NMA Lagos Chairman, Dr Tope Ojo: His Personal Life and Work

Dr. Tope Ojo, Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State attended the University of Ife in the late 80s.

He was part of the Student Union Government during the period when Nigerian students were at the forefront of the struggle against the military.

As a resident doctor in Obafemi Awolowo University between 2000 and 2005, he started as the financial secretary,  then became the secretary, and later president of the Association of Resident Doctors.

 He initially wanted to become an aeronautic engineer but switched to medicine because aeronautic engineering was not available in Nigeria at that time.

He decided to specialize in obstetrics and gynaecology because of his mentor Dr. Omole (now a professor of gynaecology and obstetrics) and watching his mother suffer from fibroid before having a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus).

As a gynaecologist who's aware of the rising trend of litigation in Nigeria, he does not examine any patient without a chaperone to avoid lawsuits.

About the general perception that medical practitioners are bookworms and geeks, he said, "The medical profession is a very tough one and you find out that doctors have this sense of academic arrogance. I would tell you that such behaviour is not completely unfounded. We spend six years on an excruciating medical sojourn, six years devoid of holidays. For me as a person, I went to medical school and experienced all the toughness but I come from a background where my father taught me how to study."

He added, "I know how to study and I went to a school that had the toughest medical school. A thousand people could write an exam and only 34 people would pass it. I passed out of the school with flying colours. I took my education very hard; I studied very well but I believed in work and play. I was a staunch member of the student union, I was well known by the school authorities and I was well known by the NASS. I engaged in sports and I played volleyball for my school. I was a member of the Kegite Club and back then, there was nothing like cultism. I was a well rounded student in the university. I went for dinners and award nights. I went to the most beautiful campus in Nigeria. There were shows every night and I attended them all. I was not a bookworm but I had an extraordinary gift that once I read, it sticks. I only need to read a page once and I can reproduce about 90 per cent of the content on the page."

He met his wife (a nurse and sister to his best friend ) at the University of Ife and they've been married for years.

Surprisingly he's pleased with Governor Ambode and said, "I can happily say that the regime of Governor Ambode has resolved almost everything that we have been clamouring for in the last eight years. That is a fulfilment of my manifesto. The persistence and quality of leadership that I have brought to the NMA has helped us to achieve a lot. There is still a lot to be done especially in the area of monitoring our health facilities."