FG inaugurates committee to revamp state house medical centre

The Federal Government has inaugurated a Technical Working Group (TWG) tasked with transforming the State House Medical Centre into a world-class facility through a public-private partnership.

The Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, while inaugurating the committee in Abuja, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had given him the special assignment of revamping the State House Medical Centre using the public-private partnership initiative.

While noting that the Presidential directive was part of the administration’s commitment to making tough decisions that yield positive results, the minister added that it is all about finding ways to bring greater efficiency to the operation of public institutions and infrastructure.

He said: “When you implement a public-private partnership or new concession of public infrastructure, you bring better efficiency and sustainability to such institutions or programmes, and that’s what Mr President has set out to achieve with the new State House Medical Centre. This initiative is not limited to this facility alone; Mr President plans to extend it to other sectors.

“We’re moving this forward to sustain the significant improvements and investments made in the State House Medical Centre, totalling hundreds of millions of dollars. We cannot afford to waste such investments by failing to derive better value from them.”

Alausa explained that although the State House Medical Centre was originally built for the First Family and the Vice President’s family, the scope of services has been expanded to include the National Assembly, judiciary, and civil servants.

“Today, one of our senior civil servants received care there. He will return in a few days for an MRI scan. We don’t want a situation where, three months from now, due to lack of government appropriation, the MRI machine is out of service. This initiative benefits everyone, not just the President.

“This is being carefully planned. We don’t yet know who will win the concession or how it will be structured. That is why we are assembling this technical working group to determine the best approach.

“The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) is providing us with a clear implementation framework. If you ask me today about the nature of the arrangement—whether it will be a BPP model, concession, or management contract—I cannot say. That is one of the tasks assigned to this technical working group.

“Ultimately, once decisions are made, we will internationalise the care provided at the new State House Medical Centre. We will attract international experts, Nigerians in the diaspora, and others to work there. This aligns with the agenda of re-engaging diaspora health professionals in the country.

“Remember, Nigeria has excellent healthcare providers worldwide who are eager to return. This initiative creates an opportunity for them to come back. At the end of it all, this centre will provide world-class healthcare to the people of Nigeria.”

The minister urged the TWG members to set aside sentiments and carry out their assignment with vigour, purpose, and diligence.

The Chairman of the committee, Salma Ibrahim-Anas, who is the Special Adviser to the President on Health, applauded the minister for his support and foresight on the project, describing it as laudable.

“This is a task you have given us, but you have made it so much easier by conducting a deep dive into the issues and providing a clear vision of what we need to achieve. I fully agree with this vision.

“We must revamp our systems. The First Family and their team, in particular, must have access to quality healthcare.”

The Technical Working Group’s terms of reference include framework implementation, procurement process management, evaluation and recommendations, stakeholder engagement and diligence, contract repository support, and timelines and deliverables.

Other members of the TWG include Mr Funmi Badmus from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President; Prof Tunji Olaopa, Chairman of the Civil Service Commission; Ibrahim Abdulkadir, Deputy Director from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF); Obi Alio Chekeubechi from the Ministry of Justice; David Atuwo from the Ministry of Education; Dr Agbor Neji Ebuta, Permanent Secretary of the State House; Dr Adebowale Adedokun, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement; Dr Akintunde Sawyerr, MD of NELFUND; and Olusegun Akinyelure.

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