It was a landmark gathering that reunited graduates across undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts and set the tone for deeper industry collaboration, as the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Lagos (UNILAG), hosted its first-Alumni Get-Together on Friday, February 20, 2026, .
Held at the Engineering Design Studio, the event was a strategic convergence of legacy, innovation, and forward-thinking ambition.
Reconnecting the Past to Power the Future
In his Welcome Address, the Acting Head of Department, Dr. Olurotimi Adeleye, situated the event within the University’s broader push for stronger industry engagement, with the alumni as a critical bridge.
Describing alumni engagement as “a symbiotic relationship,” he emphasised its role in building mutually beneficial, lifelong connections that enhance institutional reputation and drive student success.
“This event establishes a bond of friendship between us and our graduates,” he said, noting that such bonds are essential for sustained growth and relevance.
Dr. Adeleye paid glowing tribute to the “founding fathers and elders” whose vision birthed the programme – particularly Professor Oluwole Adegbenro, the pioneer Coordinator of the Biomedical Engineering Unit at the College of Medicine in 1993, when the programme began as a technical course.
From Humble Beginnings to Global Collaborations
The Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Samson Adeosun, in his Opening Remarks, reflected on the programme’s formative years. He also highlighted the sacrificial commitment of early champions like Professor Adegbenro and acknowledged the critical financial support received from institutions such as Northwestern University, USA.
For the Dean, institutional memory and alumni mobilisation must now converge. An alumni platform, he stressed, is more than ceremonial; it is a forum for aggregating opportunities in ways that benefit students, graduates, the Department, and the University as a whole.
AI or Be Left Behind: A Wake-Up Call to Biomedical Engineers
Delivering the Keynote Address, Dr. Clare Omatseye, Founder and CEO of JNC International (JNCI), represented by Engr. Falola Fakolujo, Manager (Technical Services), underscored the urgency of continuous exposure to new developments in a field where challenges evolve as rapidly as solutions.
The presentation, titled: “Emerging Technologies and Innovations in Biomedical Engineering”, was both illuminating and stirring.
On Artificial Intelligence, his message was clear: “If you are not in Artificial Intelligence in 2026, then you’re not anywhere.”
He described AI as a capacity multiplier in healthcare and medical sciences, particularly in diagnostics, where it can function as a reliable provider of second opinions. He encouraged students to pursue AI certifications with clear healthcare applications and urged innovators to design AI-driven, AI-compliant devices.
Beyond AI, he explored transformative frontiers redefining healthcare delivery: digital health wearables, remote monitoring systems, gene editing, synthetic biology, nanomedicine, targeted drug delivery, robotics, and smart surgical systems.
Emerging biomedical technologies, he noted, are steering healthcare toward personalised, predictive, and minimally invasive solutions; and they require confident, up-to-date Biomedical Engineers to deploy them effectively.
He concluded by affirming JNCI’s commitment to supporting the Department’s aspirations for Biomedical Engineering education in Nigeria.
A Pioneer Reflects
In deeply reflective Fatherly Remarks, Professor Oluwole Adegbenro, former Dean of Engineering (2006-2008) and pioneer Coordinator of the programme, spoke with humility and pride.
“I belong to the past and I’m supposed to be gone,” he said lightly. “The technology I learned belongs to the past … The only thing I can say is that those who are onboard now know what they’re doing. They have built immensely well on what we did and are making it better and bigger.”
While expressing his confidence in the present leadership, Professor Adegbenro noted that the future of Biomedical Engineering education at UNILAG – and in Nigeria – is bright.
He also commended the Alumni Association of the Faculty of Engineering and encouraged alumni of Biomedical Engineering to draw inspiration from its structure and commitment.
Confronting the “Equipment Graveyard”
A dynamic panel session brought alumni perspectives to the fore. Panelists included Mr. Charles Osuagwu (Biomedical Engineering Manager, NEST 360◦), Mr. Obioha Chima Anthony (Biomedical Engineer, Massey Street Children Hospital, Lagos), Engr. Adeniyi Ololade (State Hospital, Ota), and Mr. Benjami Ewheh (Sales Manager, Patient Monitoring and Life Support, Mindray).
The discussions were candid. Mr. Osuagwu highlighted what he termed the “Equipment Graveyard” phenomenon: warehouses of abandoned medical devices rendered useless not by age, but by a shortage of trained Biomedical Engineers capable of maintaining them.
The conversation returned repeatedly to curriculum relevance. The consensus was clear on the fact that Biomedical Engineering education must be industry-practice oriented.
Contributing to the discussion, Head of the Department of Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Prof. Peter Oluseyi, pointed to the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) as a policy response. He noted that the framework now allows universities up to 40% flexibility to integrate industry participation into course design and delivery, a significant step toward bridging academia and practice.
Honour, Networking, and a New Beginning
One of the most moving moments of the day came with the formal honouring of Professor Adegbenro for his pioneering role in establishing Biomedical Engineering at UNILAG. Amid a standing ovation, Prof. Oluseyi presented the award, recounting his foundational contributions to the discipline.
The event also featured robust networking sessions and cross-generational conversations, as alumni shared postgraduate journeys, professional insights, prospects, and challenges.
Bringing the gathering to a strategic close, Dr. Adeleye announced the constitution of the Department’s Inaugural Alumni Committee as a structured mechanism to coordinate alumni engagement and sustain the momentum generated by the historic meeting.
A Department Poised for Impact
The inaugural get-together was not merely a celebration of memory; it was a declaration of direction.
By reconnecting with its alumni, honouring its pioneers, and confronting the demands of a technology-driven future, the Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNILAG signaled its readiness to move from competence to influence; and from influence to impact.
The past laid the foundation. The present is consolidating it. Clearly, the future is being engineered at UNILAG Biomedical Engineering.
Report: Isaiah Kumuyi
Photography: Michael Joshua
