IGBINEDION UNIVERSITY HONOURS RETIRING PROFESSOR OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, INTENSIFIES CALL TO ELIMINATE MATERNAL MORTALITY IN NIGERIA
Nigeria’s Premier and leading Private University, Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO) held a valedictory session on Wednesday to honour Prof. Jacob Aghomo Unuigbe, a distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, as he retires after decades of outstanding service in medical education and maternal health advocacy.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, PhD, FAS, used the occasion to rally Nigeria’s medical and academic communities to build on Prof. Unuigbe’s legacy and redouble efforts to end preventable deaths associated with pregnancy and childbirth. Ezemonye described Prof. Unuigbe as a scholar of global repute whose career has been defined by a deep commitment to training highly skilled healthcare professionals. Many of his former students, he noted, are now making significant contributions both within Nigeria and internationally.
The Vice-Chancellor further emphasised that Unuigbe’s research has exposed critical systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system and pushed for meaningful reforms. He painted a grim picture of the country’s maternal health crisis. According to him, “Nigeria records approximately 1,047 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, translating to an estimated 82,000 women dying annually from largely preventable causes such as haemorrhage, sepsis, and hypertensive disorders”. These statistics, he stressed, represent the tragic loss of mothers, daughters, and sisters, underscoring a grave national emergency.
Guest speaker Prof. Dilichukwu Anumba delivered a lecture titled “Reducing Maternal Mortality in Nigeria: What Still Works and What Must Change — A Journey Through the Evidence.” He described the situation as both a public health emergency and a systemic failure. While acknowledging that wealthier nations generally have lower mortality rates, Anumba pointed out that economic growth alone does not guarantee success. He explained that at similar income levels, wide variations in outcomes show that healthcare quality, nutrition, and systemic factors play decisive roles.
Anumba observed that although haemorrhage-related deaths have declined in absolute numbers, the condition remains a leading cause. He called for urgent improvements in awareness of early warning signs during pregnancy, timely access to quality medical care, and stronger community engagement. Among the proven interventions he highlighted were community-based health insurance schemes, task-shifting to adequately trained personnel, rigorous clinical audits for accountability, deliberate mentorship programmes, and comprehensive health system reforms.
In his valedictory remarks, Prof. Jacob Unuigbe expressed profound gratitude to the University’s founder, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, CFR, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, for giving him the platform to serve. He reflected on his remarkable career journey – 17 years at the University of Benin, 16 years practising in Saudi Arabia, and 19 years at Igbinedion University, Okada, – where he also served as Provost of the College of Health Sciences. Unuigbe thanked his colleagues, family, and well-wishers, and pledged to remain actively engaged with the University and continue contributing to its growth even in retirement.
The valedictory event was positioned not only as a celebration of Prof. Unuigbe’s academic excellence and lifelong dedication to safe motherhood but also as a powerful platform to renew collective commitment to tackling one of Nigeria’s most persistent and preventable public health tragedies.
