President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) has approved the upgrade of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Lokoja, Kogi State, to a teaching hospital. The announcement was made public by Prof. Akinwumi Olayemi, Vice‑Chancellor of Federal University Lokoja, during a joint press conference at the university’s Adankolo campus on Tuesday.
Prof. Olayemi explained that the President’s approval came in a letter signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha. The letter referenced a prior communication dated 10 February 2023 concerning the upgrade and takeover of FMC Lokoja. Mustapha wrote, “I am directed to refer to your letter dated February 10, on the upgrade and takeover of FMC Lokoja to a Federal Teaching Hospital, 2023. I wish to convey the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari for the upgrading of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja to a Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja.”
The Vice‑Chancellor outlined the rationale for the university’s collaboration with FMC management. As of May 2022, the Register of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria listed about 80,000 registered medical practitioners, of whom roughly 40,000 are actively practicing. By World Health Organization standards, one doctor should serve 100 patients, yet in Nigeria the ratio exceeds 1 : 4,000—a grossly inadequate figure for a developing country. Recent research indicates that in the next ten years many medical doctors in Kogi State’s centres and hospitals may become inactive.
Furthermore, Prof. Olayemi noted that 98 % of Kogi‑state students who achieved outstanding results in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Post‑Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (PUTME) were denied admission to study Medicine and Surgery at universities within the state’s catchment area. Many of these students consequently enrolled in single‑honour courses such as Biology, Chemistry, or Physics.
In response to these challenges, Federal University Lokoja established its own College of Health Sciences. Acknowledging the high cost of launching a full Medicine and Surgery programme—requiring qualified staff, a teaching hospital, functional laboratories, hostels, and a library—the university approached FMC Lokoja for collaboration and conversion into a teaching hospital.
Dr. Olatunde Alabi, Chief Medical Director of FMC Lokoja, affirmed that the hospital possesses adequate infrastructure and manpower to assume its new status. He added that President Buhari’s support will help sustain the partnership between the university and the hospital.
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