PRESIDENT TINUBU SALUTES DR THOMPSON ABAYOMI OSHIN ON HIS CENTENNIAL BIRTHDAY

President Bola Tinubu congratulates Dr Thompson Abayomi Oshin, a renowned healthcare professional, educator, and humanitarian, on his 100th birthday on July 30.

Dr Oshin, widely regarded as the father of physiotherapy in Nigeria, is a pioneer of physiotherapy in Africa.

He is the first head and consultant physiotherapist at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, and served as the first Secretary-General of the African Physiotherapy Organisation following his election in Cairo in 1980.

President Tinubu salutes Pa Oshin, who helped transform physiotherapy from a hospital-based technical service into a respected university-level profession, laying the foundation for modern physiotherapy education and practice in Nigeria.

The President celebrates Pa Oshin for his pioneering contributions to Nigeria’s health sector. These include co-founding the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy in 1959 alongside Chief C.A. Ajao, identifying and documenting Oja Palsy (later referenced in Davidson’s Principles and Practice of Medicine), designing innovative rehabilitation equipment such as corrective splints and folding wooden crutches, and publishing extensively on physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and professional development.

President Tinubu also commends him for his decades-long illustrious service to the nation, dedicating his life to advocacy, teaching, and professional leadership while helping to establish standards for physiotherapy education and practice across Nigeria and training generations of physiotherapists in the country and beyond.

He describes the life of Pa Oshin as one of deep sacrifice, dedication to humanity, professionalism, and hard work, highlighting his many philanthropic pursuits. These include donating wheelchairs, crutches, and rehabilitation equipment to hospitals; endowing prizes for outstanding physiotherapy students at the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos; supporting nursing education through scholarships; and donating land, educational equipment, and sporting facilities to schools.

As Dr Oshin celebrates this milestone occasion, the President thanks him for his labour for our nation and joins family, friends, and members of the medical profession in wishing him many more years in good health and strength.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
July 30, 2026