The Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has flagged off the construction of the Olu Akinkugbe Faculty of Pharmacy (OAFoP), which will be housed within the Ondo State University of Medical Sciences, which was established in 2014 as the first university dedicated to the study and advancement of medicine in Nigeria.
The Faculty of Pharmacy will be part-funded by Chief Akinkugbe as an investment in his commitment to delivering on his vision for a stronger Nigeria and a consolidation of the enduring legacy and vestiges of the elder statesman, industrialist and pharmacist extraordinaire.
When completed, the Oludolapo Akinkugbe Faculty of Pharmacy (OAFoP) will be an innovation-led centre of excellence in learning, which overhauls the current educational system in Nigeria, driving a new generation of medical development, growth and sustainability grounded in its commitment to community.
The Faculty will continue Akinkugbe’s legacy of developing transformational leaders and catalysts for positive change in the country, as he invests in his vision for a stronger education system.
The activities of the Faculty will be governed by the eight-man trusteeship council, OAPET, led by Prince Adewale Adelusi-Adeluyi, Chairman OAPET, a former Minister of Health and Social Services of Nigeria.
The commissioning and foundation-laying ceremony also had in attendance key stakeholders and distinguished personalities like the Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom, Oba Victor Adesimbo Kiladejo Jilo III; a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, and members of the Olu Akinkugbe Pharmacy Education Trust (OAPET), including the Chairman of Nigeria’s first indigenous company listed on the stock exchange, Juli Pharmacy, Prince Adewale Adelusi-Adeluyi; Chairman, Access Bank Plc and former Chief Executive of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (Federal Ministry of Health), Dr. (Mrs) Ajoritsedere Awosika; and MD/CEO, SecureID Nigeria, Mrs. Kofoworola Akinkugbe.
Others included the Co-founder, and Chairman, Aluko & Oyebode (Barrister & Solicitors) and Chairman of Teach for Nigeria, Mr. Gbenga Oyebode; retired Professor of Pharmacy and former Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, Prof. ‘Fola Tayo; Vice-Chancellor, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi; Registrar, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Dr. Woleola Ekundayo; and Professor and Director of Research, Innovation and Development, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Prof. Olumide Ogundahunsi.
The occasion marked the commemoration of Akinkugbe’s 93rd birthday.
