The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, has commended the management of Mercy Medical University, Iwo, Osun State, over its commitment to students’ welfare and academic excellence.
According to a statement sent to Daily Sun, the commendation was made when the Zonal Coordinator, Josiah Kayode Adeyemo led a delegation on a courtesy visit and institutional inspection to the university on Friday, October 23.
On the delegation was the National Vice President of the National Association of Colleges of Education Students, Comrade Yekeen Rokeeb Oyewole, the Director of Sports, NANS JCC Osun Axis, Comrade Tunde Olamide Ogunniran, the Student Union President of the Federal College of Education, Iwo, Comrade Abdulakeem Jamiu Olanrewaju, and other directors of the zone.
Adeyemo said the visit was aimed at assessing the institution’s growth, engaging its management on issues affecting students, and gaining firsthand insight into its academic programmes and learning environment.
He expressed appreciation to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Muhammed Ibrahim Sule, and the management for the remarkable progress recorded within three years of establishment in 2023, noting that building a university specialising in medical and health-related disciplines requires substantial investment and regulatory compliance.
“Whether an institution is federally owned, state-owned, community-owned, or privately owned, its students remain Nigerian students whose welfare, academic progress, safety, and future must be of concern to the national students’ movement,” he said.
In his response, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sule, said the university started with eight programmes and later secured approval for four additional programmes.
He said the institution has approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC) and operates four campuses including the main campus in Iwo, Telemu, Asamu, and Osogbo where its 250-bed capacity teaching hospital is situated.
On student representation, Sule said students currently have faculty-level representatives, with plans to expand to an institution-wide structure as the university grows.
He described Mercy Medical University as one of the more affordable private universities in Osun State.
The NANS Coordinator emphasised the importance of programme accreditation, saying students invest years and resources and must not face challenges during NYSC mobilisation and other processes due to accreditation issues.
He clarified that the absence of a university-wide Students’ Union Government should be viewed in the context of the institution’s recent establishment, while encouraging management to strengthen existing channels for student engagement.
He reaffirmed NANS Southwest’s commitment to constructive partnerships with tertiary institutions across the region and encouraged the management to sustain its developmental vision and regulatory standards.