The remains of the doyen of medicine, Dr. Michael Olarinoye Shona, were last weekend laid to rest in Kano amidst grief from a mammoth crowd of relations, friends and sympathisers that converged on the Ahmadiyya Christian Cemetery.
The journey to Dr Shona’s final resting place began with a wake at the First Baptist Church, France Road, Kano, Friday, May 19, 2023 while the funeral service took place the next day in a solemn atmosphere.
The officiating pastor, Rev. Dr. Armstrong Ola Ajayi, assisted by other clerics, conducted the service during which he eulogised the qualities of the late medical icon and appealed to his children to endeavour to sustain the legacy of their father, whom he described as a great man and pillar of the church, stressing that he lived an impactful life.
Tributes from the children, relations, family friends and his staff at the MOS-Metro Hospital, Kano,poured in like a torrent, all extolling his good deeds and generosity.
Dr. Shona, one of the doyens of medical profession in the defunct Northern Nigeria,died on April 19, this year at the age of 95.
A prominent son of ljagbo, Kwara state, Shona was among the first set of Government College, Keffi, and a pioneer of the famous Kano Medical School, established by the late Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto. He later proceeded to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on a one-year intensive course.
He served as a Medical Officer of Health in charge of General Hospitals in most parts of old Northern Nigeria. Among them were Kafanchan, Jos, Kaduna, Sokoto, Birnin Kebbi, Gusau, Bauchi, Bama and Nguru where he left his marks as a highly gifted medical doctor.
Following the creation of states in 1967, he was transferred to llorin to head the General Hospital, from where he retired in 1973. Upon retiring, he was engaged to run the Niger Dam Authority Hospital in Kainji, New Bussa.
Thereafter, he relocated to Kano, the base of his alma mater around 1974 and established the now famous MOS-Metro Hospital, situated along Tudun Wada Road.
He is survived by five children from his late wife, Deaconess Josephine Shona, namely Dr. Jumoke Shona, Kayode Shona, Barr. Deola Shona, Gbenga Shona and Ronke Shona and many grandchildren.
