This report highlights the outcomes that trail efforts of commitment and resilience by the former governor of Rivers State,  Dr. Peter Otunuya Odili.  PAMO University of Medical Sciences, PUMS, the first private medical university in Nigeria continues to make waves as an institution committed to breeding the best professionals in the field of medicine.

By Jide Ajani

The contrast is as clear as the difference between day and night.  The disappointment of the morning of Sunday, December 17, 2006, at the Eagle Square, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, gave way to a sense of fulfillment upon receiving a provisional operating licence on Tuesday, December 19, 2017, by the Federal Government through the National Universities Commission, NUC.

 Contrast in emotions

On that fateful Sunday morning in Abuja, Dr. Peter Otunuya Odili (CON, KCSGG, GSSRS, KSJI), then governor of Rivers State had hoped that his name would be announced publicly as the running mate to Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate who had just won a landslide primary election. Although Odili was the front runner, an unholy collusion of political forces, succumbed to by then President Olusegun Obasanjo, caused Odili to step down from a race which he was coasting home to win.  Unfortunately, his name was never announced as running mate. 

From that moment, he recoiled into his shell. But for a medical doctor of repute, Odili, who had established and operated PAMO Clinics and Hospitals Group, his quest to serve humanity after that Eagle Square experience, propelled him to set up a distinct medical university.  It was the approval for the establishment of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, PUMS, that he received on that Tuesday. He has since gone on to establish a complementary, well-equipped, 250-bed integrated  PAMO University Teaching Hospital.

 Planning

 According to PUMS, “the planning phase of the University to the issuance of a provisional license took just one year; the shortest time in the history of establishment of private universities in the country”.

The University was officially opened on the 10th of February, 2018 which marked the dawn of a new era, a promise to provide a unique medical education experience. This milestone was not just a celebration of bricks and mortar; it was a celebration of dreams realized and aspirations fulfilled. In April 2018, the hallowed halls of PAMO University echoed with the eager footsteps of the first set of students.

Academic life began, and with it, a transformational journey unfolded for some young minds.

Through rigorous curriculum, hands-on training, and unwavering dedication to academic excellence and character molding, they become the bedrock upon which the university’s legacy would be built.

Uninterrupted experience

 The first convocation ceremony for graduates of Basic Medical Science Degree Programs was held on December 17th 2021, four years after the issuance of the provisional license which was also the stipulated duration for the programmes. Students of Nursing and Medical Laboratory Science Programs graduated the following year, 2022, again within the stipulated five-year duration of the programs.

Of another great significance is the graduation and subsequent induction of the first set of medical doctors within six years of their commencement of training in the University.

What sets PAMO University apart is not just its inception and the fact that it is the first private medical university in the country, but its steadfast commitment to excellence (as encapsulated in its motto) and integrity.

The attainment of full accreditation for all its programs by both the NUC and the relevant professional regulatory bodies, another record, is a testament to the institution’s unwavering dedication to academic excellence.

It reflects a promise kept, a pledge to provide education that not only meets but exceeds the highest standards.

Enter PUMS Teaching Hospital

 With the gradual consolidation of academic programs of the university, it became imperative to establish its corresponding teaching hospital.

This was commenced in earnest, and within a short span of time, despite the setback by Covid19, a state of the art, comprehensive, 250 bed teaching hospital was established.

The hospital has eight operating theaters, some intensive care units, a dialysis facility, fully equipped radiological diagnostic services with 1.5 Telsa MRI, 64 Slice ST, Digital X-Ray among others.

 Odili and quest for excellence

 As of today in Nigeria, PUMS ranks as the nation’s number one university in the NUC’s Female Enrolment Index.

According to a 2022/2023 ranking of Nigerian universities by the NUC, PUMS ranked 35 out of the 200 universities in Nigeria, a feat achieved in just under four years of its existence.

The university also ranks number one in 100 per cent full accreditation of its programmes by the NUC, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN; Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, NMCN; Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria, MLSCN; and Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria, RRBN.

In the  Nursing Council examinations in the university, the school recorded a 100 per cent pass rate, and a 95 per cent pass rate in the last Medicine and Surgery professional  Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, MBBS, examinations with several distinctions recorded.

Whereas there are a few other medical universities in Nigeria, PUMS, through the doggedness of its founder, and a robust engagement of a board of trustees that has him as Pro-Chancellor; Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, GCFR, as Chancellor & Chairman of the Board; Hon. Justice Umar Abdullahi, CFR; Justice Olufunlola O. Adekeye, CFR; and Mr. Peter Odili Jnr., continues to blaze the trail in its chosen field.