ABUAD signs memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ido-Ekiti.The event, which took place on Saturday, 15th November, 2014 at Ido-Ekiti in Ido –Osi LGA of Ekiti State was attended by supervising Minister of Health Dr. Haliru Alhassan, Founder , ABUAD Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), the Vice Chancellor Prof. M. O Ajisafe, Representative of the Board of Trustees ( BOT) Prof. Israel Orubuloye, other senior officials of the institution, including the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido, Dr. Lawrence Ayodele Majekodunmi, the CMD of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Kolawole Ogundipe, and traditional rulers.
The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ido-Ekiti and Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), for the FMC’s upgrade to the Federal Teaching Hospital was conducted by the supervising Minister of Health in line with the pronouncement by the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan GCFR.
The sealing of the agreement followed structural upgrades undertook in the teaching hospital by Aare Afe at a cost of N2.5 billion, in line with the requirements by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the National Universities Commission (NUC) for the running of a tertiary health institution.
The supervising Minister of Health Dr. Haliru Alhassan in his remark affirmed that the MOU with ABUAD was the first of its kind in the health sector in Nigeria.
The minister noted: “ABUAD has blazed the trail ever since the discussion on this collaboration started. It became like a clarion call to other universities, and our ministry has been bombarded with similar requests.
“Unfortunately, ABUAD has set a standard, which may be a herculean task for most of the private universities to meet”.
Aare Afe Babalola, who praised the minister for weathering the odds to make it to the event, explained that the achievement was the outcome of the Federal Government’s belief in Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements to drive and achieve desirable progress in education.
His words: “We are the ones, who must improve the lots of our people. God will not come down to do it. Prayer and hard work are synonymous: you work hard and get result; if you don’t, then there is no result. Industry, determination, hard work, integrity were the investments we made to achieve what we have here today.
“This is PPP at its best. FMC has cooperated with a private university to achieve the result. No government can fund education alone. It is impossible. If any government says it can do it alone, that government is lying. Don’t let us deceive ourselves. In Japan, there are 2,000 varsities and of these, there are 1,000 private ones”.
The CMD Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for welcoming the PPP in the health sector, adding that the development would reposition the sector for improved service delivery.
He explained that the hospital has the best residency training programmes, which he maintained reflected in the presentation of eight members of the institution for a residency examination in which they all passed.
Attributing the achievement to hard work and commitment by the hospital’s workers since the institution was established in 1999, Majekodunmi said: “Today, this 300-bedded hospital can boast 65 full-time consultants in the fields of medical specialties and has been accredited in eight medical departments by both national and West African Postgraduate Medical Colleges to train resident doctors”.
He attributed the achievement to Aare Afe Babalola, “who refused to be discouraged by hindrance he met on the way towards achieving the great feat”.