The President of The United States of America, President Joe Biden, has conferred the ‘Time Achievement Award’ on Dr. Salewa Olafioye, a Prominent US-based Nigerian for his incredible dedication as a medical consultant and AIDS specialist for multi-purpose service to humanity. This award from the Oval House is a golden mark of recognition of Dr. Olafioye’s giant strides in his chosen career spanning decades, all geared towards humanitarian services.
It will be recalled that Dr. Salewa Olafioye served the United Nations (UN) from 1995 – 1998.
He is an enthusiastic and motivating academic as well as an inspiring advocate for human rights who worked in different spheres of social and human development.
He is a professor of human anatomy at many universities including the University of Phoenix and Wayne County Community College district.
Although Dr. Olafioye is now a retired medical doctor after 25 years in Detroit, Michigan, with the Detroit Health Department and serves as medical staff at New Light Recovery Center of Opioid and Cocaine medical epidemic, he remains a pillar in Nigerian and African communities for the past 45 years in America. He served as President of the Nigerian Foundation in Michigan, one of the most progressiveorganizations in North America. He was the Founding President of United African Community Organizations (UACO), the largest African Diasporan organization with membership from more than 25 African countries.
This affiliation played a vital role in proffering solutions to famine during the Sudan War as well as in Liberia/Gambia’s return to democracy. He has championed many other medical and public health developmental projects in other African countries.
Dr. Olafioye advocated for the rights of Nigerians against the Military junta of the 1990s and took risks as he defended and pushed for philanthropic and democratic ideals.
He believes that challenging the status quo to engender a benefit output for the greater good of the majority is worth the risk-taking which is obligatory and demands moral courage to achieve. Hence, risk- taking is essential for growth, innovation, and forwardness. Dr. Salewa Olafioye uses his extensive network to garner relief support from countries around the world during the UACO massive advocacy for victims of 9/11, the flood in New Orleans, and Haiti. He also worked with Better Nigeria Inc for millions of Naira donations to Owo massacre victims and presently flood victims in Bornu State of Nigeria.
According to Dr. Salewa Olafioye, his career success is dedicated to his late parents, Chief and Mrs. Olanipekun. Stephen Olafioye who planted the unique seed of knowledge and giving in his primordial mind and taught him to always believe in himself, and in the same vein, his wife, Shawn Renee, who nurtured the already planted seed of greatness.
In the annals of American history, such honor from The US President to a Diasporan as the one extended to Dr. Salewa Olafioye reinforces the sentiment that it takes one who is diligent in his work to stand before kings and not before mere men.