The College of Medical Sciences of the University of Maiduguri on Tuesday inducted 335 new health professionals into practice, even as the institution announced a major infrastructure expansion through a special intervention grant from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The induction ceremony, the 14th combined event organised by the college, formally ushered the graduates into the healthcare workforce after they took professional oaths administered by registrars of their respective regulatory councils.
Speaking on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mohammed Laminu Mele, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Central Administration), Prof. Babagana Bako, congratulated the graduates and commended their resilience as well as the commitment of their trainers despite challenges in the region.
Bako said the university had sustained a long-standing tradition of excellence in medical education and had continued to make significant contributions to healthcare manpower development in Nigeria and beyond.
According to him, the institution has so far produced 888 Medical Laboratory Scientists, 2,250 Nurses and 603 Physiotherapists since its establishment.
He reminded the inductees that healthcare practice was a noble profession that required humility, empathy and a strong sense of responsibility.
“The decisions you make, your conduct and ethical interactions with patients will directly influence the healing process and the quality of care delivered to the sick and vulnerable,” he said.
The vice-chancellor’s representative also announced that the university had been selected as a beneficiary of a special TETFund intervention aimed at strengthening training and teaching capacity in Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy.
He disclosed that the intervention would support the construction of modern facilities to enhance learning, research and professional training in the affected programmes.
Bako further revealed that the university had acquired land behind the medical complex for the construction of a new college building and a dedicated hostel for clinical students as part of efforts to address infrastructure and accommodation challenges.
In his remarks, the Provost of the College of Medical Sciences, Prof. Hamman I. Garandawa, expressed appreciation to the university management for providing an enabling environment for clinical education and training.
He also commended the registrars of the professional regulatory councils for their oversight roles in maintaining high professional standards.
Garandawa said the college remained committed to meeting the growing demands of global healthcare delivery through innovation, strategic teaching approaches and infrastructure development.
According to him, ongoing projects, including TETFund-supported interventions and specialised centre projects, are expected to significantly boost the college’s manpower and technical capacity.
Addressing the graduating class, the provost urged the newly inducted professionals to uphold the ethical values of their respective professions and remain committed to quality patient care.
He stressed that respect for human dignity and compassion should remain central to their practice regardless of where they work.
The high point of the ceremony was the presentation of awards to outstanding graduates who distinguished themselves academically.
Danladi Ishiyaku emerged as the overall best graduating student of the College of Medical Sciences, while Mubarak Misbahu was named the best graduating student in Medical Radiography.
Sudais Olatunji Tijjani emerged as the best graduating student in Medical Rehabilitation (Physiotherapy), while Jessica Okwonko received the award as the best graduating student in Nursing Science.
The 335 inductees comprised 103 graduates from Medical Radiography, 101 from Nursing Science, 73 from Medical Laboratory Science and 58 from Medical Rehabilitation (Physiotherapy).
