CMUL to Partner UK Varsity for Joint Degree Programmes

By Barakat Lawal, Adebisi Bolarinwa, Ayodunni Akinteye, Nosiru Misturah, and Peremoboere Winifred

The College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), says it is exploring a partnership with a United Kingdom university for joint degree programmes as part of efforts to boost its global standing.

The provost of the college, Ademola Oremosu, disclosed this in an interview with UNILAG Sun, saying the proposed collaboration is in line with his administration’s vision to position CMUL among the world’s leading medical schools.

“The vision is that the college should be among the top medical schools — not only in Africa, but also well rated globally,” Oremosu said.

He explained that discussions are ongoing around international collaborations, including a potential joint degree programme with the University of Birmingham, which already has a presence on the University of Lagos campus.

Oremosu said his tenure is guided by a five-point agenda tagged the “CMUL First Agenda,” focusing on faculty development, infrastructural development, resource management, student experience, and training and retraining.

As part of efforts to strengthen research and academic output, the provost said the college recently commissioned the Kessington Adebukola Adebutu Research Centre, a facility donated by a philanthropist to support teaching and student-led research.

“We have been working hard to advance teaching and research,” he said. 

“The research centre is going to promote research activities at the college.”

On student welfare and mental health, Oremosu said CMUL has professional counsellors and dedicated counselling units to support students experiencing stress, noting that cases requiring advanced care are referred to psychiatrists and psychologists.

“We have counselling units and professional counsellors who can guide students when they are under stress,” he said.

He added that the college is also promoting extracurricular and recreational activities to help students unwind, citing the establishment of sit-out areas and sporting facilities, including basketball and netball courts, as well as an Olympic-grade table tennis set.

Addressing accommodation challenges, the provost acknowledged that the college is facing an accommodation crisis but said several short-term measures and long-term projects are underway to address the issue.

According to him, some single beds in hostels have been converted to bunk beds to increase bed spaces, while a new hostel project funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) under its Special High-Impact Programme (T-SHIP) will add 240 rooms within 12 to 24 months.

“We want to appreciate the federal government through TETFund’s Special High-Impact Programme,” Oremosu said, adding that the intervention would significantly ease accommodation pressure at the college.

He said the combination of improved infrastructure, student welfare initiatives, research development, and international partnerships would strengthen CMUL’s competitiveness locally and globally.