FTH Lokoja Strengthens Partnership With Federal University Lokoja To Advance Medical School Accreditation And Training Capacity

Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja (FTHL) has reinforced its partnership with the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) through expanded workforce planning and a flexible staffing framework aimed at accelerating the accreditation and operational readiness of the university’s College of Health Sciences.

The commitment was reaffirmed during a high-level engagement on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, when the Vice-Chancellor of FUL, Professor Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Medical Director of FTHL, Associate Professor Abdulrahman Ozovehe Shehu.

During the meeting, Professor Ibileye congratulated the Chief Medical Director on his appointment and reviewed the university’s developmental trajectory, noting its expansion from three faculties to fourteen, including the establishment of a College of Health Sciences.

He stated that the university regards the teaching hospital as a critical strategic partner in achieving full accreditation for its medical programme and producing its first set of medical graduates. He also highlighted operational challenges requiring joint intervention, including personnel deployment structures, student accommodation logistics, and the need for renewable energy solutions to reduce operational costs.

In his response, the Chief Medical Director emphasized that medical education is fundamentally dependent on a fully functional teaching hospital system, stressing that accreditation standards require strict compliance across clinical specialties and training environments.

He noted that both institutions must operate within a coordinated framework to meet regulatory expectations, adding that no medical programme can succeed without meeting the standards set by the Medical and Dental regulatory authorities.

The CMD further explained that staffing arrangements would be implemented through a flexible model that allows for deployment from both the hospital and the university system where necessary, ensuring optimal use of available expertise across clinical and academic units.

He also commended the Vice-Chancellor for engaging early on issues relating to institutional agreements, financial structures, and service frameworks outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding, describing such proactive coordination as essential for accreditation success.

According to him, the hospital has already conducted a gap analysis of required clinical areas and is prepared to work with the university to address identified deficiencies in line with accreditation benchmarks.

He disclosed that FTH Lokoja’s training structure is designed to accommodate undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across Medicine, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science, Radiology, and related fields. To support this expansion, the hospital has secured approval for additional staff recruitment.

He further revealed that more than twenty medical professionals have already indicated interest in joining the institution, with financial arrangements concluded, as part of efforts to strengthen manpower capacity for teaching and clinical supervision.

The Chief Medical Director reaffirmed the hospital’s readiness to support the university’s long-term vision, stating that the focus is to create an enabling environment capable of producing competent medical professionals at scale.

The engagement concluded with a shared commitment by both institutions to deepen collaboration in human resource development, infrastructure expansion, and regulatory compliance as they move toward full accreditation and sustainable medical training operations.