By Peter Omopo | September 10, 2025
The Lagos State House of Assembly has taken a major step toward establishing the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, aimed at addressing the shortage of healthcare professionals and strengthening medical education in the state.
The development came during a one-day public hearing on the University of Medicine and Health Science Bill, 2024, organised by the Assembly’s Joint Committee on Education (Tertiary Institutions) and Health Services and Primary Healthcare.
The bill seeks to separate the College of Medicine from Lagos State University (LASU), creating an independent, specialised university with its own governance structure, including a Governing Council, Senate, Congregation and Convocation. Under the proposal, the Governor of Lagos State will serve as Visitor to the institution.
Co-chairman of the committee, Hon. Ajani Owolabi, explained that the new university would not only train doctors and allied health professionals but also expand research capacity and widen access to higher education.
Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Adedamola Kasunmu, added that the bill, which contains 54 sections and five parts, is designed to “train world-class healthcare workers who will serve Lagos, Nigeria, and beyond,” while also addressing brain drain in the health sector.
Speaking on behalf of the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, Deputy Speaker Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda stressed that the Assembly would only pass the bill after engaging critical stakeholders. She noted that Nigeria currently has only two specialised universities of medicine, both privately owned, adding that Lagos would be setting a new standard in medical training.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, backed the proposal, describing it as part of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s strategic efforts to address human resource deficits in the health sector.
Similarly, the Commissioner for Tertiary Institutions, Mr. Tolani Sule, said the institution would be more than a renaming of LASU’s College of Medicine. He described it as a “visionary realignment” that would expand training for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, biomedical scientists, and other professionals critical to sustaining the healthcare system.
Emeritus Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, while supporting the initiative, emphasised the need to follow due process in setting up a state university under Nigeria’s concurrent legislative framework.
Co-chairman of the committee, Hon. Lawal Musibau, assured stakeholders that their submissions would be incorporated into the final draft of the bill. The committee also invited memoranda, to be submitted within seven days either via email to tertiaryeducationcommittee@lagoshouseofassembly.gov.ng or directly to the Office of the Clerk of the House.
If passed into law, the Lagos University of Medicine and Health Sciences will become Nigeria’s first state-owned specialised medical university.
