The Senate has passed a bill seeking to establish a Federal University of Medical Sciences and Biomedical Technology in each of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
Passage of the Bill followed consideration and adoption of the report by the Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) on the proposal.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, in his presentation, said the establishment of the university in the six zones of the country would address the dearth in admission of students aspiring to study Medicine and Allied Sciences in Nigeria.
Oloriegbe added that the presence of the university would also supply the much needed manpower in the healthcare service sector as well as boost income generation and ensure economic growth.
He said, “When passed into law, the huge gap in doctor-patient ratio as well as in medical research and production of pharmaceutical products will be bridged.
“The universities will also advance healthcare delivery in Nigeria through research and innovation, training and development of the health sector.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, considered and adopted the report on the proposed National Youth Service Corps Special Trust Fund, which was laid by Chairman of the Committee on Youth Development, Yemi Adaramodu.
Sponsored by a member of the House, Samuel Akinfolarin, the NYSC Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill 2021 passed the first reading at the House on December 16, 2021; and second reading on January 20, 2022.
The legislation is titled ‘A Bill for an Act to Establish National Youth Service Corps Trust Fund (NYSCTF) to provide a sustainable source of Funds for National Youth Service Corps, Skill Acquisition, Training and Empowerment of Corps Members, Training and Retraining of the Personnel of National Youth Service Corps, Development of Camps and NYSC Formations and Facilities Therein; and for Related Matters.’
The Fund would be financed with a levy of 1 per cent of the net profit of companies and organised private sector operating business in Nigeria; 0.2 per cent of total revenue accruing to the federation account; and any take-off grant and special intervention fund as may be provided by the federal, state and local governments of the Federation.
Other sources of fund include “such money as may be appropriated to meet the objective of this Act by the National Assembly in the budget; aids, grants and assistance from international bilateral and multilateral agencies, non-governmental organisations and the organised private sector; grants, donations, endowments, bequests and gifts, whether of money, land or any other property from any source; and money derived from investment made by the Trust Fund.”
The proposed Fund is to “provide sustainable source of funds for NYSC, skills acquisition training and provision of start-up capital to corps members, train and retrain the personnel of the NYSC, develop camps and NYSC formations and provide facilities therein.”
It will also “improve the general welfare of corps members and personnel of the scheme and enhance their preparedness to effectively discharge their statutory duties of promoting national unity, integration, self-reliance and accelerated development of the national economy.”
The proposed law will, therefore, provide a legal framework for management and control of the special intervention fund established under Section 3 of the Act.
The bill partly read, “The Trust Fund established under Section 3 of this Act covers all corps members, personnel of the NYSC, orientation camps, formations, facilities and for the overall improvement and efficiency in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities.
“The Trust Fund is to operate concurrently with the National Youth Service
Corps scheme from the commencement of the Bill.”