ABU gets N4 billion grant to upgrade medical college
The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria says the Federal Government has approved a special intervention of N4 billion for the upgrade of facilities in the College of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Dentistry.
Its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, disclosed this during the induction ceremony of 81 newly qualified Doctors in Zaria on Monday.
Ahmed, represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academics, Prof. Raymond Bako, said the intervention would assist the university to increase its current capacity in medical training programmes.
He said the university was thinking very seriously about expanding the current capacity of its Medical School to enable it to admit more students, adding that the university has over 3,000 students who applied for MBBS and the university’s quota for admission is 180.
“So, you can imagine the trouble and the headache in trying to admit 180 students from over 3,000 students,” Ahmed said.
He, therefore, congratulated the inductees for the ceremony while hoping that in the years to come, ABU would continue to graduate many more medical doctors.
In his remarks, Chief Medical Director (CMD), Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Prof. Hamidu-Ahmed Umdagas, pledged that the hospital will continue its support in clinical training to the inductees.
The CMD, represented by Prof. M.M. Aminu told the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to reserve Housemanship slots for all the graduates at ABUTH, adding that the hospital had about 160 placements and was ready to accommodate nearly half of the new doctors.
Umdagas encouraged the graduates to embrace the compulsory one-year housemanship as a vital stage of supervised practice, before progressing to full professional independence.
The Provost of the College, Prof. Mohammed Shehu, said it had admitted them under a 120-student quota, adding that the college was set to expand its intake to about 180, with “ministerial support in the near future”.
Shehu explained that the new doctors would now proceed to housemanship, a compulsory supervised training stage designed to prepare them for independent practice.
He stressed that the exercise, overseen by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), equips young doctors with practical experience in major specialties of medicine.
Shehu further highlighted the ethical responsibilities of doctors, urging the graduates to study and adhere strictly to the Code of Medical Ethics.
“Medicine demands not only knowledge but also humility, honesty, and respect for patients. Communication with patients is as important as treatment itself,” he said.
Shehu also called on the graduates to give back to their families, guardians, and alma mater, while upholding the dignity and standards of the profession.
The event featured the administration of the ‘Sponsio Academica Oath’, reaffirming the graduates’ commitment to patient care, confidentiality, and professional conduct.
