The Osun State University has been cleared to graduate medical students following the grant of final accreditation to its medical programme by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
The development was announced during a visit by officials of the council to the Osun State Government House, where the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, received the accreditation team.
A statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, said Adeleke welcomed the development and promised continued support for the university to achieve higher levels of academic excellence.
The Registrar of the council, Fatimah Kyari, was represented by the Deputy Registrar, Nnaemeka Nwakanma, who commended the state government for providing the equipment and facilities required for the final accreditation of the university’s College of Medicine within seven years.
“This team has just approved and granted final full accreditation to the medical school. It didn’t come easy,” Nwakanma said.
He noted that since its establishment in 1963, the council has maintained strict standards in regulating the training of medical personnel capable of competing globally.
According to him, the council also approved an admission quota of 150 students for the medical programme, placing the institution on par with major universities such as the University of Lagos.
He explained that admission quotas are determined by factors including available manpower, quality of human resources, laboratories, hospital facilities and the general capacity of institutions to train medical students effectively.
Responding, Adeleke expressed satisfaction with the accreditation and assured the council that his administration would continue to support the institution.
He added that the university’s admission capacity for medicine and related programmes would be doubled before the next accreditation exercise.
The governor also lamented the increasing migration of skilled professionals abroad, popularly referred to as the “Japa syndrome,” stressing the need to improve the working environment for professionals in Nigeria.
“When you go to the biggest hospitals in the UK, America and elsewhere in Europe, Nigerians are the best hands you will find there, and it is because there is no conducive working environment for them in Nigeria. But we must work together to reverse the trend,” he said.
Meanwhile, the university has continued to expand its medical training infrastructure, including the establishment of the Modupe and Folorunso Alakija Medical Research and Training Hospital in Osogbo.
The facility was donated by Nigerian businesswoman and philanthropist Folorunso Alakija and formally handed over to the university’s management.
According to the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Ademola Adesoji, the handover ceremony took place at Famfa Towers in Lagos.
The university delegation, led by the Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Wale Oladipo, and the Vice-Chancellor, Clement Adebooye, visited the donor for the signing ceremony.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of Famfa Oil, Dele Alakija, who represented the donor family, expressed appreciation to the university for its commitment to advancing healthcare and medical education in Nigeria.
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