The UNDP/UNFPA/WHO/UNICEF/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of a global research icon, colleague,

and friend, Professor Bukola Fawole. We offer our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and to the entire staff of University College Hospital; and College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Bukola, as he was fondly known by his international collaborators, was an astute researcher of great integrity, who dedicated a major part of his life to elevating the image of his country as a hub for high-quality and impactful research in sexual and reproductive health. Bukola first collaborated with HRP in the early 2000s, and was subsequently instrumental to the successful implementation of several HRP-led projects that brought great benefits to women and adolescent girls worldwide.

Throughout his career, he sought to build the research capacity of many, both within and outside Nigeria, on issues close to his heart. His unique leadership skills accounted for his success in locally implementing international research projects, often in the face of challenging circumstances and obstacles. HRP is privileged to have worked with someone who has impacted the lives of so many individuals in so many positive ways.

With Bukola’s leadership and commitment, Nigeria has been able to participate in the generation of game-changing research on addressing maternal mortality, from epidemiology through to clinical trials. Bukola led a number of HRP flagship research projects, including the WHO Multi-Country Survey on Maternal and Newborn Health, the WHO Better Outcomes in Labour Difficulty (BOLD) projects, and the CHAMPION trial on heat-stable carbetocin, that have all had a significant impact on clinical practices globally.

Bukola will be missed for his gentleness, humility, and his selfless collaboration with colleagues. His passion for, and commitment to, improving other people’s lives, his technical expertise, and his unwavering belief that every researcher can meaningfully contribute to international research projects, enabled him to demonstrate optimism even in the face of near-impossible circumstances.

We appreciate Professor Fawole for his lifelong commitment and dedication to the advancement of women’s and newborn’s health not just in his beloved country, Nigeria, but globally. Nigeria has indeed lost one of its very best.
HRP family

Adeniran Olubukola Fawole, who passed on at 58 on January 9, 2019, was a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the College of Medicine and the University College Hospital (UCH) of the University of Ibadan. He is survived by his beloved wife, Professor Funmilayo Fawole, who is the dean, Faculty of Public Health of the College of Medicine and UCH, and two sons: Ayodamope, a dental surgeon, and Bolutife, a medical student in the United States.

His burial in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Saturday, February 2, was preceded the previous day by an Evening of Tributes organized in his honour by the College of Medicine. The tributes were led by the vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka, with the provost, College of Medicine of the university, Professor Oluwabunmi Olapade-Olaopa, in tow, among other eggheads who were colleagues of the departed medical researcher, family and friends, including his school mates at the Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, Nigeria, who were well represented.