ICOMAA- NA HOLDS 2023 AGM ..... As Ariyo MD Gives Report, Lauds Executives, Members For Support

Abraham Ariyo, MD

"By all accounts, it is our most successful and most attended A.G.M. in our history." Dr. Ariyo.

...... The presence and presence of the attendees made a difference.

The President of the Ibadan College of Medicine Alumni Association, North America chapter, Abraham Ariyo MD has commended attendees of the just concluded 2023 Annual General Meeting, which held, June 23 in New York.

Giving the commendation on behalf of the Executives, the President stressed that the presence and presence of the attendees made a difference. 

"By all accounts, it is our most successful and most attended A.G.M. in our history," Dr. Ariyo said.

In a statement Dr. Abraham Ariyo issued and signed personally, he said:

"First, I thank our Executives - an excellent team! You worked long hours on weekly meetings and made telephone calls; solicited adverts and sponsors; liaised with D.J., photographer, videographer, and Audio-Visual team; interfaced with our core Administrative team and Dr. Modupe Sokunbi, who designed the much-talked-about 2023, ICOMAA-NA Brochure. Thank you all. All the glory belongs to you - The Executives."

Speaking further in his statement, Dr Ariyo MD, a respected voice in the field of medicine both in Nigeria and overseas, said: "Next, we thank our luminaries that graced the occasion in person and brought laurel to the event; our Board of Trustees (Prof A.O.K. Johnson, Prof Famuyiwa, and Prof Akinboboye); our Worldwide President, Prof Otolorin; Our Provost, Prof Omigbodun; Our Deputy Provost, Prof Adeniyi; our UCH-CMD, Prof Otegbayo; our former President and Philanthropist, Dr. Abib Olamitoye; IMSG-representative and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Global Medicine, Mr. Funso Adedeji, Consultant Surgeon in the United Kingdom.

"We thank everyone that came; you are our Distinguished Physicians, Surgeons, Physicians-Executives, Innovators, and Clinicians.

Continuing, he said: "We thank our Distinguished Alumnus Speaker, Dr. Kola Olofinboba, of the class of 1989. He took us down memory lane from his humble beginning in Ibadan to the all-powerful Boardroom of Wall Street. He described a challenging journey loaded with the ups and downs of life, plowing through with blood, sweat, and tears. He emphasized the value of mentorship and sponsorship that provided a steady wind on his back and supplied a guiding light for him in his darkest hours as he blazed through the lonely terrain of his trail. He illuminated a fascinating story of endurance and perseverance that led him to the triumphant top of the mountain of success called Wall Street. Imagine a little boy born in our hospital (U.C.H.) who grew up as a regular guy in Ibadan and now, along with his partners, manages over 10.8 billion dollars. Yet, he's quiet, humble, easy to get along with, and no boasting. He has been married to Trudy (Anesthesiologist) for decades, and they are blessed with a Princeton-trained Computer Scientist daughter who works for Microsoft. At the end of his speech, he received a thunderous standing ovation and a Prestigious 2023 Distinguished Award."

"Quoting Dr. Olamitoye, ICOMAA-NA has become the 'Center of Gravity' for our College. The Provost spoke passionately about the Hostel Fund, a major project that our College's accreditation is tied to, and pleaded for more donations as we are now at 45% of the fundraising efforts. First, she introduced, praised, and thanked Dr. Philip Ozuah (85), a major donor who received a massive standing ovation and a Prestigious Provost Award. The Provost then recognized individuals or couples who were present and had donated over $12,000 (Platinum) to this vital project. Platinum Award recipients included Dr. Modupe Sokunbi (82) and Dr. Dolamu Sokunbi (81); Dr. (Mrs) Akinboboye (87) and Prof Akinboboye (84); Dr. Olanrewaju Rasaq Abu (84); and my humble self (Dr. Abraham Ariyo, 88). 

"Dr. Titi Britto (86), a dedicated Alumnus who donates $250 monthly along with seven others, emphasized the importance of contributing to our College's endowment as a token of our appreciation and drew a parallel analogy to premier institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Oxford endowment funds. Mr. Adedeji solicited and advocated for many of our members to publish in the Journal of Global Medicine, where many of us are already Contributing Editors."

Continuing in his appreciation, Dr Ariyo thanked their hosts, Dr. (Mrs) and Professor Akinboboye of New York, for finding, engaging, and delivering the event sponsor, Novo Nordisk. 

"You gave us a template we can use next time at the A.G.M. that involves engaging local members and pharmaceutical companies. We thank Novo Nordisk for their support and enthusiastically look forward to working with them in the future. The Scientific Session Speaker, Jonas Liebowitz, M.D., gave an important lecture from which our audience gained insightful and valuable knowledge. 

"We will need more of these scientific speakers moving forward." He said.

In his conclusion, the president noted that; "our 2023 meeting was a fantastic A.G.M. By far; our Alumni Association remains the best and the pacesetter among all the Nigerian Medical School Alumni Associations. The 2024 A.G.M. will be in Anaheim, CA. 

"We need more participation." He appealed.

"Specifically, we seek more scientific speakers, advertisers, and event sponsors for 2024. Please think of what you can do for our College; she needs you more than ever.

"We look forward to a 'next level' meeting and more success for ICOMAA-NA and our College of Medicine." The President, ICOMAA-NA concluded.