Dr Jonathan Durojaiye Soleye

Dr. Chief Jonathan Durojaiye Soleye (LSM, LRCP, MRCS) born on October 22, 1923. and transitioned on September 30, 2020 at the age of 97. He is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who miss him dearly. He attended St Mark's Anglican Primary School Offa between (1929-1936); Igbobi College Yaba-Lagos (1937-1941); Nigeria School of Medicine,Yaba (1943-1948); West London Hospital Medical School (1954-1955); Queen's University Belfast (1961-1962). Dr. Chief Jonathan Durojaiye Soleye started his career as an Assistant Medical Officer with the Nigeria Medical Department between 1948 -1952; later as a Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, Northern Region of Nigeria 1952-1960; He was promoted as a Senior Medical Officer 1960 -1963 and Principal Medical Officer 1964-1967. He rose to become the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Northern Region 1967-1968 and the first Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Kwara State 1968-1969. He retired from the civil service in January 1969. He founded Duro Soleye Hospitals Ikeja-Lagos. He has served on the boards of major institutions and organizations such as Medical Council in Public Health, Family Planning Association of Nigeria, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and University of Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH). He was the national chairman of Nigerian Red Cross Society 1989-1996. Dr Soleye was honored with the traditional title of Bobagunwa of Offa in 1977 and a national award of Officer of the Order of Niger (OON) in 1965. He was a lover of lawn tennis and hunting. Chief Soleye assumed the leadership of the Offa Descendants Union as the President in December 1975 and remained in that office for an unprecedented 16 years when he handed over to Professor M.O. Oyawoye in 1991. The National Secretariat of ODU is named after Chief J.D. Soleye. He was the second person, after Dr R.A.B Dikko, to qualify as a medical doctor in the old northern Nigeria.