Tribute: PROF VICTOR ANOMAH NGU: THE IROKO TREE HAS FALLEN
One reason why I feel proud and honoured to be a member of the medical “fraternity” is because we younger generation in the profession always honour, respect and glorify our seniors in the profession. It is with this spirit that I am writing this editorial to bid farewell to Professor Victor Anomah Ngu, one of our fathers in this noble profession.
I first met Mr. Ngu (he was not yet a professor then) in 1965 in my final year in the medical school, University College of London, Ibadan, Nigeria. He must have just returned from his leave because we students did not know who he was, and had never met him. My group was supposed to meet our tutorial master around 9 o’clock one morning. So, we assembled on the corridor waiting at the door of the consultants’ offices. After waiting for about 30minutes with no one attending to us, we became restless and started to grumble. One man was passing by and overheard me saying, “Why is this tutorial master wasting our time? We have something better to do than loitering about UCH corridor.” That “something better to do” was to go and play chess or table tennis. The man passing by stopped and came to me and said, “Is this how you students talk about your teachers?” That someone was Mr. Ngu.
I graduated that year from the medical school and in July the same year I and late Professor Adetuyibi were posted as house-officers to East One Surgical ward under Professor Ngu. We realized early that as house officers that one way of making Professor Ngu happy with us was to make sure we obtained regularly from the blood bank, plasma from patients with Burkitt’s tumour to transfuse Professor Ngu’s patients on the ward who were receiving treatment for Burkitt’s lymphoma.
I still recall the lively discussion and argument in the late 1965 and early 1966 between Professor Ngu and late Professor Udekwu who had just arrived from the US, at every Grand ward round meeting.
Victor Anomah Ngu was one of the first set of medical students at Ibadan medical school in 1948. He was also one of the pioneer registrars in the newly completed University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria in 1957. This hospital was built because Adeoyo Hospital – a General Hospital in Ibadan - was found to be very unsuitable as a teaching hospital for medical students who were being taught along the line of, and who in due course would be awarded the medical degree of the University of London.
Professor Ngu was one of the people that initiated the formation of the Association of Surgeons of West Africa which has now metamorphosed to the gigantic West African College of Surgeons. So he was one of the founding fathers of West African College of Surgeons. In 1962 he was appointed a lecturer in the Department of Surgery, University College, Ibadan and within 3 years he became a professor and head of the department. He was in Ibadan until 1972 when he returned to his country, Cameroun. He then served in the University of Yaounde in Cameroun. Two years later he was made the Vice-Chancellor of that university, and later became the Minister of Public Health in Cameroun in 1984. Professor Ngu’s medical career spanned over 55 years. He passed on to glory on the 14th June, 2011 at the age of 85 years.
Adieu!!! And fare thee well!!! Professor Victor Anomah Ngu.
Professor O. G. Ajao,
Formerly Professor of Surgery,
University College Hospital,
Ibadan, Nigeria.
References
- Olapade-Olaopa, EO. 5th Professor Victor Anomah Ngu lecture. The 51st Annual Scientific Conference of the West African College of Surgeon, Darkar, Senegar. 3rd July, 2011.
- Ajao, OG. Medical education in Nigeria: historical aspects from 19th to the 20th century. Arch Ibadan Med. 2005; 6: 1-6
- Ladipo, JK. Personal communication.