The Senate Minority Leader and Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Senator Abba Moro, has sponsored a bill seeking the establishment of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (FUHSO) Teaching Hospital.
The bill, titled “University Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution of Boards, etc.) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025,” passed its First Reading on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.
The proposed legislation aims to amend the existing University Teaching Hospitals Act to include the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, thereby paving the way for the creation of a fully functional teaching hospital affiliated with the institution.
It would be recalled that Senator Moro had earlier sponsored the bill establishing FUHSO, which received presidential assent from former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022.
According to Senator Moro, the new bill seeks to complement that milestone by providing the university with a dedicated teaching hospital to enhance medical education, research, and healthcare delivery in the region.
Recall that the former Senate President, Senator David Mark, first sponsored the initial bill for the establishment of FUHSO during the 7th Senate under the administration of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Following the passage of that bill, Professor Martin Anthony Chukwumbudike Aghaji, a renowned cardiac surgeon and emeritus professor of surgery at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was appointed Vice Chancellor by President Jonathan to commence academic activities. However, the process was stalled during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, reportedly due to paucity of funds.
The project was later revived and fully operationalized after President Buhari assented to the bill establishing FUHSO, paving the way for academic activities to commence in earnest.
