Professor Kehinde Akinlade, the head of the Endocrine Unit in the Department of Chemical Pathology at the University of Ibadan, has expressed concern over the ongoing emigration of talented students from his department and from Nigeria as a whole.
He has called on the government to implement measures to address and reverse this trend.
Professor Akinlade spoke on Thursday at the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the maiden edition of Endocrine Day organised by the Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Ibadan, held at the Otunba Balogun Conference Centre in the university.
At the event with the theme: “Endocrine Practice in Developing Countries”, Akinlade said he was happy that his colleagues thought it fit to organise the Endocrine Day during which he was the guest of honour, and expressed the hope that it would be a continuous celebration because of the importance of endocrinology to human health.
Speaking on the department he would be retiring from in a few weeks, Professor Akinlade expressed sadness that government was leaving so many things undone in the health and education sectors.
However, he expressed worries that “along the line, lecturers are not being replaced, they are retiring but are not being replaced. Many of the younger ones are leaving the system to travel abroad because there is no funding for research. Things are not as good as one would have liked it to be. We are just praying and hoping that things will get better.”
Akinlade however expressed the hope that “with people like Associate Professor Mabel Charles Davies around we know that the future will be great by God’s grace.”
Speaking on the rationale behind the celebration, Dr Charles-Davies said Endocrine Day was organised by his mentees to honour Professor Akinlade as he is retiring next month and said they hoped it would become bigger and culminate into making the society understand the importance of endocrinology.
Earlier, Professor Olufemi Fasanmade of the Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Lagos and an honourary Consultant Physician/Endocrinologist, delivered a lecture entitled: “Advances in Monitoring Glycemic Control”.
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