By Francis Nansak, Lafia
First undergraduates who are pioneers students of the Nasarawa State University Keffi, College of Health Sciences and Medical Studies were led into matriculation oath on Wednesday at the Assembly Hall of the university.
The matriculation ceremony which was also the first for students of Health Sciences and Medical Studies was supported by its first inaugural lecture that was presented by Dr Yahaya Baba Adamu a medical cardiologist and Managing Director of Federal Medical Center Keffi, Topic titled; Navigating The Digital Frontiers, Transforming Health care Through Innovations Approach.
The visitor of the university, Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, represented by his deputy Dr Emmanuel Akabe, said his administration shall continue to support development in the institution and ensure that the best as obtained across the world is priorities for better learning and teaching for students and staff of the university.
He went on to thank the first executive governor in the state Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who founded the university, saying ” The little seed that was planted years back has grown and is today becomes a shelter to so many,. For some of us our future has been determined by this little seed you planted many years ago now” He said.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Senator Abdullahi Adamu who incidentally too was the founder and first visitor to the university said he feels fulfilled and gratefully appreciative of the stride of the university under past leaders of the university and especially the management of Professor Suleiman Bala Mohammed ” The Buffalo Soldier” adding that the sky is still the limit.
And for the newly inaugurated students Senator Adamu admonishes them thus, “For you students who are going through the gate of this university and those that have just been inaugurated, the opportunities are at your hands, what you do with such opportunities which God has given to you through the Nasarawa State University is a challenge to all of you to stand up and ensure that what you are here for, you will deliver by succeeding in acquiring the qualifications you got admitted to pursue.
“And above everything else, thanks to the vice chancellor who emphasized that education without character is not good enough. So I am appealing to you that as much as you seek to be honored with the certificate from this university, back it up with good character” He added.
On his part, Dr. Yahaya Baba Adamu, who presented the first inaugural lecture, exposed the students and the general public to the essentiality of medical technology, which has helped ease critical medical challenges in FMC Keffi, since its adoption for use where medical records are handled digitally.
Dr Yahaya in his expository lecture said digital health care did not start today even though it has advanced to many high levels. He pointed out that” It started to date back in the 19th Century, and that during the past four decades it has become clear that when referring to the future of all discipline, there is nothing that comes to mind than technology.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor Professor Suleiman Bala Mohammed in his opening speech said that based on the Path Act 1990 students are expected to conduct themselves most responsibly and abide by the laws governing the university.
Warning that the university has zero tolerance for all negative vices and should the university find any student not worthy of character it will not award a certificate of the university to such student..
” Today is a special day in the history of Nasarawa State University keffi, being the first inauguration of the College of Health and Medical Science Studies, we meticulously started by setting up a committee that led us to put the machinery for the establishment of the college.
” We encountered the challenges of starting with NBBS, whose requirements were huge for us to meet but we didn’t stop there so we went on and met with the Professional Association of Community Health as well as the Professional Association of Health Information Management, who told us to start with Health Information Management before approaching NBBS,” Prof Suleiman said.
And giving the breakdown of students admitted into the college, he said” Initially our target for the admission of students was 60, but got over 200 who applied for Health medical science, he stated further that the same target of students was to be admitted into the Health Information Management but ended up admitting over a 100 students.
” I am here today to tell you that your dream of establishing this university has become sustained and we have built on foundations that established this university. We change the infrastructural outlook, we have the best senate building in Nigeria, have one of the best workshops for faculty of Engineering, the best ICT center that has over 1000 seating capacity for our students among many ” He revealed.