The Ondo state government has given its nod for the transfer of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) Teaching Hospital complex in Akure to the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).
The move will allow UNIMED to serve as FUTA’s College of Medicine and Teaching Hospital, following President Bola Tinubu’s approval for FUTA to establish the facility.
The decision was reached at the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting presided over by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in Akure.
Addressing journalists after the meeting in Akure, the state Commissioner for Health, Banji Ajaka, explained that the move follows President Bola Tinubu’s approval for FUTA to establish a College of Medicine and a Teaching Hospital.
Ajaka, a medical doctor, said the Akure Hospital complex would now be ceded to the federal government to serve as FUTA’s main medical sciences facility.
“The handover includes the transfer of staff infrastructure, equipment, and liabilities. All employees will be absorbed into FUTA Teaching Hospital under the Federal Government,” he declared.
According to him, the move is expected to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state while advancing FUTA’s ambition to become a leading centre for medical sciences in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Leye Akinola, has announced new measures to protect farmers from the impact of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which bans crops cultivated from deforested areas.
Mr Akinola, who revealed that the decision was reached at the council level, said the approved agroforestry practices cut across selected forests and are to ensure reserved areas remain intact.
According to him, “Cocoa, cashew, oil palm, and rubber farmers will be permitted to continue operations under strict mapping and traceability systems.
“By December 30, 2025, any crop that cannot be traced to a mapped farm risks being rejected at the EU market. To safeguard livelihoods, the state will support farm mapping and grant farmers permits to continue operations.”
The council also approved a review of tariffs across agricultural produce and timber value chains, aligning Ondo with other Southwest states under the DAWN Commission framework.
The Commissioner for Information, Idowu Ajanaku, clarified that each cabinet member has been directed to nominate a road project in their respective local government areas to impact communities directly.
Ajanaku stressed that the initiative is not for private or partisan interests but to ensure equitable development across the 18 local government areas.
“These roads are outside the 2025 budgeted projects. They are supplementary interventions to touch communities and enhance connectivity.”
