Bingham University on Tuesday, 20th October, 2026 held its 15th Inaugural Lecture with a call for advancing surgical practice through innovation, international collaboration and strong institutions.

The lecture was delivered by Prof. Edwin Oseni-Momodu, Professor of General Surgery and Trauma, on the theme: “General Surgery and Trauma in a Changing World: Advancing Service, Scholarship and Innovations Across Two Continents.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Haruna Kuje Ayuba, described the lecture as timely and significant, noting that surgical practice is evolving rapidly amid changing disease patterns, unequal access to healthcare and emerging technologies. He noted that Prof. Oseni-Momodu, a German-trained surgeon, brings valuable insight from two continents, Europe and Africa each with distinct histories, resources and healthcare systems. 

International collaboration can enrich teaching and research, encourage the exchange of effective practices, and support solutions that are responsive to local needs. Such partnerships are most meaningful when they are built on mutual respect, shared purpose and lasting capacity, Prof. Ayuba said.

He stressed that contemporary challenges in surgery and trauma are not confined by national borders and cannot be addressed by clinical expertise alone, but require strong institutions, sustained investment, interdisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to learning from one another. The surgeon’s work must therefore extend beyond the operating theatre, the he added. 

Prof. Ayuba reaffirmed Bingham University’s commitment to research that connects rigorous academic work with practical benefit, and to training health professionals who can question, innovate and lead. He said the insights from the lecture would benefit students, early-career scholars, clinicians and policymakers.

Delivering the lecture, the German-trained Professor of General Surgery and Trauma, Prof. Edwin Ozolua Oseni-Momodu, said Nigeria bears a disproportionate burden of surgical disease and trauma, calling for adaptability, systems thinking and ethical leadership to improve outcomes.

The don presented a structured academic overview of a surgical career spanning five decades and two continents, examining the intersections of clinical service, trauma care, scholarship and systems innovation.

Prof. Oseni-Momodu described the Nigerian reality as one defined by overwhelmed emergency wards, overcrowded wards, limited beds and under-resourced facilities. He noted that Nigeria records among the highest road-traffic injury rates globally, with surgeons facing complex polytrauma cases with minimal pre-hospital care.  He stated that technical competence alone is never enough, adding that adaptability has become a survival skill for the Nigerian surgeon.

From Germany’s High-Tech Precision to Africa’s Resourceful Resilience Sharing his professional formation map, the inaugural lecturer recalled his foundational training at Kreiskrankenhaus Frankenberg-Eder, Germany (1979–1980), where he was exposed to 10,763 surgical cases across general surgery, trauma, orthopaedics and emergency medicine with 5,381 cases in 1979 and 5,382 in 1980.  Germany, he said, offered state-of-the-art theatres, advanced anaesthesia, digital imaging and systematic protocols, which formed the crucible of technical excellence.

In contrast, his journey across Nigeria, Ughelli and Warri in Delta State, Lagos and Abuja taught resourceful resilience. They taught that excellent surgery is not dependent on technology alone. It depends on knowledge, courage, compassion, and the ability to make timely decisions under difficult circumstances, he said.

Prof. Oseni-Momodu described his academic phase as a pivotal transition from clinical service to academic leadership, where teaching rounds, curriculum development and bedside mentorship shaped a generation of surgeons at Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BHUTH) and College of Medicine and Surgery, Jos.

He emphasized competency-based curriculum design, continuous assessment and ethical leadership in integrity, accountability, transparent decision-making and justice in surgical care delivery. 

Prof. Oseni-Momodu concluded that reflective narrative, clinical data and scholarly output affirm technical competence, systems thinking and mentorship together define surgical legacy. 

The Registrar, Mr. Daburi Bello Misal, in his vote of thanks, appreciated the Vice-Chancellor, Senate members, Chairman of the Ceremonial Committee, the Inaugural Lecturer, the University community, students and invited guests for gracing the occasion.

The lecture, was attended by the university members of senate, management, staff, students as well as guests from other institutions.

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Directorate of Public Affairs 

Office of the Vice-Chancellor 

Bingham University