Alumni launch $2m endowment fund for Lagos varsity

To commemorate 40 years of its graduation, the 1984 set of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, has inaugurated a $2m endowment fund to support academic excellence and infrastructure development at the institution.

The inauguration, which was part of the set’s week-long reunion programme, took place on Saturday night during the gala dinner at the Nnamdi Azikwe Hall, Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos State.

The alumni also donated a renewable power structure and renovated some building facilities within the college.

Speaking on the occasion, the chairman of the organising committee, Prof Ayodeji Olamijulo, said the initiative was part of the alumni’s commitment to ensuring enhanced learning conditions, by renovating the facilities and sponsoring developments for students’ academic excellence.

He said the action was a step towards giving back and securing a brighter future for the institution, adding that remembering the college was to recognise that “it has given us the foundation to become whatever we are today.”

The don also hinted that as part of its programme, the set had earlier visited a home, Heart of Gold Children Hospital, to impact about 72 abandoned and needy children with donations.

He said, “Now that we realise that the government cannot do it alone and that the alumni group can also come together to improve the school, we have come to do that.

“We have also decided to give back to society as well, so yesterday, we commissioned a renewable power energy structure.

“During this programme, we have launched an endowment board for the development of the college.

“We visited a home called the Heart of Gold Children Hospital where we were told that about 72 children have been abandoned for one reason or the other, so we paid a token of our contribution to them because that is very important.

“We recognised that some of us, about 20 or 21 of us, have gone to the place beyond. We remember them during the course of the celebration.

“We reminded ourselves that our time on this terrestrial ball is too short. We should do as much as we can with whatever we can to leave a good legacy behind. We are saddened that some of our colleagues have left and we hold memories about them, we pray that their souls continue to rest in peace.”

He said the college needed a lot of money to put many things in place for the comfort of the students.

“What the college needs is actually a lot of money. For instance, for the students’ hostel which we wanted to renovate, the bill we got to renovate was just a block.

“There are about nine blocks of building that need serious renovation and we got a budget of about N280m and given the time that we had to plan and the amount involved, we had to jettison or put it on hold. That is just the students’ hostel if you then multiply that by the nine other blocks.

“The buildings are not even enough. There were no bunk beds in the hostels. During our days, two or three people were the maximum in a room but now, you will find nine people so the rooms are overcrowded.

“That’s just the students’ hostel not to talk about research platforms, teaching materials and others. What we can say is that we need a lot of money but we have to start from somewhere,” he said.

Olamijulo also called on Nigerian youths to recognise their crucial role in the nation’s future, urging them to stay focused, inspired, and committed to building the country.

He further emphasised that while some young Nigerians may seek opportunities abroad, the success of nations like the United States and countries in Europe was due to the commitment of their citizens to national development.

The professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology encouraged youths to consider relocating abroad as a choice rather than a necessity.

“The circumstances may be tough, but it is the youth that can turn them around,” he added.

The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof Folasade Ogunsola, who expressed gratitude to the alumni for recognising the college with developmental initiatives, also sought their collaboration to further achieve excellence.

She added that as the number of students continued to grow yearly, there was the need for the alumni to assist with their expertise in their various fields and integrate themselves as academic manpower for the benefit of the school’s College of Medicine.

The Chairman of the event, Dr  Kunle Hassan, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of Eye Foundation Hospital, commended the vice-chancellor’s decision to tap into the alumni’s resourcefulness in the private sector in terms of human resources.

He said, “I’d like to comment on the words of the vice-chancellor. I’m really excited that you’re looking beyond, tapping into the resources in the private sector in terms of human resources.

“Prof Ashley is there. Most of the universities overseas, particularly the private sector, are visiting professors and they bring a lot into the university.

“The corporate organisations follow such people into the university because they can define a model that they pay for the equipment they need without having to put anything down. So there’s a lot of potential to tap into the private sector.

“We at the Eye Foundation are 30 years old. I think we’ve trained as much as 60. The potential is there. Let’s work together. Let’s do things.

“We all go abroad and see what is happening there. We admire them but we can replicate it. We do, the younger generation coming as doctors will find this country delightful. I’d like to congratulate you and I’m very proud of your achievements.”