NUC Gives FUTA Approval for Medical Programme

By James Sowole

The National Universities Commission (NUC), has given approval for the commencement of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) programme by the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) with effect from the 2020/2021 academic session.

The approval, was disclosed by the Deputy Director, Corporate Communications, Mr Adegbenro Adebanjo in a statement quoting Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Adamu Rasheed.

Adegbenro said the approval, followed the recommendation of the panel of experts from the commission which carried out a resource verification visit.

According to the commission, in the letter addressed to the Vice Chancellor Professor Joseph Fuwape and signed by the Director of Academic Planning, Dr. NB Salihu, “Resource verification was carried out by a panel of experts to the proposed medical program of FUTA with a view to assessing the human and material resources available for their establishment. I am directed to inform the Vice Chancellor that the executive secretary has considered and approved the establishment of the full time mode of the Medicine and Surgery, MBBS programme to be run with effect from the 2020/2021 academic session”.

“The resource verification team visited FUTA in February 2021 to ascertain its level of preparedness for the take off the School of Medical Sciences.

“After a painstaking assessment, the leader of the team Professor Saliu Yakasai, Provost, College of Medicine ,Bayero University Kano said he was encouraged by FUTA’s determination towards the take off of the school in record time. He said FUTA was leading the pace among other universities of technology in Nigeria and that there was no doubt that the establishment of the medical programme and medical school will further place the institution among the foremost in the country.”

Professor Yakaai urged the university management not to relent in putting up the necessary logistics for the efficient take off of the school and was optimistic that FUTA will use the medical school to further advance research and learning in Nigeria.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Joseph Fuwape while reacting to the development said the report of the resource verification team and the subsequent approval by the NUC is an endorsement of the hard work and structures; human and material already put in place for the commencement of the programme.

He said all hands were on deck to ensure the smooth and efficient take off of the medical programme.

Fuwape said since the school of Health and Health Technology was already running Anatomy , Physiology and Medical Biochemistry, FUTA has what it takes to run the MBBS programme.

He said the university would deploy adequate human and material resource and invest the program with the imprimatur of excellence which has become the hallmark of all programmes run by FUTA.