"Wear Your White Coat With Humility," ABU Tells Newly Inducted Medical Doctors

Newly inducted medical graduates of Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, have been told that the white coat is a symbol of trust, service, sacrifice and hope, and should be worn with humility.

The counsel was given by the Provost of ABU College of Medical Sciences, Prof. Dahiru Ismaila Lawal, during the university’s 2026 induction ceremony held on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at the Abdullahi Mahadi Conference Centre, Samaru, Zaria.

A total of 132 graduating medical students were administered the Physician’s Hippocratic Oath by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN.

Prof. Lawal urged the new MBBS graduates to protect the honour of the medical profession. He said Nigeria and the global community need physicians who are not only clinically competent but also compassionate leaders for equitable healthcare.

He encouraged them to serve wherever they are needed with dedication, fairness and respect for every individual regardless of social status, ethnicity, religion, gender, or economic background.

The Provost also enjoined them to read the MDCN Code of Medical Ethics, which he said would guide them throughout their practice. He further urged them to embrace advances in medicine in their day-to-day practice.

"By so doing you will truly be an ABU graduate aligning and fitting in with global trends," he said. 

He advised them not to take lightly the privilege to diagnose illness, relieve suffering, restore health, comfort the dying, and support families during vulnerable moments.

Prof. Lawal appreciated the college staff and members of the university community whose dedication, he said, nurtured the graduating class into competent and responsible medical graduates.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, congratulated the graduates on completing their medical education and training. He said they had assumed a profound responsibility to humanity.

"By taking the Hippocratic Oath, you commit yourselves to a profession founded on knowledge, competence, compassion, integrity, and service," Prof. Ahmed said. 

"I therefore urge you to always remember that behind every diagnosis is a human being, and behind every patient is a family placing its trust in you."

He urged them to carry the university’s values of excellence, service, integrity and commitment to humanity, and to continue learning, noting that medicine is a profession in which learning never ends.

He commended the academic and clinical staff of the College of Medical Sciences and the ABU Teaching Hospital for their dedication, and noted that the working relationship between the college and the teaching hospital is key to the quality of medical training provided.

Guest Lecturer, Prof. Ibrahim Abdu-Aguye, congratulated the young doctors and said they must be genuinely interested in patients’ plight, and show empathy, courtesy and consideration. 

"You will derive joy from the smiles on their faces," he said. 

He advised them to pay close attention to supervising seniors and learn practical skills for independent practice, and noted that their first few years would help them decide on areas of specialization.

"Not many professionals in the world will have this type of privilege. You will be let into the lives of individuals that you serve," Abdu-Aguye said.

Former Chief Medical Director of ABUTH, Prof. Abdulmumin Hassan Rafindadi, spoke on ethical values. He cautioned the graduates against any temptation that could endanger patients’ lives. He also warned that a death certificate should not be issued without first seeing the dead body.

Prof. Rafindadi, former Vice-Chancellor of Federal University, Lokoja, congratulated the new doctors and wished them success in their medical careers.