ICOMAA-NA President, Dr. Abraham Ariyo Welcomes Members To The New Year

Dr. Abraham Ariyo, MD

"Although we have seen a lot of activities on this Hostel Fund, we still have a long ways to go. From my assessment, we are still under the 30% range of the total amount budgeted for the construction of the Hostel." Abraham A Ariyo, MD.

"To ensure transparency, our Provost unveiled last week the inauguration of the UCH-Hostel Fund Committee; they are familiar faces of trustworthy colleagues and our teachers on the committee."

ICOMAA-NA PRESIDENT'S SPEECH
               Welcome To 2023

I report to you that the year 2022 was a good year. Our membership remains strong, and contributions to our Endowment Funds remain steady.

In June 2022, we held our Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.) in Charlotte, NC. It was the most attended A.G.M. meeting in our history. We had a record attendance with an overflowing venue. Dignitaries from Nigeria included our Provost, Deputy Provost, the Chief Medical Director of U.C.H., the former ICOMAA-WW President, and many more.

Professor Babafemi Olapoju Taiwo M.B.B.S., F.A.S., our 2022 Distinguished Alumnus Speaker, graced the event and brought laurels to the occasion. He is currently the Gene Stollerman Professor of Medicine and Chief of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University in Chicago. 

He made headline news during the early Covid-19 when no preventive or treatment was available. He worked closely with Dr. Anthony Fauci and the world's infectious Diseases experts. He broke the result of the first Covid-19 clinical trials (Remdesivir) as we watched worldwide on CNN and B.B.C. We are grateful to him for accepting our invitation.

Although we had launched the Hostel Fund before the meeting, the class of 1989 surprised everyone with a laudable check of $30,000 to jumpstart this long-term Hostel fundraising effort. A symbol of their undeniable gesture of solidarity and foresight. At the time, it was the single most significant contribution. That single leading check set the funds on fire. We later witnessed an avalanche of interest, including each class donating large amounts of money and a single donation from the C.E.O. of Montefiore in New York, of an excellent one million dollars.

Although we have seen a lot of activities on this Hostel Fund, we still have a long ways to go. From my assessment, we are still under the 30% range of the total amount budgeted for the construction of the Hostel. To ensure transparency, our Provost unveiled last week the inauguration of the UCH-Hostel Fund Committee; they are familiar faces of trustworthy colleagues and our teachers on the committee. 

So, this is to ensure that everyone is satisfied that ALL your contributions will go towards the construction of this much-needed, accreditation-required U.C.H. Student Hostel. I tried to convince my classmates abroad to donate at least $2,500 and encourage a start of at least a million Naira.

I want to thank every member. We appreciate those that have given, and we encourage more contributions. Happy new year - 2023!

Abraham A. Ariyo, M.D.
President, Ibadan College of Medicine Alumni Association
North American Chapter, U.S.A.