UNILORIN EPI highlights compassion, human dignity and ethical care for euthanasia
By Mustafa Abubakar
The University of Ilorin Euthanasia Prevention Initiative (EPI) has called for greater commitment to compassionate healthcare, the protection of human dignity, and sustained advocacy against euthanasia.
The EPI made the call penultimate Tuesday (June 16, 2026) during its 2026 Annual EPI Week held at the Faculty of Law Old Moot Court.
In her presentation at the programme, titled “Suffering, Compassion and the Limits of Medicine: What It Means to Truly Care for the Terminally Ill’’, a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians (FWACP), Dr O. I. N. Buhari, explained that terminal illness goes beyond medical diagnosis and represents a deeply human experience marked by fear, uncertainty, emotional pain, dependence, and loss. She stated that suffering extends beyond physical pain and includes psychological, social, and spiritual distress.
According to her, while modern medicine has made tremendous progress in prolonging life and improving comfort, it cannot always provide cure or eliminate suffering entirely. She stressed that when cure becomes impossible, healthcare must shift towards improving quality of life.
Dr Buhari emphasised that compassion remains both a clinical and moral responsibility, noting that genuine care requires empathy, active listening, emotional presence, and respect for every patient’s dignity.
While declaring the programme open. the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Technology and Innovation), Prof. Muhtar Adeiza Etudaiye, praised the initiative for sustaining advocacy work for more than 12 years and commended its founder, Prof. Bashiru Adeniyi Omipidan, for championing a cause focused on preserving life and addressing critical ethical issues affecting society.
Prof. Egbewole assured the organisers that the University Administration would continue to support the initiative and urged members to remain steadfast in discouraging euthanasia while promoting respect for life and human dignity.
Earlier in his address, the host and founder of the initiative, Prof. Omipidan, said the EPI began 12 years ago shortly after his return from doctoral studies abroad.
Prof. Omipidan expressed gratitude to successive administrations of the University for supporting the initiative since inception. He specifically appreciated a former Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, CON, for giving him the opportunity to pursue further academic studies.
He also thanked his mentor and benefactor, Prof. Yusuf Olaolu Ali, SAN, alongside Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, for encouraging his return to Nigeria after completing his Ph.D. abroad despite numerous opportunities outside the country.
Prof. Omipidan, who is also the Dean of the Faculty of Law, noted that the annual lecture remains a platform for meaningful discussions on issues affecting ethics, the sanctity of life, and human dignity, stressing that EPI is committed to promoting awareness, encouraging dialogue, and advocating the protection of every human life.
He appreciated media partners including UNILORIN Media Unit, TVC News, Harmony FM, and Sobi FM, volunteers, postgraduate medical law students, members of EPI, and all supporters who have contributed to sustaining the initiative over the years.
