The University of Ibadan (UI) is to institutionalise a University-wide Healthy Living Day to promote preventive healthcare, physical fitness, and staff wellbeing.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Olamakinde Olapegba, announced this at the flag-off of a health walk organised as part of activities heralding the University’s 2026 Convocation Ceremonies, describing a healthy workforce as fundamental to institutional productivity.
He said the initiative would encourage staff across departments and units to exercise together and strengthen relationships beyond their official responsibilities.
Olapegba urged employees to take personal responsibility for their health through nutritious diets, adequate water consumption, and regular exercise, noting that preventing illnesses was cheaper than treating them.
“The University is actually very interested in the health of its staff because a healthy workforce is a productive workforce. But then, if the University is interested in our health, we have to take personal responsibility,” he said.
He cautioned against excessive consumption of junk food and pastries, noting that affordable traditional meals and locally available vegetables, such as ugu and ewedu, could provide essential nutrients.
The Vice-Chancellor also urged staff to avoid sedentary lifestyles by incorporating regular walks, including evening strolls with their spouses, into their daily routines.
He warned that poor health could undermine the benefits of retirement, as pension earnings might be depleted by medical expenses and therefore urged employees to adopt healthy habits while still in active service.
On institutional healthcare, Olapegba reaffirmed the University’s commitment to improving facilities and services at its University Health Service (UHS).
He commended the UHS leadership, noting that some facilities available at the University’s health centre were not found in certain general hospitals. He, however, acknowledged that the institution had yet to attain its desired healthcare standard.
Olapegba added that the proposed Healthy Living Day would also provide opportunities for staff to interact and build stronger relationships, noting that dedicating a few hours to collective exercise would not undermine the University’s operations.
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In her remarks, the Director of Health Services, Dr Aderonke Ajav, disclosed that the University was working towards becoming a Healthy Living Campus, with plans to introduce policies that promote healthy lifestyles and discourage practices harmful to staff and students.
She said the initiative would move beyond health advocacy to institutional policies backed by regulations and sanctions for non-compliance.
“At present, we are only encouraging, appealing, advocating, and begging. At a point, we believe that the University of Ibadan will be known as a Healthy Living Campus,” she said.
Ajav also announced plans to distribute emergency-response instructional videos through QR codes across the campus.
Developed in partnership with an organisation identified as Health Body, the videos are designed to equip staff and students with basic skills to respond when someone suddenly collapses, thereby improving emergency preparedness and helping to prevent avoidable deaths.
Health-promoting messages were also unveiled on road posters during the walk. They included calls for regular exercise, healthy eating, increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, and the avoidance of junk food.
Other messages encouraged emotional intelligence, the appropriate use of courtesy expressions such as “sorry,” “please,” and “thank you,” and attention to spiritual wellbeing.
Principal Officers and other members of the University community participated in the health walk.
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