Finally, UATH obtains right of occupancy on its 120 hectares land

University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) Gwagwalada has secured the title document on 120 hectares of land belonging to the hospital that was subjected to all forms of litigations and crises in the last four decades.

An impeccable sources revealed that a “mission impossible” became accomplished under the present leadership of the tertiary health institution to give room for more development and to avoid encroachments.

“The allocation was ratified as a result of synergy between the Federal Ministry of Health and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Lands Department, to avoid needless rancour, distractions to the health institution and the host community,” the UATH Chief Medical Director, Professor Bissala Ekele, said.

According to him, the property will guarantee the safety of lives of people who were bent on settling down on the hospital’s land, to avoid contact with some transmissible diseases, particularly at this global health challenges era of COVID-19 and others.

Said Prof Ekele: “When I assumed duty in 2017, I was inundated with series of letters, both with threats of litigation over some portions of the hospital land. But it was resolved by the intervention of the two federal agencies.

“The hospital has already started the process of expansion and allocated 16 hectares to the School of Health Sciences for the construction of College of Medicine in the premises of the hospital.

“We want a model of University College Hospital like the University of Ibadan so as to create a serene environment both for lecturers and the medical students.”

Aside the Medical College, with the land secured from all legal encumbrances and community disagreements, it is safer and healthy to expand anytime funds are available.

“With this positive development, the hospital management and its host community of Gwagwalada are now leaving peacefully devoid of land crises and disagreements,” Professor Ekele maintained.

Having recorded this trend, he said, it has climaxed the series of achievements already recorded by the institution.

The right of occupancy as title document had been the bane of land crises particularly in the Federal Capital Territory FCT Abuja.