Olikoye Ransome-Kuti

Olikoye Ransome-Kuti was a prominent Nigerian paediatrician, activist and health minister. He was born in 1927 into a distinguished and radical family. His mother was a women's rights activist and his father was a priest and educator. He had two brothers, Fela and Beko, who were also famous musicians and activists. He studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin and worked as a house physician at General Hospital, Lagos. He later became a senior lecturer and professor of paediatrics at the University of Lagos. He was appointed as the health minister of Nigeria in 1985 by General Ibrahim Babangida. He initiated a primary health care programme that made health services accessible to millions of Nigerians. He also launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness and prevent the spread of HIV AIDS. He was the first to announce the death of his brother Fela from AIDS-related complications in 1997. He also founded the Society for Family Health Nigeria, a non-governmental organization that provides family planning and child health services. He was awarded the Leon Bernard Foundation Prize and the Maurice Pate Award for his contributions to public health. He joined the World Health Organization as its Deputy Director-General in 1992. He died of a heart attack in 2003 at the age of 75. He was survived by his wife and three children. He is widely regarded as one of the best and most honest cabinet ministers Nigeria has ever had.