Olumbe Bassir
Encyclopedia
Olumbe Bassir was a Sierra Leonean scientist
and academic who settled in Nigeria
.
to Sierra Leonean parents in 1919, Abdul Rahman Bassir was raised in the older part of the municipality of Freetown, Fourah Bay
, by his parents Abdul and Isatu Bassir. He attended the Prince of Wales Secondary School where he passed the Senior Cambridge examination with exemption from London matriculation. In 1946 after a short teaching spell at the prestigious Bo Government Secondary School he went to Yaba College
where he obtained the Higher National Diploma. He went to the United Kingdom, where he earned the Bachelor of Science degree in 1949 and PhD one year later from Liverpool University.
He was convinced by some friends to go to Nigeria where he ultimately spent his entire professional life, to the disappointment of some close relatives and friends back home in Sierra Leone
.
, he founded the Biochemistry
and Microbiology
departments. He laid the foundation of what became the first medical school in West Africa. By 1958, he was already a full professor. His academic specialty was nutrition
and biochemical toxicology
. He was at various times head of those two departments and even became dean of faculty.
He had written at least 250 professional papers by 1972 when London University conferred the coveted doctor of science degree (D.Sc.) on him. He had performed very successful lecture tours in the then Soviet Union
, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America among others.
While in UK, he was a student of Richard Tecwyn Williams
. In 1968, he formed a partnership with Tecwyn Williams through the British Inter-University Council for Higher Education Overseas. The programme's research division helped developed the Drug Metabolism and Biochemical Toxicology research program at Ibadan and contributed in fostering interest and making interesting findings in animal nutritional habits.
.
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
and academic who settled in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
Earliy life and education
Born in SenegalSenegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
to Sierra Leonean parents in 1919, Abdul Rahman Bassir was raised in the older part of the municipality of Freetown, Fourah Bay
Fourah Bay
Fourah Bay is a neighborhood in the West End of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Fourah Bay is known for its rich culture and deeply religious muslim people. Fourah Bay is largely muslim and is home to Sierra Leone's biggest and West Africa's oldest university, the Fourah Bay College ) to which it gives its...
, by his parents Abdul and Isatu Bassir. He attended the Prince of Wales Secondary School where he passed the Senior Cambridge examination with exemption from London matriculation. In 1946 after a short teaching spell at the prestigious Bo Government Secondary School he went to Yaba College
Yaba College
Yaba Higher College was founded in 1932 in Yaba, now a suburb of Lagos in Nigeria to provide tertiary education to Africans, mostly in vocational subjects and teaching. The college staff were transferred to start the University of Ibadan in 1948 and the college premises were used for the new Yaba...
where he obtained the Higher National Diploma. He went to the United Kingdom, where he earned the Bachelor of Science degree in 1949 and PhD one year later from Liverpool University.
He was convinced by some friends to go to Nigeria where he ultimately spent his entire professional life, to the disappointment of some close relatives and friends back home in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
.
Career
At the University of IbadanUniversity of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan is the oldest Nigerian university, and is located five miles from the centre of the major city of Ibadan in Western Nigeria...
, he founded the Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
and Microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
departments. He laid the foundation of what became the first medical school in West Africa. By 1958, he was already a full professor. His academic specialty was nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
and biochemical toxicology
Toxicology
Toxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
. He was at various times head of those two departments and even became dean of faculty.
He had written at least 250 professional papers by 1972 when London University conferred the coveted doctor of science degree (D.Sc.) on him. He had performed very successful lecture tours in the then Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America among others.
While in UK, he was a student of Richard Tecwyn Williams
Richard Tecwyn Williams
Richard Tecwyn Williams was a Welsh biochemist who founded the systematic study of xenobiotic metabolism with the publication of his book Detoxication mechanisms in 1947...
. In 1968, he formed a partnership with Tecwyn Williams through the British Inter-University Council for Higher Education Overseas. The programme's research division helped developed the Drug Metabolism and Biochemical Toxicology research program at Ibadan and contributed in fostering interest and making interesting findings in animal nutritional habits.
Personal life
He married Constance, a British citizen, at the Refuge, as his home was known. He had 12 children, two of whom were born in Sierra Leone before he went to the United Kingdom for further education. He died of high blood pressure on May 23, 2001 at IbadanIbadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
.