By Nudoiba Ojen
President Bola Tinubu has approved the conversion of the Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy, Enugu, to a full-fledged university.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said in a statement that the institution will now be known as the Federal University of Allied Health Sciences, Enugu, and will be domiciled under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Ngelale said the upgrade comes amid ongoing health reforms, which would see the Federal Government train 120,000 frontline health workers nationwide within 16 months.
He said that the reforms also aim to double the number of primary health facilities in local communities across the 774 local government areas from its current 8,800 to over 17,000 in the next three years.
The President also on Thursday approved the appointment of Dr. James Omietimi as the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, for an initial term of four years.
He also reappointed Professor Sa’ad Ahmed as the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, for a second term of four years.
Ngelale disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘President Tinubu appoints Chief Medical Directors of two Federal Medical Centres.’
The presidential Adviser said, “The President expects the newly appointed CMDs to “leverage their vast experience and professional competence to facilitate the consistent delivery of quality healthcare services to all Nigerians”.
According to the statement, Omietimi graduated from the University of Port Harcourt in 1994 with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree, and began his medical career with specialisation in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Ahmed, a professor of Pathology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, concurrently serves as the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, for four years during his initial tenure.
