The Vice President also reiterated the need for Nigeria to build its medical workforce, noting that when he was in Borno State as Governor, he took 60 female students to study medicine in Sudan.

“About 58 of them completed their education and passed the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) licensing exams. Most of them are now in their medical residency programmes.

“The beauty of training women in medicine is that they are more likely to stay back and serve their communities. “We must make deliberate and targeted investments in specialised healthcare education in this country,” the Vice President said.

Earlier, Dr. Olatise, who also serves as the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 37th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Nephrology, said the conference with the theme, “Revolutionizing Kidney Care in Nigeria: Evidence-Based Innovations,” would take place in Abuja from February 19-21, 2025.

The association also announced plans to honour Vice President Shettima with the Kidney Champion Award in recognition of his advocacy and direct support for kidney patients, including funding immunosuppressants and proposing the establishment of a specialised laboratory for post-transplant care.