By: John Bassey, Zamfara.

The Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Gusau has received a consignment of medical books and journals donated by the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation as part of a nationwide initiative to strengthen training and research in Nigeria’s federal tertiary health institutions.

The books, purchased from Elsevier and shipped from the United States of America, are part of a major distribution exercise covering 58 selected federal tertiary health institutions across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

As contained in a statement issued by Comrade Naziru A. Tukur, Ph.D.
Information & Public Relations Officer
Federal Medical Centre to Journalists in Gusau, the materials are intended to support medical education, professional training and research within the beneficiary institutions.

The foundation disclosed that it financed the procurement and shipment of ten 40-foot containers of current medical books and journals into Nigeria to facilitate the initiative.

The exercise represents the 13th edition of the foundation’s book distribution programme, which began in 2013. Unlike previous distributions that covered diverse academic fields, the 2026 edition is dedicated specifically to medical disciplines.

In a letter addressed to the Medical Director of the Centre, Dr. Bello A. Mohammed, the foundation explained that the intervention followed a request from the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, made on behalf of federal tertiary health institutions.

The letter, signed by the Acting Chief of Staff of the foundation, Barrister Chijioke James, stated that:
“Following a special request of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate CON, to the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation seeking assistance and partnership in the expansion of training capacity of health institutions across the country, and the gracious approval of our Board, SEOF financed the procurement and facilitation of ten 40-foot containers of current medical books and journals into the country from the United States of America.”

It added that FMC Gusau was nominated as one of the beneficiaries of the philanthropic gesture and invited to participate in the 2026 national books distribution exercise.

Reacting to the development, the Medical Director of the Centre, Dr. Bello A. Mohammed, expressed gratitude to the foundation and the Coordinating Minister for the timely intervention.

According to him, the donation will significantly support the Centre’s academic and professional development efforts, particularly as the institution is making progress toward transitioning into a teaching hospital.

Dr. Mohammed also called on well-meaning individuals and groups, including local business people, politicians, religious leaders, traditional rulers and members of the public, to emulate the philanthropic example set by the foundation.

He noted that contributions from individuals and organisations remain vital to the continued growth of the institution and the improvement of healthcare services.

“No one is too poor to give, just as no one is too rich to receive,” he said, assuring the hospital community that the donated materials would be effectively utilised to enhance training and support the delivery of quality healthcare services at the Centre.

Meanwhile, the Centre has inaugurated a committee to undertake an inventory and conduct needs assessments across its libraries and departments to ensure the effective and equitable distribution of the donated materials.

Speaking on the process, the Chairman of the Committee and Deputy Head of Clinical Services (Research and Training), Dr. Usman Sulaiman, stated that the team had commenced a comprehensive cataloguing of the books. He explained that the materials would be classified according to specialty and relevance, followed by a needs assessment to identify gaps across departments and library units. He added that the committee also plans to establish a tracking and maintenance system to ensure proper preservation of the books and facilitate easy access for staff.