www.unilorin.edu.ng
vc@unilorin.edu.ng
CHANGE THE WORLD
Text of the Address Delivered by the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Professor Is-haq O. Oloyede
on the Occasion of the Professional Initiation and Induction Ceremonies for the Medical Graduands of
the College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin at the New Auditorium of the University on
Wednesday, February 9, 2011.
CHANGE THE WORLD
It delights me greatly to welcome you all to this august occasion in February. An occasion like this is always
emotional because it is a manifestation of dreams fulfilled and missions accomplished. I thank Allah, the
Almighty, who has made today a reality in the lives of these young men and women we are celebrating. I also
congratulate our doctors and their parents on the achievement being marked by this event and I pray that we
shall all have reasons to celebrate like this.
My dear graduands, while I congratulate you on this remarkable achievement of becoming medical doctors, I
need to let you know that this success is a privilege. What I mean by this is that receiving medical training and
graduating successfully are not just a function of being brilliant but also of being fortunate. For those who
know that everything in life is ultimately by God’s grace, including being admitted for the course of your
choice at the beginning, they will always be thankful to God and be humble.
The micro world of the University that you have been for the past few years is different from the macro world
you are graduating into. The only saving grace is that you have been adequately trained and prepared for the
challenges of work and further studies which come after this occasion. I am confident that you have been
trained by some of the best academics and professionals in the world. There is thus no reason to flag or fail
and I wish you success in your future endeavours.
When I say that you have been trained by some of the best professionals in the world, I do not say so
gratuitously. There is evidence that the University is a key international centre of excellence and it pleases me
to inform this distinguished audience, as I did to an audience yesterday, that the University is not relenting in
its pursuit of excellence. Nothing demonstrates this better, perhaps, than the webometrics ranking result of
January 2011 released last week. Apart from the University of Ilorin retaining its first position in Nigeria,
which it occupied throughout last year, it has also improved significantly by moving from the 55th position in
Africa and the 5,484th in the world to No. 20 in Africa and No. 2,668 in the world. Permit me to draw your
attention to the table at www.webometrics.info., the summary of which is thus for our purpose:
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January 2011 Webometrics ranking of Nigerian universities in the top 100 category in Africa
S/N
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Universities
University of Ilorin
University of Jos
University of Nigeria
University of Lagos
Obafemi Awolowo University
Ahmadu Bello University
National Open University
University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
Nigeria
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
Africa
20th
42nd
54th
58th
63rd
69th
86th
95th
World
2,668th
4,087th
5,176th
5,253rd
5,883rd
6,270th
7,246th
7,619th
The point I am making is that the main challenge of today is that we need to change the world by changing
our ways for better in whatever we are doing. Part of this change is that as professionals and academics, we
need to be determined and hardworking in what we do. We also have to imbibe the culture of sacrifice so that
we shall be able to accomplish our goals. This culture has been demonstrated sufficiently and continuously by
your lecturers and I congratulate them for carving a niche for the College as well as its products.
Besides ranking, I remember that when the pioneer Head of our Department of Medicine, now an Emeritus
Professor of Medicine at the University of Newcastle, Australia, John Hamilton, visited the Vice-Chancellor
on December 13 last year, he said anywhere he goes all over the world, he is always impressed to note and be
told that graduates of our medical school are very good on the field. Thus, he said he always feels gratified
that he is one of those who built the foundation of what is now our College. For a person of that calibre, who
left here over 30 years ago and has been to various parts of the world, to make that submission is an
indication that you are indeed fortunate to have passed through our College.
Meanwhile, the University of Ilorin will continue to do its best in providing good learning conditions and
facilities in the pursuit of its mandate. This is why in the past one year, over N500 million had been
committed to several projects on the permanent site of our College of Health Sciences. Enormous resources
have been also expended in ensuring that you can stand side by side with your professional colleagues
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anywhere in the world by virtue of your training. There are still many other things in the offing, all in making
medical training more effective and globally competitive at our University. And, as it is said, to whom much is
given, much is expected. The University of Ilorin and Nigeria, indeed the entire humanity, expect so much
from you and you need to do your best and make the necessary sacrifice when it matters to make our lives
better. You yourselves are products of other people’s sacrifices.
Let me add at this juncture that medical profession is noble and divine. We all know that it is God that gives
and takes life but He has made medical practitioners the custodians of life and death. By this, I mean that a
doctor has the capacity to preserve life or terminate it. You will agree with me that it is a special privilege and
a trust of no mean proportions to have the capacity to determine life and death without being a dictator. The
sanctity of human life remains inviolable and doctors cannot be rewarded enough for their efforts. Their
goals, therefore, should be beyond the mundane and the pecuniary.
This is why it saddens me greatly when doctors embark on strike. When two elephants fight, it is the grass
that suffers. It is the lives of the poor people, the victims of the system that warranted the strike in the first
instance, that are wasted as long as that strike lasts. In Lagos now, many people have died and many more are
dying as a result of the strike of our medical doctors. I use this medium to plead with them to call off their
strike. It is also my opinion that we devise other means of fighting our cause and pursuing our goals in such a
way that will not cause pains, anguish and death to those who are already victims of oppression. No rich
man’s child or wife will die as a result of doctors’ strike because he has other alternatives both in Nigeria and
beyond. Life is not about what we get but is rather more about what we give and the true mettle of man lies in
putting the interest of others first.
It is this message that I want to emphasise, dear graduands: always make honesty, integrity, professionalism,
hard work and sacrifice your watch words. When we talk of the state of the world, the crises and diseases, the
anguish and violence here and there, the need for a change is always felt. But the actual fact is that we cannot
change the world without first changing ourselves. As Allah says in the Qur’an (Chapter 13 verse 11), “Allah
will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change what is their hearts”. We need to
change the world. We need to change ourselves.
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Let me repeat, because truth is constant, what I told your predecessors at an occasion like this right here on
March 11, 2008 and which this address complements:
Your life is dedicated to the service of humanity as evinced in the Hippocratic Oath you are
taking. The world is waiting for you to demonstrate the excellence for which your College is
noted and for which your predecessors are respected. The world is waiting for you to
contribute your quota to making it a better place to live in. The world is waiting for you to
make it “better by far” based on your professional training and competence. The world is
waiting for you as our ambassadors of distinctive character and learning. Go change the world!
Lastly, I enjoin you also not to forget your roots. Remember that you can give back to the system that
produced you so that you can also contribute to the training and development of the future generations. The
starting point is for you to join the University Alumni Association, participate in its activities and promote the
good name of your alma mater. I pray that God continue to guide and guard you in the rest of your journey
through life.
Once again, I congratulate you and I wish you a life of abundance: learning, winning, building, praying,
showing the way for all who yearn, making a future for the ones who follow, rising high...
Thank you for your attention. God bless you all.
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