Niger College of Medicine to kick-off next year – Commissioner

The Niger Government on Thursday said arrangements have been concluded to ensure that the College of Medicine being established at the state university take-off next year.
Dr Mustapha Jibrin, the state Commissioner for Health, disclosed this during a news briefing in Minna.
Jibrin, who was not specific on when the college would commence academic activities next year, expressed optimism that it would be inaugurated.
He said that the process of establishing the college started since 2010 at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, owned by the state government.
He said: “The medical school has reached 90 per cent completion with the clinical building completed and staff trained.
“We have recruited and trained 23 medical consultants and specialists for that purpose.”
He said that the college would tackle the issue of inadequate medical personnel being experienced in the state.
The commissioner also said that government has concluded arrangement for the take-off of Niger State Health Contributory Scheme by April next year.
He explained that the scheme which would ensure easy access to health services by residents of the state required government contributing 2.5 per cent while the beneficiary would pay 2.5 per cent.
Jibrin added that government has paid N799 million for the accreditation of courses at the School of Midwifery in Minna; School of Nursing, Bida, and College of Nursing Sciences in Kontagora.
He said that all these and more were done to improve the health care delivery for residents of the state.
He said: “We intend to build a health system where everybody counts and to reach them irrespective where they reside in the state.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that IBBU was established 2005 and had its first convocation in 2014.
It was named after former military Head of State, retired Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
The university started academic activities in the 2005/2006 academic session.