THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Dr Daniel Ubani is a constant face at every Nigerian event in Germany. He could be described as a pillar of the community of his countrymen and women in the country.
Dr Ubani actually arrived in Germany in 1966. He studied medicine at Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg from 1966-1972. And from1974-1980, he pursued post-graduate studies which culminated in his qualification as a surgeon.
Ubani worked as Consultant Surgeon in various German hospitals before setting up a private clinic for general medicine in 1986. In 1990, he established Queen Idia, a private clinic for Aesthetic and Cosmetic Surgery, Anti-Aging Medicine and Wellness, in the western German town of Witten. Apart from serving German patients, the clinic also serves as a consulting and treatment clinic for many difficult medical cases that cannot be handled in Nigeria.
A renowned expert in aesthetic and cosmetic surgery, Dr Ubani has delivered papers in various national and international forums – in Germany, Vienna, London, Buenos Aires, Paris, Cyprus, Moscow, Bombay, San Salvador, Washington D. C, Shanghai, Lagos, etc. He co-founded the Interdisciplinary Aesthetic Surgery and Anti-Aging Congress in the Ruhr region in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2004.
Dr Ubani’s inspiring story shows that Africans can excel at any level of education and in any academic discipline even in a country like Germany with a cherished tradition of rigorous scholarship. He has proved his mettle wherever he has found himself and has been a good ambassador of Africa.
In addition to his career success, Dr Ubani is actively engaged in the Nigerian cause in Germany. He was the initiator and co-founder of the Nigerian Medical Association, Germany, which he headed from 1973-1983. He founded the Nigerian-German Cultural Association (Deutsch-Nigerianischer Kulturverein e. V.) in 1995 and he was the president of the Nigerian Community Germany from 1995-2001.
In 1999, Ubani founded the first foreign chapter of Nigeria’s ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party. “My main interest lies in the development of a realistic and enduring democracy, trans-ethical good governance with positive results for the citizens of Nigeria,” Dr Ubani said, explaining his active involvement in Nigerian affairs. He has open ears for the problems of Nigerians in Germany and helps to solve them where possible.
The brilliant surgeon, development activist and Nigerian patriot is married to a German woman and they have four grown-up children.
Sola Jolaoso
