The University of Nigeria (UNN) College of Medicine Alumni Association has concluded plans to build a N6 billion ultra-modern college of medicine for Nigeria’s first indigenous university.
Okwesilieze Nwodo, the national president of the association, who is a former Peoples Democratic Party chairman disclosed this to newsmen in Enugu.
Nwodo who said the new college would be completed in the next five years, added that it would be equipped with state of the art facilities.
He further stated that the college would commence kidney transplant before the end of this year saying that by the time the expected modern facilities would be put in place, the college would be handling about 1,000 cases of open ear surgery yearly.
“As we speak, before the end of this year, we will start kidney transplant,” he stated.
He expressed dismay that the college, which presently uses the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku Ozalla near Enugu as its temporary site lacked vital facilities like laboratories, lecture theatres as well as buses for students, making it difficult for students and lecturers to concentrate.
According to him many students of the college travel from the Enugu Campus of the University of Nigeria to Ituku Ozalla daily using public transport.
Nwodo stated that they decided to embark on the project because they were convinced that the paltry sum of money allocated to the college yearly would not actualise the project in the nearest future.
The former PDP National Chairman added that in order to actualise the project, they resolved that every alumnus of the college who graduated from 10 years ago would pay N100,000 yearly for the next five years and apart from the N100,000, the association also initiated other strategies including reaching out to governors of the defunct Eastern region and donor agencies for assistance.
Regis Anukwuoji
