Aishah Waliyullah
The Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, has formally taken possession of the Professor Tamramat Iyabo Runsewe-Abiodun Social Pediatrics Complex, a state-of-the-art facility donated by the renowned pediatrician and her family to strengthen medical training, research and community health services in the institution.
The complex was officially commissioned and handed over to the university at a well-attended ceremony on campus, drawing members of the university council, management, academics, medical professionals, students and other stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ayodeji Agboola, described the project as a major boost to OOU’s academic and healthcare infrastructure, noting that it reflected a growing culture of alumni and private sector support for the university.
Agboola said, “In the last three years, Olabisi Onabanjo University has witnessed unprecedented support from alumni and philanthropists.
Government alone can no longer bear the burden of funding tertiary education. Today, we are seeing practical partnerships that are helping universities survive and grow.”
He disclosed that donors had, in recent years, provided facilities worth billions of naira to the institution, including lecture theatres, administrative blocks, entrepreneurship centres, leadership institutes, court simulation facilities for law students, sports halls and welfare centres.
According to him, the Social Pediatrics Complex would play a critical role in advancing medical education and research while also extending healthcare services to the surrounding communities.
“This building will serve our medical students, our researchers and the larger society. It is a facility that combines learning, service and compassion,” the Vice-Chancellor said, adding a call on parents to prioritise education and character development in raising their children.
Agboola, however, raised concerns over increasing land encroachment around the university’s campuses, warning that the activities of land grabbers posed a serious threat to OOU’s expansion plans, particularly as interest in medical education continues to grow.
In a welcome address delivered on behalf of the donor’s family, Dr Olugbenga Runsewe said the complex was conceived as a legacy project to immortalise their mother’s lifelong dedication to teaching, compassion and community health.
He explained that the facility reflects Professor Runsewe-Abiodun’s philosophy of social pediatrics, “which sees child health beyond hospital walls and integrates healthcare with education, nutrition, family support and overall wellbeing.”
In her chairman’s address, Prof Tamramat Iyabo Runsewe-Abiodun expressed gratitude to her children, colleagues and the university community for what she described as an honour that surpassed material rewards.
“I want to encourage students and professionals here today to focus on impact, not just income. Integrity, service and gratitude are values that will outlive wealth,” she said.
Speaking further in a brief interview after the ceremony, the emeritus professor advised parents to build close and trusting relationships with their children, stressing that friendship, openness and moral guidance were the foundation of successful parenting.
“Education, character and faith remain the most enduring investments any family can make,” she added.
The commissioning of the Social Pediatrics Complex marks another milestone in OOU’s drive to expand its infrastructure through strategic partnerships and philanthropy, as the university positions itself to meet growing academic and healthcare demands.
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