Dr. Stephen Folagbade Oshodi was born on 11th July 1943 to the family of Chief Daniel Owolabi Oshodi and Princess Rachel Aminatu Oshodi (nee Momoh) of Okela quarters, Ikare - Akoko in  the Akoko North East Local Government Area of Ondo state Nigeria.

His father Chief Daniel Ubini Owolabi Oshodi was a very wealthy and successful Merchant with diverse business interests including the transportation of  agricultural produce from the hintherland to the Port in Lagos, his fleet of lorries traversed Northern and South Western Nigeria in Colonial times.
He was a well travelled and literate man who placed great emphasis on education.

Following his death in 1947 the family fell on hard times consequently His Royal Highness the Olukare of Ikare Land Oba Adu Momoh II called his brother Prince Saliu Momoh the father of  Princess Rachel Aminatu Oshodi (Dr. Folagbade Oshodi's Mother) and told him that that they could not permit their daughter Rachel and her two children who are of Royal descent to suffer.
Therefore Prince Saliu  was asked to bring them to live in the  Olukare's Palace with the whole of the Momoh ruling family as members of the Royal house hold. Thus Dr. Stephen Folagbade Oshodi and his brother Professor Augustine Aladesanmi Oshodi spent their youthful lives in the Palace the latter till he left to study at the University. of Ibadan.

Dr.Stephen Folagbade Oshodi had his primary education at St Gregory's Catholic primary School Ikare Akoko and at St.Jude's Ebute - Meta Lagos after which he returned home to commence secondary School at Victory College Ikare which he completed in 1962 with flying colours attaining Grade I in his School certificate Examinations.
In 1963 he proceeded to Loyola College Ibadan to study for the Higher school certificate he was compelled by circumstances  to leave Loyola  to take up employment at the Federal ministry of trade  but he ensured that his studies were not interrupted. He worked at the Federal Ministry of Trade and industries as a clerical officer during the day while attending the Federal school of science in the evenings. The change in his educational programme and decision to take up employment was due to his love and concern for the well being of his brother and mother. Thus his savings from work were sent home regularly  to assist his mother in paying the school fees of his brother Professor Aladesanmi  Oshodi who  had  just gained admission to victory College Ikare and who subsequently completed his Secondary education in 1968 attaining a Grade I in his school certificate examinations. He supported his brother's education to PHD level. 

He proceed to Poland in 1966 on a Polish government scholarship to study Medicine where he excelled academically achieving distinctions in several subjects including Philosophy despite having to learn and study in an entirely new language.He developed a love for philosophy (which was a part of the medical curriculum in Poland at the time) He also developed an abiding love for classical music. in addition he found time to become an adept sailor and yachtsman.
He graduated from the university of Warsaw with an MD. in 1973.
While studying in Poland he met and married his loving and kind hearted wife Mrs Maryla Oshodi a Pharmacist (M.Pharm. University of Warsaw) . They married as undergraduates in March 1969  and had the first of their first of three sons Dr. Mark Adegbola Oshodi in September 1969.

The loving ,kind and generous Rachel Aminatu Oshodi died on the 23rd of January 1973 a few months before her son was  due to qualify as a Doctor. Soon after receiving this news Folagbade sent a message to his brother Aladesanmi informing him that he could not bear to leave him alone in Nigeria and therefore suddenly arrived in Nigeria in May 1973 to start a new life.

After arriving in Nigeria Dr. Folagbade Oshodi completed Housemanship  at General Hospital Lagos, Island Maternity hospital Lagos and the Massey street Children's Hospital Lagos between 1973 and1974.
He had a great interest in Orthopaedic surgery  and hoped to specialise in this field . He had  done an elective posting at the University of Lund in Sweden  as a medical student under Professor Stig Benmark  a leading Swedish surgeon who  was kind to him and whose work inspired him greatly. Consequently he took up an appointment as a Medical officer at the orthopaedic hospital Igbobi Lagos  between 1974 an1976 with the intention of training as an Orthopaedic surgeon.However in the course of his training at Igbobi he realised that he would have to travel to the UK to complete his training in Orthopaedic surgery.
He was not willing to travel abroad again since by that time his wife and two young sons had joined him in Nigeria (They had arrived  from  Poland in April 1975)and he realised that  another move abroad would have been too disruptive for his young family .

