The College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, has commenced its maiden College Week, designed to strengthen relationships among students, academic and non-academic staff, alumni, and the host communities. This initiative aims to promote community, connection, wellness, culture, and academic excellence. The Provost of the college, Prof. Ademola Oremosu, announced the activities for the 2026 College Week at a press conference. The week-long programme will provide an opportunity for members of the college community to interact and extend the institution's services to its host communities.
According to Prof. Oremosu, the College Week will serve as a foundation for subsequent editions, which he expected to improve with time. This is the first time the college is formally calling it a College Week. The Provost added that community service remained an important responsibility of an academic institution. The College Week will provide an organised platform for the college to take its interventions into surrounding communities.
The college has five-, 10- and 25-year strategic plans, with healthcare manpower development among its priorities. In the next five years, the college plans to move into other areas of healthcare manpower development that it has not addressed before. Prof. Oremosu said it would be difficult to predict what the college would look like in the next 64 years, stressing that the immediate focus was on implementing its strategic plans.
The college is currently facing challenges, including land and infrastructure constraints, arising from its growth. The college, which began as the University of Lagos Medical School, was initially established mainly to train medical and dental personnel. It has now expanded significantly, with programmes in medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, nursing, medical laboratory science, radiography, physiology, pharmacology, and anatomy, and a student population of more than 2,000.
To address the land challenge, the college is developing multi-storey buildings and making use of facilities at other locations, including its Radiographic Campus at Yaba and a psychiatry facility. Efforts are ongoing to develop structures at its rural site in Ogun State to accommodate students. The college is also addressing the challenges by going vertical, with many of the newer buildings having three and four floors.
The Chairman of the College Week Organising Committee, Prof. Omotayo Aribaba, outlined the programme of activities for the College Week. The programme began with a press conference and a special Juma service at the mosque. Other activities include a wellness and health fitness rally, a Thanksgiving Service, a medical and dental outreach, free medical and dental check-ups for staff, Sports Day, an exhibition and trade fair, and a novelty football match.
The College Week will climax with the Felix Oladejo Dosekun Memorial Lecture, an annual activity designed to provide an opportunity for members of the college community and guests to reflect on the institution's history, achievements, and future. Prof. Oremosu commended the Federal Government, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, for supporting new building projects and appealed to alumni, philanthropists, and other public-spirited individuals to complement government efforts.
Key points
- The College of Medicine, University of Lagos, has begun its maiden College Week to strengthen relationships among its community and expand healthcare manpower development.
- The college has strategic plans to develop healthcare manpower, including moving into new areas of healthcare development in the next five years.
- The institution currently faces land and infrastructure challenges due to its growth, but is addressing these by developing multi-storey buildings and utilising facilities at other locations.
