President of the Doherty Memorial Grammar School (DMGS), Ijero-Ekiti Old Students Association Worldwide, Dr Abiodun Arokodare has congratulated Professor Ayodele Omotoso first for fulfilling his dream of becoming a medical doctor and later positively impacting lives in over 40 years of active practice as a consultant cardiologist.
In a message to the erudite academic on the occasion of his exit Inaugural lecture on Thursday January 16, 2025 at the University of Ilorin where he currently heads the faculty of clinical health sciences, Arokodare described him as brilliant mind who was appointed the school’s Library Prefect in 1972, recalling that this was a position reserved only for the most brilliant student in the final year class from the foundation of the School in 1955. He praised him for justifying the confidence reposed in him by going on to score distinctions in all his subjects in that year’s West African School Certificate Examinations (WASCE) thus ending up with Grade 1.
Omotoso’s lecture with the theme, ‘ Of The Heart, For The Heart, and From The Heart: Communicating The Incommunicables Heartily’ was the 272nd in the inaugural lecture series at the University of Ilorin. It also marked a significant milestone in his career as it kick-started the process that will culminate in his retirement.
In celebrating the erudite cardiologist, Dr Arokodare traced his journey from his days as a young boy at the Doherty Memorial Grammar School (DMGS) Ijero-Ekiti where the seeds of his uncanny academic excellence were sown, praising the consistency and focus that would ultimately distinguish him in his chosen field of human endeavour.
“And the Professor has been just as heralded in his academic and professional pursuits as he has been in initiatives that seek to better the fortunes of his alma mater, the DMGS”, remarks the DMGS-OSA Worldwide President, himself an outstanding academic who also served as the School Librarian in 1976 and made distinctions in all his subjects in the WASC Examinations that year.
Arokodare also recalled that “At a very critical time in the life of the Association, when its fortunes went downhill, Professor Omotoso is credited with investing his huge social and credibility capital in resuscitating the Association in the year 2022/2023 and working with other stakeholders to ensure the survival and growth of the Association”.
“The Association owes him a huge debt of gratitude in this respect”, he further submitted
“We rejoice with the Prof who delivered his exit Inaugural Lecture at the University of Ilorin on Thursday, signposting a critical step preceding his retirement. We congratulate him for successfully navigating the academic corridors for about four decades and we look forward to benefitting more from his experience and intellect in years ahead as he becomes more available to contribute to the fortunes, growth, and progress of our Old Students Association,” he added.
