By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja
THE National Universities Commission (NUC) has granted full re-accreditation for the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme at the Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, after a 10-year suspension.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abdulazeez Adams, who disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday in Lokoja described the approval as a landmark achievement driven by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
Dr Adams said the achievement was part of positive returns of Governor Ododo’s commitment to revitalising healthcare and Medical Education in the state.
He recalled that the MBBS programme was originally accredited and commenced in 2012 at the then Kogi State University, but the accreditation was withdrawn in 2015 after a resource verification exercise by the NUC revealed the absence of key infrastructure and academic requirements.
The Commissioner added that the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello, upon assuming office in 2016, swiftly intervened by approving full scholarships and facilitating the transfer of affected third-year medical students to other institutions.
“Today, over 90 per cent of those students have successfully graduated,” he said adding that the former governor also approved the construction of a state-of-the-art clinical complex at the university, which has since been completed and put to use.
Following the development, he said, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Marietu Tenuche, was mandated to commence all basic sciences and allied health programmes required to support a robust MBBS curriculum.
“Upon assuming office in 2024, Governor Ododo directed a fresh review of the requirements for restoring the MBBS programme and gave immediate approval for the provision of outstanding facilities.
“These included a multi-purpose medical students’ teaching laboratory, lecture halls, a library, consultant offices, and student hostels
“These projects received prompt approval from His Excellency, and I personally represented him at the official handing-over of project sites to contractors,” Dr. Adams stated, noting that construction work began immediately and is now at an advanced stage”, Adams explained.
He further explained that following the infrastructural and academic upgrades, the university invited the NUC for a fresh round of Resource Verification.
The Commissioner hinted that the exercise was successful resulting in the commission granting approval for the full re-establishment of the MBBS programme at the university.
“This is a major milestone—ten years after the initial withdrawal and it signals a new era of medical training in Kogi State”, he said.
