Otunba Subomi Balogun, the Founder of FCMB Group, has made a N50bn donation of his Otunba Tunwase National Paediatrics Centre (OTNPC), located at Ijeb
Otunba Subomi Balogun, the Founder of FCMB Group, has made a N50bn donation of his Otunba Tunwase National Paediatrics Centre (OTNPC), located at Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, to the University of Ibadan (UI), its College of Medicine and the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State.
The official handover was announced in Lagos at a ceremony over the weekend, where a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aimed at facilitating a smooth daily running of the medical facility, was signed by the beneficiary institutions.
The new MoU, which clearly spells out that the clinical and medical services, and the daily operation of the medical facility, would be handled by the UCH, was signed after a meeting between all concerned parties including Otunba Balogun, the Group Chief Executive of FCMB Group Plc, Mr Ladi Balogun, who is the Chairman of the Board of Otunba Tunwase National Paediatrics Centre, the Management of the University of Ibadan and its College of Medicine, led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Idowu Olayinka as well as the Management of the University College Hospital, led by its Chief Medical Director, Professor Abiodun Otegbayo.
On why he made the donation, Otunba Subomi Balogun, who is also the Olori Omo-Oba Akile Ijebu said:
“When I took over the equipment of the children’s hospital in the UCH Ibadan, I was exposed to the true plight of sick children. The late Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti had attended a function where I was honoured for my philanthropic activities. So, he said Otunba, ‘You have impressed me, you have done so well, one thing you could still do for this country is, give us a prototype of the great ORMOND Street Hospital in London, which is talked about everywhere in the world’.
“And I asked him, how much do you think this would cost? And he was like, ‘by the time you spend N50 million, it would be done’. And the good Lord provided me with the funds needed to execute it. I recall one year, I got my dividend and I decided I could devote N250 million to it. I, thereafter, made it an annual commitment to donate towards the construction of the hospital. I think it was the Almighty God that inspired me. It was only when I was handing them over, that I realised the total cost”.
“When I gave out the place as a gift, it was Professor Adenike Grange, a former Health Minister, and also former Provost of the place who said, the way this place is growing, you had better hand it over to an institution that will continue to effectively manage it beyond your life,” Otunba Subomi Balogun added.
He noted that although some other institutions had requested to manage it, the former minister suggested that he gives the facility which is today, worth N5billion in market value to UI, and that the university would bring UCH into managing it.
Until recently, it was discovered there were some administrative frictions between the beneficiary institutions, which now necessitated, a formal signing of an MoU.
Speaking to newsmen on the lingering management challenge prior to the new MoU, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka said:
“There was no crises but a mere administrative discrepancy arising from the previously signed MoU. As you are aware, Otunba Balogun donated the Otunba Tunwase National Paediatrics Centre at Ijebu Ode to the University of Ibadan, a few years ago, almost 10 years ago. We have had some structural problems as to how to provide clinical services and other medical services to the inhabitants.”
In signing the MoU, three parties were involved- the University of Ibadan, its College of Medicine, and the University College Hospital (UCH).
Prof Olayinka stressed that, “The resolution now is that the three parties have signed the MoU, effective October 1, 2020, so that all the parties would make their own contributions as agreed in the MoU, towards the smooth running of the centre at Ijebu Ode. So basically, while the University College Hospital (UCH) has now been mandated to provide clinical services, the University of Ibadan (UI) will engage in research and other academic works, while our students would also be involved as part of their training.
“And as I said, many of the UI staff are also honorary consultants to UCH, so it wouldn’t create any problem. Therefore going forward, almost everything has been sorted out. It is just remaining implementation. And we don’t foresee any challenge again.”
