It was a quiet death that nobody celebrated. In 2015, the halls of the College of Medical Sciences at Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, once filled with the hopeful chatter of future doctors, fell into silence. What began in 2012 with promise and excitement—the accreditation of the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme—was abruptly brought to a halt just three years later. A damning resource verification exercise by the National Universities Commission (NUC) exposed infrastructural and academic inadequacies too grave to ignore. The programme was de-accredited, and medical dreams were put on pause.
“It was heartbreaking,” recalls Amina, one of the affected students. “We were in our third year when we got the news. One minute we were preparing for our clinical rotations, the next, we were told to pack our things.”
The Kogi State Government, under then-Governor Yahaya Bello, tried to salvage the situation. Full scholarships were granted and arrangements made to transfer the affected students—over 60 of them—to other universities, including the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. It was a lifeline, but not without its toll.
“I had to start over in Sokoto,” says Idris, now a medical doctor. “New environment, new curriculum, new challenges. We made it through, but many lost precious years to the transition.”
For nearly a decade, the site of the abandoned faculty stood as a monument to halted ambitions. The buildings aged. Equipment gathered dust. Generations of prospective medical students in Kogi East watched their dreams deferred or forced to look elsewhere.
That began to change in 2024 with the election of Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo. Known for his technocratic approach and practical governance style, Ododo wasted no time in addressing the long-festering issue. One of his earliest executive directives was a comprehensive review of the conditions that led to the programme’s collapse. He didn’t stop there.
Governor Ododo approved immediate funding for the provision of outstanding facilities—projects that had lingered in paperwork under previous administrations. These included:
A Multipurpose Teaching Laboratory, Modern lecture halls and a fully stocked library, Consultant and administrative offices and Upgraded student hostels
Dr. Abdulazeez Adams, Kogi State Commissioner for Health, described the effort as “decisive and deeply intentional.” Speaking during a press briefing in Lokoja, he said: “His Excellency understood that restoring the MBBS programme wasn’t just about infrastructure. It was about restoring confidence in the state’s education system.”
Construction began immediately. Contractors were mobilized. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Marietu Tenuche, was tasked with implementing all necessary academic reforms and restarting allied health programmes needed to support a full MBBS curriculum.
Following these infrastructural and academic improvements, the university invited the NUC for a fresh round of resource verification. This time, the results were different. The NUC granted full re-accreditation to the MBBS programme—a victory 10 years in the making.
For many in Anyigba and across Kogi East, the news was not just a policy win—it was a personal one.
“It felt like a second chance,” says Dr. Ibrahim, a native of Dekina. “Governor Ododo didn’t just revive a programme, he revived our faith in the future of medical education here.”
The restoration of the MBBS programme is not an isolated move. It fits into Governor Ododo’s broader vision to transform healthcare education across the state. His administration has invested in: The College of Nursing in Obangede, The College of Health Sciences in Idah,The College of Medical Sciences at CUSTECH, Osara and now, the fully restored College of Medical Sciences at PAAU, Anyigba
Together, these institutions form the backbone of a new, expanded healthcare workforce for Kogi State.
As the first batch of newly admitted medical students prepare to enter the restored faculty later this year, there is a renewed buzz on campus. The white coats are back. The lecture halls are alive again. And for the first time in a long time, Kogi’s future doctors won’t have to leave home to chase their dreams.
Governor Ododo has not only done the needful—he has rewritten a broken story with hope, vision, and action.