Egbewole charges new Nursing graduates to transform healthcare services
By Mustafa Abubakar
The Department of Nursing Science, University of Ilorin, has inducted 86 of its graduates into the nursing profession, with the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, charging the new nurses to deploy their knowledge, skills, compassion and innovation towards transforming healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
The professional induction and admission ceremony for the nursing graduands was held at the University Auditorium last Wednesday (October 14, 2026), with the theme, “Closing the Education Practice Technology Gap: A Three-Way Compact for Global Standard Nursing in Nigeria.”
The Vice Chancellor, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor(Academic), Prof. Moji Taibat Bakare-Odunola, said the theme of the ceremony was timely, given the rapid changes taking place in healthcare and the increasing influence of technology on professional practice.
He urged the inductees to combine sound professional knowledge with technological competence, adaptability, innovation and compassion in their practice.
He also encouraged them to embrace emerging technologies and continuously update their professional knowledge, stressing that modern nursing practice could no longer be separated from digital health, electronic medical records, telemedicine, artificial intelligence and other technological innovations.
The Vice Chancellor also encouraged the new nurses to see their professional training as an opportunity to contribute to solving healthcare challenges facing Nigeria, urging them to become responsible professionals capable of making meaningful contributions to their communities, institutions and the nation.
He charged them to uphold the reputation of the University of Ilorin wherever they found themselves and to distinguish themselves through integrity, professionalism, discipline and excellence.
In his remarks, the keynote speaker, Prof. Chizoma Millicent Ndikom, who teaches Maternal and Child Health Nursing at the Faculty of Nursing Sciences, University of Ibadan, identified education, practice and technology as three interconnected areas requiring collective attention, stressing that universities must provide contemporary professional education, healthcare institutions must create enabling environments for effective clinical practice, while nurses must continuously acquire new competencies to remain relevant in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.
She advocated competency based education, simulation, supervised clinical placements, OSCEs, evidence-based practice and digital health training.
She also called for stronger partnerships between nursing schools and healthcare institutions through trained preceptors, joint assessment, mentorship, structured transition into practice and effective feedback mechanisms..
Also speaking, the Provost, College of Health Sciences, Prof. M. A. N. Adeboye, described the ceremony as more than a celebration of academic achievement, saying it marked the transition from student life to professional responsibility.
Prof. Adeboye urged the inductees to make the name of their set a standard for competence, character, compassion, courage, innovation and commitment to patients and communities.
The Provost urged the inductees never to forget that behind every diagnosis was a human being, behind every hospital bed was a family and behind every clinical procedure was a person deserving of dignity.
“Treat every patient as though that patient were someone you love. Your knowledge will make you competent. Your skills will make you effective, but your compassion will make you truly exceptional,” he said.
The ceremony featured the oath-taking, conducted by the Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, presentation of an award to the guest speaker, citations of nursing elders and presentation of awards to outstanding members of the graduating class.
The event was attended by Principal Officers of the University, parents and guardians as well as well-wishers of the inductees.
