Osogbo – Governor Ademola Adeleke has commended the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for granting full and final accreditation to the College of Medicine of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), enabling the institution to graduate medical students within seven years of commencement.
The Governor gave the commendation while hosting the council’s registrar, Prof. Fatimah Kyari, and members of the accreditation team at the Government House in Osogbo on Friday evening.
Prof. Kyari, represented by MDCN Deputy Registrar, Dr. Nnaemeka Nwakanma, praised the governor for providing the facilities and resources that enabled the university’s medical programme to secure final accreditation within a record period.
According to him, the council’s team was impressed with the rapid development at the institution and the level of investment in facilities for medical training.
“This team has just approved and granted final full accreditation to the medical school. It didn’t come easy,” he said.
Dr. Nwakanma explained that since its establishment in 1963, the MDCN had maintained strict standards in regulating the training of medical professionals to ensure Nigerian graduates meet global standards.
He noted that admission quotas for medical schools are determined by manpower availability, human resources, laboratory capacity and the quality of facilities in teaching hospitals.
The council’s team also commended the completion of the ultramodern teaching hospital donated to the state by the Alakija family, describing it as a major boost to medical training in the university.
“In a bid to encourage Your Excellency because of your huge investment in tertiary education, especially the medical college, MDCN has not only granted final full accreditation for the College of Medicine in UNIOSUN but has also placed the university at par with the training capacity of the University of Lagos and other major universities in Nigeria, which is 150,” he said.
He noted that until recently the admission quota of Obafemi Awolowo University was 100, similar to what was approved for UNIOSUN in 2023, while the oldest university in Nigeria, University of Ibadan, has a quota capacity of 180 but currently admits about 120 students.
Responding, Governor Adeleke expressed satisfaction with the development and pledged continued support for the university to strengthen medical training in the state.
He assured the council that his administration would work towards increasing the admission capacity for medicine and related courses before the next accreditation exercise.
The governor also lamented the migration of Nigerian professionals abroad, popularly referred to as the “japa syndrome,” attributing it to poor working conditions.
“When you go to the biggest hospitals in the UK, America and elsewhere in Europe, Nigerians are among the best professionals you will find there. It is because there is no conducive working environment for them in Nigeria, but we must work together to reverse the trend,” he said.
Governor Adeleke reaffirmed his commitment to using public resources to strengthen public institutions and assured the management of UNIOSUN of continued government support for the university’s development.
