Relevant stakeholders from Iyin – Ekiti Community in Ekiti State stormed the National Assembly Thursday to identify with the move by the Senate, for establishment of Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences.
The Senate had on the strength of a bill sponsored by Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele (APC Ekiti Central), made legislative move for the establishment of the University by passing the bill for second reading few weeks back and mandated its Commitee on Health to make more legislative inputs into it.
At the public hearing on the bill, sons and daughters of Iyin Ekiti led by their traditional ruler, Oba Adeola Adeniyi Ajakaiye and President of the Community Progressive Union, Mr Akinjide Akinleye , said 1,000 hectares of land have been secured for the proposed institution.
Mr Akinleye who made presentation on behalf of the community, said the required enabling environment in terms of critical infrastructures and social amenities are in place to make Staff and Students of such Institution feel at home at all times.
“We place on record our sincere appreciation to the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for counting Iyin Ekiti worthy of being the host of the proposed University.
“We say it loud and clear that the good people of Iyin and their neighbours are very much expectant of the Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences”, he said.
Earlier in his presentation, the sponsor of the bill, Senator Bamidele, said the goal of the university is to inspire and motivate students and medical personnel about the value of being health professionals so as to lead change for realizing a more sustainable health sector that serves a more sustainable world.
According to him, the very essence of the Bill is to provide a highly specialized institution that are more productive and very much needed for medical advancement of this nation.
He explained that the University when established, would amongst others, ( a) encourage the advancement of learning and to hold out to all persons without distinction of race, creed, sex or political conviction, the opportunity of acquiring a higher education in Health and other Health Sciences;
(b) develop and offer academic and professional programmes leading to the award of diplomas, first degrees, postgraduate research and higher degrees with emphasis on planning, adaptive, technical, maintenance, developmental and productive skills in the field of Health, biomedical engineering, scientific, and allied professional disciplines.
(c) act as agents and catalysts, through postgraduate training, research and innovation for the effective and economic utilization, exploitation and conservation of Nigeria’s natural, economic and human resources.
(d) identify medical needs of Nigeria and find solutions to them within the context of overall national development and (e), offer the general population, a form of public service through training and research in Health and allied disciplines.
“The enactment of this Bill will help in transforming the health and educational fortunes in Nigeria in producing the desired medical manpower and expertise that Nigeria is yearning for”, he stressed.
In his own remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ibrahim Yahaya – Oloriegbe (APC Kwara Central), said aggregation of views made at the public hearing by all the Stakeholders, will guide the Committee in its final report to the Senate.
