From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Students of Osun State University (UNIOSUN) and local residents participated in a life-saving initiative to donate 1,000 pints of blood voluntarily.
The event, held over the weekend in Osogbo, was organised by UNIOSUN Sustainable Development Solution in collaboration with the Osun State University Medical Students Association and supported by the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA).
Motadegbe Adeyemo, convener and president of UNIOSUN SDG Sustainable Solution, said the initiative was inspired by a leukaemia patient who died after receiving only 12 of the 24 pints of blood needed. “We don’t mind making this happen February 14, June 14 and as many times as possible because the more times we do it, the more blood remains available,” Adeyemo said, aiming to make the drive a biannual event to support the health sector.
Abel Abu, head of the donor recruitment section at NBSA’s Southwest Zone Centre in Ibadan, emphasised the agency’s mission to ensure a safe and adequate blood supply for Nigeria. “Based on the population of Nigeria, for us to have adequate blood for Nigerians, we need to move from place to place… to sensitise Nigerians on the need for every one of us to partake in the vision of saving a life,” Abu said. He noted the goal was to collect 1,000 pints and set a record.
Yetunde Aborisade, Deputy Director of medical laboratory staff, highlighted the dual benefits of donation. “When we tell people to donate, they will think it’s a suicide, but we want to sensitise them and make them understand that blood donation is beneficial to them and to the people that need it,” she said, citing free health tests for donors and support for patients like those with cancer. Some students were barred from donating due to low PCV levels, despite their eagerness.