University Of Ibadan Alumni Donate $1 Million For New Hostel

An alumnus of the college of medicine, university of Ibadan Philip Ozuah, has donated the sum $1,000,000 to the first degree awarding institution in Nigeria.

Ozuah who was also the keynote speaker and fundraiser-in-chief at the ceremony announced the sum on 1 august during a virtual sod-turning ceremony for a student hostel project.

Ozuah, said the donation was to support the construction of the college’s new student hostel and other infrastructural repairs. The hostel project was initiated by the management of the college in partnership with the Ibadan College of Medicine alumni association worldwide

Ozuah earned his bachelor of surgery (mbbs) program at the college in 1985 before proceeding abroad for further studies. Other alumni also contributed to the building plans.

Confirming the development, the college in a statement on its website noted that the alumnus was a classmate of the provost of the college of medicine, Olayinka Omigbodun, who requested that alumni should come together and “help build a much needed new hostel for students of CoMUI.”

In July, the provost in a video made the call to alumni and other members of the college to support the building of the hostel and other structures.

She said: “this is a clarion call of all members of the college of medicine university of Ibadan alumni association to join us, to partner with us, strengthen and scale up the college of medicine university of Ibadan structures and systems on Monday, 1 august.

“i invite you to join us at the sod-turning ceremony for the college of medicine university of Ibadan and the college of medicine alumni association student hostel project.”

The university’s teaching hospital had earlier publicly requested support after the report alleged imposition of a mandatory 1,000 naira electricity bill on patients was made public.

Earlier in July, a former member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Lanre Laoshe, had donated to the hospital 1,000 litres of diesel, following a public request by the facility’s chief medical director, Jesse Otegbayo.

The institution’s facilities, which had in the past been ranked as some of the best globally, are fast degenerating, but the government seems incapable of sustaining them.

The story is the same for almost all public academic and health institutions nationwide.