Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday inaugurated a 250-bed Modupe and Folorunso Alakija Medical Research and Training Hospital in Osogbo, Osun State, describing the facility as a landmark investment in Nigeria’s healthcare and medical education sectors.
The state-of-the-art hospital, donated by philanthropist and Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Dr Folorunso Alakija, was formally handed over to the university to enhance medical training, research and quality healthcare delivery.
Speaking at the inauguration, Osinbajo said the hospital occupies a “rare and vital space” in Nigeria’s health ecosystem, serving simultaneously as a centre for learning, research, innovation and patient care. He noted that the facility would significantly strengthen the training of medical students and allied health professionals by bridging the gap between theory and practice.
“Here, students of medicine and allied health sciences will learn not only how to treat disease, but how to ask the right questions, how to conduct ethical research and how to translate scientific discovery into compassionate care,” Osinbajo said.
He added that the hospital positions Osun State and Nigeria as contributors to global medical knowledge rather than mere consumers of healthcare services. According to him, the facility also holds promise within the wider West African region as a hub for research and advanced medical practice.
Osinbajo commended the Alakija family for their vision and generosity, describing the donation as a legacy defined by lives saved, minds trained and futures transformed.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, also praised the initiative, expressing admiration for the scale of the project and the quality of equipment installed. He noted that governments around the world face challenges in adequately funding education and healthcare, making private sector intervention crucial.
“I was marvelled at the magnitude of this facility and the top-notch medical and diagnostic equipment. This is huge beyond valuation,” Adeleke said.
Providing details of the hospital, the Vice-Chancellor of UNIOSUN, Professor Clement Adeboye, said the facility comprises 250 admission beds, 20 clinical departments and five non-clinical departments. He explained that the hospital is equipped with community health units, maternity and neonatal services, digital research and diagnostic laboratories, four modern operating theatres and advanced imaging facilities, including CT scan, MRI, ultrasound and X-ray.
Adeboye added that specialised units such as cardiac and ophthalmology theatres, digitised delivery rooms, neonatal intensive care units, dialysis centres, intensive care units and a modern mortuary are also part of the complex.
In her remarks, Dr Folorunso Alakija said the hospital was established to address gaps created by brain drain, shortages of medical personnel and decaying health infrastructure, while also serving as an alternative revenue source for the university. She called on partners and stakeholders to support UNIOSUN’s vision of transforming healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
“This hospital stands as a beacon of hope and a bold step towards transforming healthcare in Osun State, Nigeria and across Africa,” she said.
