Dr Oluwatuyi fielding questions from NewsmakersNG team in Brazil.
Adeyinka Olaiya, Editor-at-Large, Brazil/
Charity, as the saying goes, begins at home.
That appears to be the guiding principle of a Brazil-based Nigerian medical doctor who is being celebrated as an angel for coming to the aide of his kinsmen battling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Emmanuel Odunayo Toyin Oluwatuyi, who is eternally grateful to the late legendary Nigerian philanthropist, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola for assisting him to travel to Brazil with N70 support to complete the payment for his flight ticket, told NewsmakersNG in a chat that he felt obliged to also come to the aid of Nigerians in need.
Dr Oluwatuyi, a psychiatrist, activist and humanist has touched many lives of Nigerian Immigrants in Sao Paulo, Brazil through prompt attention to their social and medical needs.
He has been the leader of the Nigerian community in Brazil since 2016, and he recently led in the distribution of hundreds of assorted loads of food stuffs to many Nigerian families facing hard times brought by the pandemic in Sao Paulo.
In conjunction with other humanitarian organizations, Oluwatuyi has held important gatherings, talks, and offered guidance to many Nigerian and African immigrants on the streets of Sao Paulo. He taught many how to stay safe from the deadly COVID-19 infection.
Born in Ikene Ekiti, Ondo State, Nigeria, Dr Oluwatuyi attended the prestigious Saint Andrews College, in Oyo and then travelled to study medicine at the Universidade Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. He has since worked in several hospitals, institutions and medical research centres in Brazil.
A recipient of academic, humanitarian and professional awards, Dr Oluwatuyi has also contributed towards the development of several medical and social mechanisms for societal changes in Brazil and in the Americas.
Variously described as a humble and patriotic Nigerian, Oluwatuyi arrived Brazil in 1981 out of curiosity, exactly four years after watching the World’s Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77) in Lagos, Nigeria. He preferred to study medicine in Brazil rather than Europe where his colleagues were trooping to. He described Brazil, Malaysia, South Korea and India as examples of countries Nigeria should emulate in the exchange of technology and health science.
In his clinic in Sao Paulo, where he received NewsmakersNG, Dr. Oluwatuyi suggested a system of preventive medicine as an adequate option for Nigeria’s healthcare. He believes in prevention than cure.
He said that a well-organized medical preventive system could work in Nigeria.
His words: “I still believe in my country Nigeria. If we all contribute honestly, we will arrive at a distinct Nigeria. There was a time I took a project that would help our dear country to the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo when he visited Brazil, but my project was ignored without even analyzing it. I have tried to contribute my quota but the unstable political situation in Nigeria was never favorable.
“I will continue with my humanitarian cause in the diaspora by helping the Nigerians around me. I am doing this as my own token of gratitude to what Nigeria has done for me. I will forever thank the families of MKO Abiola who gave me N70 to complete the payment for my flight ticket to Brazil. I was a science teacher in Nigeria when I got my student visa to Brazil. I tried to get money from the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, but it was not possible; only MKO Abiola helped me with N70. I have to pay back to my fellow Nigerians what I also gained from Nigeria. I have dedicated my mind in helping my people with the little I can afford. I see my humanitarian cause as an avenue to pay back to the society the good deeds I gained from society.
“I have been so lucky to the extent that even while I was a student, my Professor of Psychology in the University, Prof. Lopez adopted me like a son. He was like a father to me. He helped me with my little bills. He gave me shelter and financial allowances. He got me a job in his hospital even while I was in my Part 3 in the university. I worked in his hospital till I graduated. I will forever be grateful to his family.”
Dr Oluwatuyi urged Nigerian professionals in diaspora to start considering how to extend the best of all they acquired abroad to Nigeria. He also called on the government of Nigeria to give the incentives necessary so that the professionals who relocate from home are not frustrated in due cause.
A member of the Egbe Omo Oodua in Sao Paulo, Dr Oluwatuyi acknowledged the immense supports of the Yoruba social-cultural group in Brazil. He gave kudos to the Nigerians in Diaspora of the Americas Organization (NIDOA) Brazil chapter, Brazil-based Nigerian doctors, the entire executives of the Nigerian community in Brazil, the Imo indigenous Association, Anambra Association, members of the Nigerian Muslim community in Sao Paulo, Nigerian churches and organizations, African Cultural Center and several other associations that are contributing to the betterment of the Nigerian immigrants in Brazil.
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Dr. Emmanuel O.T Oluwatuyi President of Nigerian Community in Brazil is a man of an excepcional vision. He is a good example of how politicians in Nigeria should conduct the affairs of the State.