A new student organization, the Health Law Society was inaugurated on November 4, 2022, with the official swearing-in of a five-member executive body. The Health Law Society will advocate for better, quality health care for AUN students on campus and outside the school community according to Ms. Esther Odumu, the Society's initiator and inaugural President.
Despite the efficient and effective health care services offered to students at the American University of Nigeria, Ms. Odumu stated that she felt it was necessary to start this initiative to advocate for a more supportive and high-quality health care system for students on campus, and possibly for Nigerian citizens in the future.
Outlining the society's goals, she stated that the Health Law Society aims to provide its members with an introduction to the complicated and rapidly expanding field of health law, inform students interested in the field or who aspire to be health activists about recent developments in the medical and health sector, give each member a platform to have an impact on our immediate school community and our host community, and give her members a platform to advocate for better health policies.
Ms. Safiyyah Auwal was sworn in as Vice-President, Fatima Abdulkadir as Secretary, Grace Ofili as Director for Publications, and Sharon Usman as Social Director.
Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences, Prof. Patrick Fay, commended Ms. Odumu for the initiative. "It shows you're going to make a good leader for your immediate community which is AUN, and the society at large, because good leaders are those who identify problems and set out to addressing them in the interest of the affected society."
NES Professor Jennifer Tyndal also praised the formation of the society, saying they now have the responsibility to shine lights on the paths of healthcare law and advocacy for not only the AUN students but as well as their family members, and the larger society.
The Health Law Society also has Faculty and Staff Advisors including Professors Fay and Tyndal, Dr. Jennifer Mike, Dr. Paul Dogara, Mr. Usman Habib, Mr. Usoh Usoh, and Mr. Sesugh Annger.
These advisers will give the society direction and advise members on how to carry out the society's aims and goals professionally and legally.
Reported by John Abah