The Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (Nigeria) had her annual convention for the year 2023 in the beautiful city of Jos, Plateau State. The event which held at St. Louis Girls College, J.D. Gomwalk road, Jos was themed: SALAMA, a Hausa word translated as PEACE which is ascribed to the host State’s Slogan – “Home of Peace and tourism”. It lasted from 24th – 27th of August, 2023, with over 300 attendees representing almost 30 schools across the country.
Highlight of day to day activities:
Day 1: Arrival / Praise & worship night – Having arrived safely, many students were excited to be in Jos and to reunite with erstwhile friends from other schools who they haven’t met in a long while. We also gathered in the evening to praise and thank God for journey mercies and to pray for a successful event.
Day 2: Opening mass / Congress – Our annual general congress meeting held the next morning in which burning issues were deliberated upon. Opening and Thanksgiving mass was presided over by the Catholic Archbishop of Jos – Most Rev. Dr. Mathew Ishaya Audu who welcomed everyone to Jos and wished us a peaceful stay. He encouraged us to be good and diligent in all our endeavors and also made generous donations to us. Thanksgiving was done by the various chapters & zones.
Day 3: Retreat / Symposium / Sight seeing / Dinner / Elections – Morning mass was said after which various priests availed themselves to administer the sacrament of penance. Later in the day, we had our spirit filled and soul enriching retreat anchored by Rev. Fr. Richard Umoh. Furthermore, we had our symposium in which diverse topics were discussed by different panelists from various fields such as Academics, Medicine, Nursing, Law, etc. We had an opportunity to explore the beautiful and historic city of Jos. We visited the Ten commandments monument in Dwoi Du, which is the only of its kind in Africa and one of the very few in the world. Other places visited include: Jos Meseum and Zoo, 100 Steps to Afizere settlement (A hiking exercise), etc. After the long activities of the day, we held our dinner and awards night. The event hosted past executives, alumni and many well wishers and had many activities such as dancing competitions, magazine launch, etc.
The dinner concluded with a drama / games night session.
A national executive Council meeting was held that night through the next morning which saw the election and emergence of new national executives.
Day 4: Concluding Mass / Departure – The event concluded very early on Sunday morning with many chapters from far and near departing to their respective states. We are grateful to God that everyone returned safely.
Extra: Many students truly enjoyed their stay in Jos and made positive comments about the weather, good and rich food, accommodating people, etc.
FECAMDS – In Christ we heal the sick