Therefore he decided to pursue  postgraduate studies in Anaesthesia  because it was the only accredited programme that could be completed in Nigeria at the time. He joined the department of Anaesthesia at the Lagos University teaching hospital(LUTH) in early 1976 to begin his training .He became a senior registrar in 1981. Always innovative and able to think outside the box while at LUTH he developed a new type of Anaesthetic Circuit  that decreased the need  soda-lime an essential component in existing Anaesthetic circuits of which an acute shortage had arisen@1977 .Later known as the Lagos circuit preliminary data was presented at the West African society of anaesthetists conference in Accra Ghana in 1980  but its initial acceptance internationally was hampered by a lack of resources to properly validate it ,thus he could not receive full credit for his invention .Eventually similar work was completed by others and variations of his circuit subsequently appeared on several Anaesthetic machines.

On completing his Residency training in Anaesthesia Dr. Folagbade Oshodi. MD. DA. joined the Lagos state health service as a Consultant Anaesthetist in 1984 and by 1987 became a senior Consultant Anaesthetist at the General Hospital Lagos. While in the Lagos State service he also worked as a senior Consultant Anaesthetist at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital where in conjunction with Dr. Laguda Chief Consultant Obstetrician&Gynaecologist and the department of Pharmacy he  developed a surgical pack system for patients who needed emergency surgery .These surgical packs contained all the consumables for surgery to take place thus  sparing poor  patients the need to buy unnecessary and expensive  supplies at inflated prices often late at night from private pharmacies  in the vicinity of the hospital because the hospital had no stock of its own.The fact that the packs were immediately available  for use at the hospital ,saved time and also saved  lives  by preventing delays in treatment the packs also cost the patients considerably less and spare packs could be used to save the lives of penniless patients. Subsequently the pack system was adopted State - wide.

Dr. Folagbade Oshodi initiated and opened the first Anaesthetic recovery room in a state Hospital in 1988.
He  recommended the establishment of a House officer  training programme  for newly qualified doctors at the General Hospital Ikeja to his colleague Dr. Joseph who was the Chief Consultant at the time. He spearheaded this process and was tasked with approaching  the Medical Council to seek approval for the hospital  as an accredited institution for the  training of Housemen and to establish a properly equipped library ( a prerequisite). This was done successfully and today General Hospital Ikeja is the Lagos state university teaching hospital!

Dr. Folagbade Oshodi was promoted to the rank of Chief Consultant Anaesthetist in1991. In response to the shortage of support staff and Anaesthetists in operating theatres Dr Oshodi started a training programme for Nurse anaesthetists to address the shortage of  qualified staff. This programme is still in existence at the time of writing.

In 1998 Dr. Oshodi was promoted to the rank of Consultant special grade and in 1999 he was appointed as the Medical Director of the General Hospital Ikorodu.
          He met the hospital in a dire state repair both in terms of its crumbling physical infrastructure and in the poor condition of its equipment. The roof had been damaged by a storm and was non-existent in parts of the hospital , The wards needed to be renovated ,basic sanitary facilities were non existent on several wards and had to be repaired , boreholes needed to operational to re-establish a reliable water supply  for the institution to be able to function as a hospital. With typical determination he  successfully completed this herculean task (often paying for minor repairs out of his own pocket)  and then went on to  establish a new out patient theatre!
He had begun to establish a library , hosted an ophthalmology conference and was preparing to seek approval for Ikorodu General Hospital as training institution  for house officers when he was recalled to General hospital Lagos  in 2001 and retired soon afterwards on the14th of March 2001.
He was the 1st Chairman of the Nigerian Red Cross society Ikorodu Chapter.

Dr. Folagbade Oshodi loved his profession and encouraged his children to study medicine and the sciences.He worked tirelessly to keep his nuclear and extended family well educated and proud of their country. He genuinely believed in investing in people and practiced what he preached.
Today his first and second sons are Medical consultants, specialising in Cardiology and Internal Medicine and In Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine respectively. His third son  is a Petroleum Geochemist with an MSc.Petroleum Geochemistry ( Newcastle).
He has also left behind many nephews and nieces who were encouraged by him to forge ahead and reach for the stars because he believed that with prayer hard work and integrity the sky is the limit.

Dr. S.F. Oshodi was a trail blazer in his family , a beacon of light and hope, a gentleman to the core, loving husband, father and grand father, caring brother uncle and in- law , friend to all no matter their position in society .
He never forgot his roots and was proud of his home town 
IKARE AKOKO.

He will be missed by many and his nuclear family in particular.

REST IN PEACE BABA  - OXYGEN!!

REST IN PEACE THE DANCING DOCTOR OF 11:00 AM MASS
CHURCH OF ASSUMPTION FALOMO.


Addendum:13/08/22 
This is an edited version of his biography that has been culled from the Original in the  Funeral Order of Service booklet issued for his funeral which took place on 14th of September 2012.