The Oyo State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure there are enough excellent nurses to serve communities with dignity and skill.
The state Commissioner for Health and Chairman of Governing Council, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, stated this during the 27th convocation ceremony of the state College of Nursing and Midwifery, held at the school premises, Eleyele in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday.
A total of 469 students graduate, including 31 Best graduating students; three earned the Provost’s Awards for the best-behaved student, the best in practical and the best in nutrition.
A graduate of Basic Nursing, Adetunji Shukurat, emerged overall best graduate.
Ajetunmobi went on to say that the College has once again cemented its stellar reputation for excellence, a noteworthy accomplishment that highlights Nigeria’s increasing academic strength.
She said the institution is renowned for its high academic standards and discipline in churning out brilliant nursing professionals.
“The graduation ceremony marks a significant milestone in the new nurse’s academic and professional journey. The graduates were trained in one of the most reputable Colleges of Nursing and Midwifery and have now joined a noble profession.
“The State Government’s goal is to ensure there are enough excellent nurses to serve communities with dignity and skill,” the commissioner said.
The wife of Alaafin of Oyo, Abiwumi Owoade, who is an Alumnus of the College, encouraged the graduates to be agents of change in society.
Owoade challenged them “to set the pace, break barriers, and find solutions to things that hitherto had remained invisible, inaccessible, and unattainable in the rapidly changing world.
“Be a trailblazer in this noble career path you have chosen. Set the pace and break barriers. A trailblazer is a leader who summons followership by the inspiration of his life and action.”
Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Salihu Adelabu, said the institution has imprinted her name in the training of professionals and gifted hands in healthcare services, which has positioned Nigeria among its peers as a factor to reckon with.
During her convocation speech, Gbonjubola Owolabi, the provost, thanked the parents for the confidence reposed in the college.
“This College remains a household name in the production of middle-level manpower in the health sector, a crucial component of the mission to improve the healthcare services in the state.”
On the involvement of the Alumni Association, led by the global president, Gabriel Ajeigbe, the Provost said, “We value the alumni for their roles in the success recorded by the College.”
Dignitaries include the Provosts of sister Colleges, including the Oyo State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Catholic College of Nursing, Oke-Offa, Federal Cooperatives College, Lead City University, Peri-Operative Nursing School and the University College Hospital, Ibadan, among others.
