. Perhaps if Nigerians themselves had had an earlier opportunity of planning the betterment of their country, such pockets would be fewer today. Anyone who considers that statement unjustified has only to look round and assess the achievement of the last five years of responsible government in the hands of Nigerians. Incidentally it amazes me, why our critics always regard the bare or barely-clad Nigerian as the true Nigerian. Nevertheless the charge of being out of touch with the rest of the people must be taken seriously, because there is a real danger that Nigerian graduates and university students may come to regard themselves as an intellectual corps d'elite; planners rather than doers; worse still planners who are out of touch with those for whom they plan. No less acute an observer than Ezekiel Mphahlele writing in The Twentieth Century of April 1959 said of colonials-West Africans - as distinct from Africans in South Africa:
"...there is a much wider gap, socially and economically, between the educated and the illiterate ...the main concern of the average educated African in Nigeria is to get into government service, which affords him civil servants’ quarters, a car, at least two servants and a comfortable living .The educated African in a colonial context has thus merely stepped into the colonial administrator's shoe. In certain cases he will not like too many enlightened people near him and will like to keep the masses in the dark...”Mpahahlele is wrong in some of his conclusions, but this is not the place to argue the case. The point to note is that the temptation of moving away from people is always present. To be aware of this is to guard against succumbing to it.
What of the future? The task ahead is immense, but we shall make little progress towards understanding each other, unless we take steps now, individually, in groups, in schools and universities, to learn some of our own languages. It is incongruous, as well as a mark of our inadequacy, that on occasions an Englishman has to act as an interpreter so that an English-speaking (but non-Hausa-speaking) Nigerian may converse with a Northern compatriot. Clearly it is not possible for one man to master even the few main languages of the country, let alone a dozen subsidiary ones and scores of dialects. But it would be extremely useful if at this stage in our national development, many of us in the south were to acquire a working knowledge of Hausa, since the language difficulty is more pronounced between the North and the South. Fortunately, so far, standard or modified English has served as a common language in the South. A Knowledge of French is also desirable. No great imagination is required to realise what breakdown of frontiers could follow such an acquisition. Perhaps now that Cambridge has decided that one need not necessarily know Latin to be educated, our schools and colleges will find a place for another living language, and give up their perennial attempts at revivifying a dead one. One obvious way to present a gulf developing between the people and those who aspire to serve them is for the latter to engage in some form of Youth work. This is the type of thing in which we as a people are particularly deficient. There is ample scope for work of this kind in every locality and in every region. It should not be restricted to Man o' War Bay and a few other centres. The work should prove rewarding to both sides; in addition, no one who has his fingers on the pulse of youth, need fear the danger of being out of touch with reality.
A man is the product of his time and people. He has obligation to serve them by exercising his talent and utilising his training to the full. Today, conditions in the country are such that one man may have to undertake more than one task. As long as he is able conscientiously to give his best to all he can reasonably handle, it is not only desirable, but imperative that he fills this multiple role. Certain pursuits like raising tomatoes, playing golf or listening to Beethoven; attractive though they may be, must wait a less urgent season.
November 1959.
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The applicant must be a student of the College of Medicine University of Lagos and will either have reached, or be approaching 2nd MB or its equivalent, but who will likely be unable to complete the degree course through lack of funds.
The applicant must be an 'A grade' student and able to show that financial hardship is a serious constraint to their continued study. Confirmation of these two criteria will be required in writing from the Provost CMUL. Once offered, bursaries will be renewed annually until completion of the MBBS degree, assuming always, satisfactory academic performance.
The Horatio Oritsejololomi Thomas Foundation Address: Palm Services Limited Tel: 07041352135 |