Immediate past Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari has mourned eminent Professor of Medicine, Umaru Shehu who died on Monday.
Buhari in a statement issued by his Spokesman, Garba Shehu, condoled the family of the deceased, the government and people of Borno State, and the entire nation.
Paying glowing tribute to the deceased, the former president said Shehu epitomized the best spirit of human beings.
“Through his many years of medical practice, he saved the lives of so many people. He played a pivotal role in shaping many of the progressive policies in the health sector in the country. May Allah bless his soul,” the former president said.
Until his death, Shehu was a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State. He was also Chairman of the board of the Nigerian Institute of Virology.
He was Northern Nigeria’s first Professor of Community Health.
Prof. Shehu, who died at the age of 97, was the founder of the Kanem Borno Historical and Cultural Foundation and a co-founder of the Borno Elders Forum.
He was Professor Emeritus, Community Health, University of Maiduguri and former President of the Nigerian Academy of Science.
Prof. Shehu was born on December 8, 1930, in Maiduguri, Nigeria. He attended Elementary School, Maiduguri 1935-1940; Middle School, Maiduguri 1941-1943; Kaduna College, Kaduna 1944-1947; University College Ibadan 1948-1953; and was at the University of Liverpool between 1953-1956 and 1966-1967.
Professor Shehu received a Bachelor of Medicine degree from the University of London. He also received a fellowship from the Institute of Cancer Research and he is the Editor-in-Chief of the British Medical Journal.
