FUL Lokoja establishes Medical college, set up steering committee.
Treasure Ochemeje Lokoja.
The management of the federal University Lokoja on Friday has inaugurated steering committee to prepare ground work for the establishment of a medical college for the institution.
While performing the inauguration ceremony, the vice Chancellor of the institution Professor Olayemi Akinwumi said the establishment of the medical college was meant to satisfy needs of the people of the state who have been suffering to get placement for children and wards to study medicine and allied courses in other universities.
He said , by setting up the steering committee which has six weeks to turn in their report has ultimately confer a complete university status on the institution and called on the committee to work assiduously to realise the aspiration of the people.
Professor Akinwumi disclosed that the senate had at its special meeting on Thursday approved the establishment of both College of medicine and Engineering, but noted that Engineering would be considered at a later date.
According to him, the membership of the steering committee who were selected based on their track records in the field of medicine , were to bring on board their wealth of experience in designing a template that will earnestly kick start the programme.
He added that the committee which comprises 17 respected academics in the field of medicine and some professionals has professor Mike Ozovehe Ogirima as chairman, while Mr. Usman Abdullahi Yakubu will serve as secretary, called on them to ensure that the terms of reference is religiously followed.
The Vice Chancellor tasked them to ensure that the programme scale through the resource verification as laid down by the NUC, to develop curriculum to meet the standard best practices; design a model that will not put the graduates at a disadvantage, if they want to go into academics, advice on how to source manpower required for take off and to work on how to adopt federal Medical Center Lokoja.
In a remark , the Chairman of the steering committee professor Ogirima assured the university of the competence and determination of the members to turn in a well thought out report that will stand the test of times.
He assured that the committee members have already made sacrifices by accepting to serve on the committee , adding that his members who are mostly indigenes of the state will not disappoint the confidence repose in them.
He called on the university community not to see the Medical college as a competitor, but as a partner in moving the school and the state forward.
While calling on those with both local and international contacts to explore it for the seamless sustenance of the programme, charged the administration to devote sizeable percentage of their internal generation revenue IGR to nurture the department to greater heights.
