The pioneer Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Professor Salihu Moyosore Ajao, has lauded the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) for its far-reaching contributions to the growth and development of medical education and practice in Kwara State and beyond.

Professor Ajao, who is also the immediate past Dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences at UNILORIN, made this known on Monday, October 20, 2025, during a chat with the UNILORIN Bulletin.

According to him, since the establishment of the UNILORIN Medical School in 1977, the institution has been a major catalyst in shaping medical training and healthcare delivery across the region. He noted that the University's alumni have risen to become leaders in the medical field, serving as Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) and other hospitals within and outside Kwara State.

The professor further revealed that the founding and development of medical colleges in sister institutions across Kwara including Kwara State University (KWASU), Thomas Adewumi University (TAU), Oko, and Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin were largely facilitated by UNILORIN-trained medical academics who played critical roles in their establishment.

He credited Prof. Sulyman Alege Kuranga, former Director of Academic Planning at UNILORIN, with leading the committee that midwifed the establishment of the medical schools at KWASU and TAU. Similarly, he noted that the founding Provost of the College of Medicine, Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila-Orangun, Prof. Aishatu Ahmed Gobir, and the pioneer Chief Medical Director of TAU Teaching Hospital, Omu-Aran, Prof. Ademola Popoola, are both distinguished staff members of the University of Ilorin.

Prof. Ajao also highlighted the groundbreaking research contributions of Emeritus Prof. Luke Edungbola, whose pioneering work led to the eradication of guinea worm disease in Nigeria, and Prof. Olugbenga Ayodeji Mokuolu, whose award-winning Roll Back Malaria initiative brought international recognition to the institution.

The former UNILORIN ASUU Chairman praised Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON, for his steadfast support of medical education and healthcare expansion in the state. He also commended the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aminat Ahmed El-Imam a UNILORIN academic for her commitment to improving medical practice across Kwara.

Prof. Ajao emphasized that the establishment of additional medical schools in the state will enhance the production of competent medical professionals, reduce pressure on the University of Ilorin Medical School and Teaching Hospital, and improve access to quality healthcare for residents.

Assuring of KWASU's readiness to maintain high standards, Prof. Ajao stated that the KWASU College of Health Sciences will be modelled after UNILORIN's successful template and will produce medical graduates who will make significant global impact.