Former Governor of Anambra State and immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, has emphasized the urgent need to expand the College of Medicine and Health Sciences of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU).
Ngige made the call shortly after he was conferred with an Award of Recognition by the College during the graduation and induction ceremony of 80 medical graduands.
He commended the immense contributions of pioneer academics who laid the foundation for the institution’s medical programme.
“The story and labour that went into establishing the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery when I served as Visitor cannot be easily told. It would be long, but it would also be incomplete without mentioning respected figures such as the late Prof. Festus Nwakor, then Pro-Chancellor, and Prof. Okey Mbonu of the Department of Medicine and Surgery, NAU, and CMD, NAUTH. May God bless them.”he said.
Calling for urgent expansion, Ngige urged Governor Charles Soludo, the Pro-Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor and the University Management to “think and work aggressively” toward strengthening the institution’s facilities in order to increase admissions into medical and health-related programmes.
“As we celebrate these 80 graduands, I must express my expectation that the number should by now have doubled. What about training Dental Surgeons, Physiotherapists and other allied health professionals?” he added.
Ngige, a medical doctor, also highlighted the economic value of the institution’s graduates, describing them as part of Nigeria’s emerging pool of globally competitive healthcare professionals.
“These are the high-level, exportable skilled workers our country needs at this time. Diaspora remittances remain a major pillar of Nigeria’s economy. Countries like India, Bangladesh, Ceylon and Pakistan followed this path from the 1960s through the 1990s, and continue to benefit from it today.”he stated.
He advocated for increased training capacity without compromising academic standards.
“Let us mass-produce these professionals but without lowering the standards.” he said.
The former Minister also praised the College for consistently producing graduates who uphold the image of the university.
“Your medical graduates have represented this university excellently. I congratulate the academic and non-academic staff of this College for their dedication and resilience.”he added.
Ngige concluded his remarks with a donation of ₦1 million to support the graduation and induction ceremony of the 80 new medical professionals.
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