The University of Ibadan has inducted its third cohort of Environmental Health graduates, charging them to become champions of disease prevention, environmental sustainability, and community health management.
Addressing the inductees, the Provost of the College of Medicine, Professor Temidayo Ogundiran, highlighted the critical but often unnoticed role of environmental health professionals in safeguarding public health.
“You are the architects of the unseen,” he said. “Your mandate is not to treat disease after it has breached the gate, but to ensure that the gates are never breached at all,” he added.
He noted that the success of environmental health professionals would be measured by outbreaks prevented, epidemics averted, and communities protected, rather than by visible interventions.
Describing environmental health as “a higher, quieter, and more foundational authority,” Ogundiran urged the graduates to uphold discipline, scientific precision, and moral courage while remaining connected to their alma mater through mentorship and alumni engagement.
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Representing the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, Dr. John Kehinde, a retired Director of Health Emergency Response and Disease Control, urged the new environmental health officers to uphold the profession’s rich legacy and the standards established by its pioneers.
The Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, Professor M. D. Dairo, represented by Professor Kayode Osungbade, advised the graduates to let integrity guide their decisions and competence define their practice.
He noted that environmental health sciences are increasingly important in addressing challenges such as poor sanitation, unsafe water, improper waste disposal, and climate change, while reaffirming the university’s commitment to producing professionals capable of tackling emerging public health threats.
The Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, represented by the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Professor Bukola Fawole, charged the inductees to embrace their critical role in disease prevention and public health protection.
She stressed that environmental health remains a vital pillar of healthcare delivery and urged the graduates to uphold the values instilled during their training.
While encouraging them to pursue innovation and excellence, Fawole challenged the graduates to remain grounded and serve as worthy ambassadors of their profession, institution, and country.
Earlier, the Acting Head of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Dr. Temitope Laniyan, described the induction as a transition into a profession dedicated to protecting human health through effective environmental management.
He reaffirmed the department’s commitment to academic excellence, research, and professional development.
A highlight of the ceremony was the academic performance of the graduating class, with four students graduating with First Class Honours, 11 earning Second Class Upper Division, and seven obtaining Second Class Lower Division.
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