In a significant move to bolster the nation’s healthcare infrastructure and educational standards, the Bank of Industry (BOI) has officially commissioned and handed over a state of the art 30 room medical students' hostel at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi Campus. This landmark delivery, received by Vice Chancellor Prof. Stanley Anyaehie on behalf of the university’s board and management, marks a critical expansion of the College of Health Sciences and stands as a flagship achievement of the BOI’s corporate social responsibility mandate.
Under the leadership of Managing Director and CEO Dr Olasupo Olusi, who was represented at the ceremony by Executive Director of Large Enterprises Omar Shekarau, the bank emphasised that true national development transcends mere business financing to encompass the strengthening of institutions that produce essential professionals. The completion of this project is being hailed as a triumph of institutional continuity and disciplined collaboration between university leadership, contractors, and the bank’s project team, ensuring that the facility was delivered on schedule to meet the urgent needs of the medical community.
The new hostel is designed to provide a secure, dignified, and stable living environment specifically tailored to the rigorous demands of medical training, where proximity to clinical sites is a necessity rather than a luxury for students managing emergency calls and long night shifts. By addressing the acute shortage of on campus housing, the BOI intends for this building to directly improve student welfare, thereby enhancing the quality of patient care as the next generation of healthcare providers is trained in a more conducive atmosphere.
During the handover, University Vice Chancellor Prof. Anyaehie expressed profound gratitude for the bank’s intervention, noting that the 30 room block significantly alleviates the accommodation crisis at the new site while signalling a desire for deeper future partnerships to expand campus infrastructure further. Supporting this sentiment, NAUTH Chief Medical Director Prof. Joe Ugboaja, represented by Dr Ezejofor, underscored that such physical infrastructure is the indispensable precursor to human capital development, providing both aesthetic and functional value to the teaching hospital.
Even the local Akamiri community, which donated the land for the permanent site, lauded the project through representative Chief Caleb Okeke, noting that the hostel will offer students affordable, high quality housing within the university perimeter. Ultimately, this strategic investment by the Bank of Industry reflects a broader national priority to link education with improved healthcare outcomes, ensuring that as students learn in better conditions, the surrounding communities will ultimately receive a higher standard of medical service.
