The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the operations and financial activities of the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Abuja, amid growing concerns over alleged mismanagement and the institution’s prolonged closure.
This followed the adoption of a motion at Wednesday’s plenary sponsored by Hon. Jonathan Gbefwi and four other lawmakers, who raised alarm over the college’s non-functional status and questionable disbursement of funds spanning more than a decade.
Established in 2008 as a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Health, the college was created based on recommendations from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to advance the practice of homeopathy, acupuncture, naturopathy, osteopathy, and chiropractic care. The institution derives its legal backing from the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Act, Cap. M8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
In 2018, government efforts to integrate traditional medicine into Nigeria’s healthcare system culminated in the establishment of the Department of Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine under the Ministry of Health.
However, while leading the debate, Gbefwi expressed concern that academic activities at the college have been suspended since October 16, 2010, following an order by the National Universities Commission (NUC), which shut down its degree programmes due to lack of accreditation.
Despite the shutdown, Gbefwi revealed that the college’s interim management—appointed by the Health Ministry after suspending the original leadership in 2011—has continued to receive and expend capital and overhead allocations totaling hundreds of millions of naira.
> “In 2016, a staff member was named Acting Head of Administration to run the institution, even though it has remained academically dormant,” he noted.
The lawmaker cited numerous petitions and counter-petitions accusing both Ministry officials and the college’s management of financial misconduct, unauthorized disbursement of public funds, and administrative abuses that have caught the attention of anti-corruption agencies.
He also condemned the continued appointment of a Sole Administrator to run the College, saying it violates the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (Establishment) Act, 2021, which outlines a different governance structure.
> “The House is alarmed by reports of illegal staff suspensions, unpaid entitlements, arbitrary dismissals, and irregular recruitments carried out without due process,” Gbefwi stated.
In response, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas directed the House Committee on Specialty Healthcare to launch a comprehensive probe into the financial mismanagement, administrative irregularities, and legal violations surrounding the college. The committee will also examine the circumstances behind the NUC’s closure directive and the reasons for the institution’s continued non-operational status.
The investigation is expected to uncover the facts and recommend
