We are very grateful to all those whose lifelong work makes our pride possible. To those who worked to establish the highest standards at Ibadan, we are grateful. To those who dedicated themselves to teaching us honor, integrity and professionalism as well as medical science, we say thank you. To those who made great personal sacrifices to make it possible for all of us alumni to be where we are today, we can never fully express the depths of the gratitude we feel. Thank you.

The most important reason to come together as an alumni association is to continue to receive the benefits and privileges of alumni association membership. The tangible and intangible joys of collegiality, camaraderie, mentorship and belonging. Going forward we will continue to encourage active membership by every alumnus. The more the merrier, and we have much to be merry about. It will be our focus to showcase the benefits of membership in ways that encourage all to activate and fully enjoy their inclusion in this very special association.

When we gather as joyful alumni, our common focus must then turn to our common purpose. The Ibadan College of Medicine is the reason for our existence as an alumni association. All great institutions are made even greater by their alumni. If we want ICOMAA  to become even greater, then we must first become even greater alumni. We must join together to give back with our time, our energy, our new ideas, and our financial support. The incoming executive committee will build on our strengthened financial foundation to aggressively raise funds on two simultaneous tracks. The first track will be the steady work of accumulating an endowment fund that will be safely invested and will grow to levels that allow the generated interest to serve as sources of funding for vital teaching, research, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Endowment funds take many years to grow.

ICOMAA needs support today. The second track of our fundraising will be focused at raising funds for immediate short-term needs and projects. Recent successes show what can be achieved when the College administration partners with the alumni associations and the individual graduating class sets to raise funds for important projects. There is enthusiasm for giving when the givers can see concrete results of their giving. As an executive committee we will focus on this enthusiasm and help channel it towards continuing support for the College.

We will commit ourselves to regular communication with the membership, with ICOMAA Worldwide and with the Provost and College administration. We will regularly engage with you, keep you fully informed of all our activities and encourage your active participation on various sub-committees with specific assignments.

As an executive committee we pledge to give our very best efforts every day. With your full support and participation, we will take our alumni association to even greater heights.’

Thank you for this opportunity to serve a great association of very distinguished alumni.

Long live the College of Medicine of the University of Ibadan.!

Dr. Abraham Ariyo, MBBS FACC MPH

President ICOMAA-North America