By Bolu-Olu Esho
Copyright independent
Ondo State government has transferred the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) Teaching Hospital complex in Akure to the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), for it to serve as its College of Medicine and Teaching Hospital.
This was approved by the State Executive Council on Thursday during its meeting in Akure, the state capital, presided over by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, explained that the transfer was a result of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for FUTA to establish a College of Medicine and a Teaching Hospital.
He stated that the UNIMEDTHC, Akure would henceforth serve as FUTA’s main medical sciences facility as it has been ceded to the varsity.
Ajaka said: “The handover includes the transfer of staff infrastructure, equipment, and liabilities. All employees will be absorbed into FUTA Teaching Hospital under the Federal Government,” Dr. Ajaka stated.
The State Executive Council noted that the development would boost 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, Engr. Leye Akinola, also at the briefing, announced new measures approved by the Council to protect farmers from the impact of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which bans crops cultivated from deforested areas.
He disclosed that the state government had approved agroforestry practices across selected forests, while ensuring reserved areas remain intact. 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,” Akinola added.
Moreover, 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 state Commissioner for Information, Mr Idowu Ajanaku revealed that each cabinet member has been directed at the meeting to nominate a road project in their respective local government areas to impact communities directly.
He declared that the initiative is not for private or partisan interests but to ensure equitable development across the 18 local government areas.
Ajanaku said: “These roads are outside the 2025 budgeted projects. They are supplementary interventions to touch communities and enhance connectivity.”
Furthermore, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Hamidu Takuro, disclosed that the Council has ratified the appointment of His Royal Highness Joseph Ilésanmí as the monarch of Sosan in Akoko South-East Local Government Area of the state.
