As part of activities marking its 50th anniversary, the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, has organised a three-day pre-retirement seminar for its staff preparing to exit active service. The event, held between Monday, October 20 and Wednesday October 22, 2025, at the hospital’s big-auditorium, was tagged “Thriving Beyond Service: Planning, Purpose and Peace in Retirement.”
Speaking on behalf of the Chief Medical Director, Prof. John Okeniyi, the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Prof. Akinwumi Komolafe, described retirement as “not an end but a new beginning.” He commended the organisers for their foresight and commitment to staff welfare, noting that retirement planning should encompass financial, emotional, social, and spiritual readiness.
In his keynote address, Pastor Shadrack Adebambo said retirement was a milestone often celebrated with mixed emotions, but one that should be seen as a fresh opportunity to pursue purpose and fulfillment.
The Director of Administration, Dr. Ayodeji Felix Bobade, congratulated the retiring staff for their years of dedicated service and prayed for sound health in their post-service life.
Also speaking, Mr. Lekan Akanbi, Head of Pension and retirement department, appreciated the management’s support for the programme and assured participants that their benefits would be promptly processed.
Lecturers including Dr. Ibrahim Bello and Mr. Muritala Olaobaju advised retirees to maintain good health, engage in regular exercise, and invest wisely for financial independence.
Other facilitators at the seminar included Mrs. Bola Alejo, Mr. Tobi Adenuga, and Barr. Olalekan Nicholas Babatunde. Certificates of participation were presented during the closing ceremony by Mr. Rotimi Omotoye, who represented the Director of Administration. He commended the Department of Pension for organizing a successful seminar and described retirement as “a thing of joy — and double joy when one ends well.”
