The Senate, Tuesday, passed a bill seeking to establish a Federal University of Medical Sciences and Biomedical Technology across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.
By Emma Ogbuehi
The bill was passed during plenary after the chamber considered a report on it by the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary).
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe (Kwara Central), in his presentation, said the establishment of the University in the six zones of the country would address the dearth in admission of students aspiring to study Medicine and Allied Sciences in Nigeria.
According to the lawmaker, the presence of the university would also supply the much needed manpower in healthcare service sector as well as boost income generation and ensure economic growth.
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“When passed into law, the huge gap in doctor-patient ratio as well as in medical research and production of pharmaceutical products will be abridged.
“The universities will also advance healthcare delivery in Nigeria through research and innovation, training and development of the health sector”, he said.
The Federal University of Medical Sciences and Biomedical Technology bill was passed by the chamber after a clause-by-clause consideration of the report on it by the Committee of the Whole.
The Senate had last February, passed a bill to establish the School of Mines and Geological Studies, Guyuk.
Also passed was the Federal Universities of Technology Act 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
The chamber, with the passage of the FUTA (Amendment) bill, gave approval for the upgrade of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Kwara State, from a Diploma awarding institution to a full-fledged Degree awarding Federal University of Technology.
The passage of both bills followed the consideration of two separate reports by the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.
In 2019, the Senate passed six bills seeking to establish and give legal backing to Federal Universities and Polytechnics across several states of the federation.
The upper chamber also passed an amendment bill on the Federal Polytechnic Daura Act.
The bills passed by the Senate sought to establish the Federal University of Gashua; Federal Polytechnic, Orogun; Federal College of Education, Illo; Federal University of Education, Kontagora; Federal Polytechnic, Daura; Modibo Adama University of Technology, and Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Funtua.